On the back of this circa 1920, sharp and nicely composed real photo postcard is written in script: “Scene at Sugar Creek, Mo. George watching the fish.” The card is stamped, “O. C. Kuehn, Photo. St. Louis, Mo.”
Oscar C. Kuehn (1877-1949) was an enthusiastic amateur photographer, and an “ardent camera devotee,” who exhibited his characteristically corny posed shots of cute kids and dogs and a gnarled old timer strumming a guitar. This may have been a family snapshot as it has a more authentic look than his more standard posed pictures. He served as president of the St. Louis Camera Club in the 1920s. That he was a well-known amateur photographer in St. Louis leads us to believe this image was taken at the Sugar Creek running through Kirkwood in southwest St. Louis. It shows a typical headwaters Ozarkian stream.
As we all know, the boundaries of the Ozark Plateau have been subject of much discussion. Per Missouri State University Libraries Notes, July 2023: “The boundaries of the Ozark region always have been open to debate and discussion. Most previous maps of the Ozarks tended to use bold, solid lines as a border for the region. The new map uses a hashed line to indicate that the boundaries are a bit murky and fluid.”
By most maps, St. Louis lies just beyond the northeast edge of the Ozarks. However, the more permeable edges of this newest map could include this watershed. Recent news (well, 2018) from the Webster-Kirkwood Times describes it as: “Sugar Creek Valley in Kirkwood has been called a wildflower haven, painters’ paradise and architects’ alley.” And neighborhood residents had organized a “Save Sugar Creek” group to resist development to keep their stream clean.
Start Googling around the internet and you’ll find several other Sugar Creeks in Missouri. One in Adair County, near Kirksville, and of course Big Sugar Creek State Park in McDonald County. Big Sugar Creek is a tributary of the Elk River, whose watershed drains south into the Arkansas River Basin. The state park features a variety of plants and animals that are less common or absent farther into Missouri. Begun in 1992 with 640 acres of land, it now comprises more than 2,000 acres. MDC notes the park is still in development stage, so check their website for more information before heading to it.
Vintage Images is a column we provide to River Hills Traveler, a monthly publication. Lens & Pen Press publishes all-color books on the Ozarks. Our book, “See the Ozarks: The Touristic Image,” showcases many of the primary tourist destinations across the Ozarks. It is available for $22.50 (10% off retail), postage paid. Click on Buy our Books