May 2023 - Issue 6

EVERYTHING YOU NEED. EVERYWHERE YOU GO.

Every great journey begins with a first step. When you start a relationship with Central Bank, you’ll immediately have access to a community bank with comprehensive offerings, cutting-edge technology and leading-edge banking solutions. We have all the tools you need to move, manage and maximize your money with ease, every step of the way. Discover what’s possible with Central Bank. We do banking better.

EDITORIAL:

Myra Thornton hello@lostonthelake.us

Eric Prey www.tablerockfishingintel.com

Christal Valbracht - AireServ

Jeff Woodward - The Rogue Chef

Edward Jones Financial

PMS Boat Sales-Premiere Marine

Tom Koob - wolpublishing@gmail.com

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Myra Thornton

Eric Prey

AireServ

Martha Bohner

Tom Koob

Thank you to all of our partners! Please consider them for your needs:

Adventure Cave Tours

AireServ of Branson

Black Oak Amp

Branson Bank

Budget Blinds

Butterfly Palace

Central Bank

Edward Jones - Grant Beasley

Health Markets - Nick Morris

PMS Boat Sales

Scout & Petal

Sho-Me Touchless Boat Cover

Table Rock Community Bank

Talking Rocks Cavern

US Tow Boat

a note from the editor

Let the season begin...

Its happening...

Every weekend there are more and more people on the water! Fishing boats, pleasure boats, personal water craft of all sorts are beginning to enjoy the warmer days and cool nights. It won’t be long before the evenings will stay warm and the lightning bugs will surface.

Truly a magical time to be at the lake! The evenings in May summon campfires, bbq’s, and sunset cruises...the fishing tournament schedules are full and everyone is preparing for the season ahead.

May is the perfect time to check your watercraft for any repairs and to stock up for a fun time ahead.

Be sure to follow our website and facebook for lake levels, tournaments and all things lake related.

We are planning some fun float meet-ups and more, so visit our homepage often for more info!

Be Happy, Myra Thornton

W: www.lostonthelake.us

E: hello@lostonthelake.us

P: 417-363-3030

We would love to hear from you! Please share your lake stories, photos and any other info you think might be enjoyed by our readers. We will publish what we can in upcoming issues, or you might be featured on social media &/or the website!

hello@lostonthelake.us

Ask 100 bass anglers their favorite way to catch bass and over 90 will say on top water. Watching bass come out of the water and smash a lure moving across the surface is some of the most exciting action a fisherman experience. Table Rock Lake has some of the best top water fishing in the country, from post spawn through the fall the action is outstanding. Let’s break down which baits work best and where to find the fish on Table Rock.

Top water lures come in a variety of shapes and styles, every angler has their favorite but there are specific styles that outperform others through out the seasons and in different locations:

• Walking Baits: Spooks, Sammys, Vixens are all examples of walking baits. Local fishing legend Charlie Campbell was known throughout the fishing world as a master of a

Table RockTOPWATER

BY: ERIC PREY - TRL Fishing Guide

Spook, his ability to catch fish on Table Rock with a walking bait is still discussed today. Walking baits are a great choice throughout the top water season. Once an angler learns to “walk the dog”, the proper way to work a walking bait, it can be fished around standing timber, boat docks and even wide-open flats.

• Wake Baits: Surge Shad, Red Fin and other wake baits have a short-lived season but when they are working, they are dynamite. Wake Baits are most effective for about a month after the spawn when bass are looking for larger shad to help their post spawn recovery. Wake baits are effective both shallow and deep, around boat docks, standing timer and other cover where bass wait to ambush gizzard shad. In addition to the short season, wake baits are best when there is light or no wind.

• Poppers and Chuggers: Pop-R’s, Skitter Pops and other cup faced popping lures are great when fish are shallow feeding on spawning bluegill or shad. The loud splashing action and ability to pause the lure to draw strikes next to cover make poppers great to throw around laydowns, flooded brush, and shallow boat docks. Poppers are also very easy to use and can be used effectively on spinning and casting gear.

• Prop Baits: Whopper Ploppers, Choppos and other prop baits have

become extremely popular in recent years. One reason is how easy they are to use, cast it out and reel it is really all you need to do. Prop baits work throughout the top water season but shine in the fall when bigger bass chase bluegill along steep bluff walls and ledge banks.

