Seven Wonders of Shannon County: Alley Spring

Some folks claim that Alley Spring Mill is the most photographed spot in Missouri. The two story gristmill sits astride this emerging underground discharge of 81 million gallons per day, where Alley Spring Branch flows a half mile to add … Read More

Seven Wonders of Shannon County: Jam Up

Jam Up Cave is a barn-sized hole at the base of a sheer rock cliff. The cave opens into a sinkhole directly behind the cliff’s face. The sinkhole itself drops from the mountaintop like a landscaped funnel, big as a … Read More

The Seven Wonders of Shannon County

Judge Pegleg Shannon would have a blast in this neck of the woods, assuming he wasn’t sick of rivers and caves and general exploring. As a pup, this youngest member of Lewis & Clark’s Corps of Discovery had a propensity … Read More

Out, out, brief candle

Within one lunar cycle they were gone. Over a 28 day period, Columbia endured a tragedy in three acts, and lost a major chunk of its soul when three of the city’s most visible luminaries died. City officials? No. Big … Read More

Curves

Sometimes the road gets tough.

Ozark Skyscraper

It was a landmark rising from the Ozark hills, for decades the tallest building between Springfield and Cape. The ten story Tower Inn came down slowly, leaving a million memories of Salem’s Ozark Skyscraper. Gone now.

Goodbye, old girl

We traced Highway 47, crossing the Missouri River into Washington’s movie star face, a gorgeous riverbank town with chiseled features, church spires and storefronts peeking from under a brow of hills draped in nature’s thick mane of hardwood forests. The … Read More

My Favorite Statue

From this most animated statue, John William “Blind” Boone’s arms are not merely extended, they’re launched forward, fingers splayed like ten cobras striking in precision. Warrensburg, Missouri.

On A Pedestal

Sometimes a photo jumps at you. This one had my name on it.

Comeback

Thanks to conservation efforts, prairies and buffalo in Missouri are making a comeback. Bison travel together and don’t feel compelled to text, which is refreshing. Dunn Ranch Prairie reintroduced buffalo to Harrison County back in 2011…now herds are thriving here … Read More