But the greatest of these…

Painted olive green, Hartville’s water tower earns style points as it sticks out from the old red brick buildings like a garnish on the swizzle stick in a giant bloody Mary. I know that image isn’t the town’s intent. But, … Read More

Ava is a palindrome

It looks the same coming from any direction. The water tower sits atop a hill off the center of town, shouting “Ava Bears” from its steel sides. This garden spot in the middle of the Mark Twain Forest missed a … Read More

Grundy County Horsepower. Chicken Power, Too

Turds dot the roads like a giant linear checkers game. Up the road, a hundred buggies parked outside the local produce market. A giant four-horse draft team passed me, its wagoneer headed to plow a field. We waved at one … Read More

207 years ago today, the Earth shook New Madrid.

In the History of Southeast Missouri, eyewitness Godfrey LeSieur gives this account of the New Madrid Earthquake: “The first shock was about 2 o’clock a. m., on the night of December 16, 1811, and was very hard, shaking down log … Read More

You Go First

Rolling downhill, a pair of baby elephants take their geologic time.

Under a spell

We passed a sign that pointed to a Cemetary [sic]. Imagine any English teacher buried there, eternally damned to lie under a misspelled word. Then again, maybe the sign was painted by one of her students, in which case she … Read More

Look Up

Every old water tower anchors a town’s character, its history, and sense of community. This one is in Linn, Missouri, America’s longest small town.

Foggy Falls

Image of Rocky Falls in the fog. Shannon County near Jacks Fork River.

Out of the mist: Rocky Falls in Shannon County.