• Buzz Baits: Often overlooked on Table Rock most anglers opt for other top waters instead of buzz bait. The wire frame lures are great around shallow cover like stumps and laydowns, the single hook and surface

skimming design will come over shallow cover that other baits will hang up on.

Locations vary for top water fishing; some days you’ll see fish surfacing all over the place, other days you won’t see a ripple, rest assured the fish are still there, ready to feed. Here are some of the best locations to find and catch top water bass on Table Rock.

• Flats: Flat banks can be intimidating; big open areas seeming void of cover make it hard to figure out where to start casting. Watch for fish and shad near the surface first, if they’re chasing shad throw your lure in front of the school and work it back. Nothing on the surface?

No problem, find stumps, rocks or other subtle cover that will hold fish and cast to it. Lastly, look at areas where the flat rolls off into a river or creek channel, fish will hold in the deeper water of roll offs and move up to feed.

• Standing timber: Large stands of timber can hold fish but look for sparse groups of trees to hold more fish. A single flooded cedar tree can hold more fish than a group of pole timber so work it thoroughly to be effective.

• Boat docks: Docks hold a ton of fish year-round, throughout the summer fish will hold in the shade just under dock floats making a top water an

extremely effective offering. Cast to corners, ends and empty slips to be effective.

• Shallow wood: Stumps, bushes and laydowns are great bass habitat. Cast lures as close to the cover as possible and make sure to hit the shady spots to be effective.

The top water bite on Table Rock is one of the best times of the year to fish. Early during post spawn, the bite can last all day and as summer comes on strong early in the morning and just before sunset are your best times to fish. Pick up your favorite surface lure and watch for schooling fish over the next few months and you won’t be disappointed,

Boating Safety

With National Safe Boating Week coming up this month, we want to talk about life jackets. As boaters, we should all know the importance of wearing our life jackets. Safety advocates recommend everyone wear a life jacket at all times while on the water. However, the US Coast Guard requires anyone under the age of 13 to wear a life jacket at all times when the boat is underway.

When picking a life jacket for yourself or your child, there are 4 key things to remember.

First, look at the label to ensure it is a USCG approved jacket.

Second , check the size on the label. Life jackets are sized by weight and chest size so ensure you or your child fit into the restrictions of the life jacket.

Third, try the jacket on. Buckle or zip the jacket and make sure the straps are snug. Pull up on the shoulders of the jacket from behind to ensure it does not go above the chin or the ears. If it does, then it is too big, and you should go down a size.

Fourth, test the life jacket in the water to see how well it floats. Getting a life jacket that fits properly is critical for safety.

What if you get to the lake and you realize you’ve forgotten your life jackets? The Sea Tow Foundation has several donor life jacket stations all over the lake. You can simply borrow the jacket(s) you need for the day and return them when you are finished.

The following locations are stocked with life jackets from The Sea Tow Foundation

Life Jacket Loaner Program:

1. Cricket Creek Marina

2. Long Creek

3. Old Highway 86

4. State Park Marina

5. Moonshine Beach

6. Indian Point

7. Port of Kimberling Resort and Marina

8. Aunts Creek

9. Mill Creek

10. Joe Bald

11. Baxter Marina

12. Campbell Point

13. Cape Fair

Always remember to choose the right life jacket:

• Wear it: the best jacket is one you will wear!

• Activity: should be appropriate for the activity

• Fit: snug fit with all buckles, straps, zip pers secure

• Condition: jackets with tears, broken pieces, or buoyancy loss should be dis posed of

Life jackets save lives! 81% of all fatal boat ing accident victims drowned. Of these, 83% were not wearing a life jacket.

life will the zipbroken disboatthese,

financial focus

ARE YOUR GOALS ‘MUST HAVE’ OR ‘NICE TO HAVE’?

Like everyone, you may have a lot of financial goals. But are they all of equal importance? Probably not. And do they share a similar timeline? Again, it’s unlikely. So, your first step may be to prioritize your goals — and then follow a process that can help you achieve them.

This process should include the following steps:

• Identify your goals as “must have” or “nice to have.” Making sure you can retire comfortably and won’t outlive your resources is a “must have” goal. For this goal, you can’t compromise — you need to be certain of achieving it, or at least as certain as possible. But if you want to someday own a vacation home by the beach, and you can’t ever quite afford it, you might find an acceptable substitute, such as renting. So, it seems fair to say that achieving this goal would be “nice to have.”

• Prioritize your investment dollars. Unless you have unlimited sums to invest — and very few of us have that luxury — you’ll probably need to prioritize where your investment dollars are going. For your main “must have” goal — retirement — you’ll be helped by the ability to automatically invest through your 401(k) or other employer-sponsored retirement plan. If you’re on track toward this goal, and you budget carefully and potentially receive salary increases over the years, you may also find space to keep contributing toward the “nice to have” goals.

• Put “price tags” on your goals. You need to know what your goals will cost. Of course, you may need to estimate the costs for some goals based on different factors. For example, when you think about your goal of retiring comfortably without outliving your money, you’ll need to consider some key questions, including these: When do you want to retire? What sort of retirement lifestyle do you envision? Do you see yourself downsizing your living arrangements? For other goals, though, such as purchasing a vacation home, you could get more specific on how much money you’ll need.

• Follow an appropriate strategy. The nature of your goals, and their estimated cost, along with your appetite for risk, should drive your investment strategy — but another key factor is time. So, for a long-term goal like retirement, you’ll likely need a reasonable amount of quality growth-oriented investments in your portfolio. While these investments — such as stocks and stock-based mutual funds — will fluctuate in value over shorter periods of time, your hope is that, over several decades, they will ultimately provide the growth you need to meet your retirement goal. However, to achieve a goal you want to meet in a year or so — perhaps you’re paying for a wedding or planning a long vacation — you may want to consider more stable investments, such as certificates of deposit (CDs), short-term bonds or even cash or cash equivalents. They may not provide much in the way of growth, but you can essentially count on them to provide the amount you need when you need it. You’ll need to regularly review the performance of your investment strategy for each goal to assess your progress.

Achieving any goals — whether they’re “must have” or “nice to have” — can be challenging. But by identifying and prioritizing these goals, following an appropriate strategy to meet them, and consistently reviewing your approach, you can help yourself get to where you want to go.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Edward Jones, Member SIPC

Ask an Expert: Home and Property Maintenance

Welcome to Ask an Expert: Home and Property Maintenance. Each month our featured home and property expert will answer questions that provide information, tips and advice on a medley of homeowner topics. We hope to help our readers gain new insights into a variety of local home service professionals, services and products. Our goal is to make maintaining your home easier and empower you with the knowledge that you need to be a successful homeowner in the TableRock lake area. Let’s get started.

Who is our May expert?

“Scott Jay, owner, AireServ Heating and Air Conditioning of Branson.”

What does Indoor Air Quality mean?

“Indoor air quality (IAQ) refers to the air quality within and around buildings and structures, especially as it relates to the health and comfort of building occupants.”

Is indoor air quality really that important?

“According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concentrations of pollutants may be 2 to 5 times higher inside homes and commercial buildings than outdoors. This can cause a variety of health issues.”

What type of contaminants are frequently discovered indoors?

“It is not uncommon to find VOCs (Volatile organic compounds), particulates (think

dust and pollen), or formaldehyde during an indoor air quality (IAQ) test.

What are VOCs?

Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are gasses that are emitted into the air from products or processes. Some of the indoor sources of VOCs come from building materials,personal care products and other activities. A few examples include the use of paint, varnishes, adhesives, flooring, cleaners and disinfectants, furniture, air fresheners, cosmetics, smoking, dry cleaned clothing, arts and crafts supplies, wood burning stoves, office printers. CANDLES AND FRAGRANCE PRODUCERS are very unhealthy to breathe. There are so many elements of our lifestyle that produce VOCs”

Let’s assume a home has poor indoor air quality (IAQ). What risk does this really pose?”

“Health effects associated with indoor air pollutants include but are not limited to: Irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat. Headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. Respiratory diseases, heart disease, and cancer. The American Lung Association has a great video about the effects of poor indoor air quality on your lungs” How Indoor Air Quality Impacts Your Lungs - YouTube

How do you test my home’s Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)

“All of our AireServ technicians are trained and well educated on indoor air quality testing as well as IAQ remediation services

and products. Having a capable professional come out and conduct a proper assessment is the best course of action.”

How much is your indoor air quality (IAQ) test?

“It’s regularly $89.00. However, if you have our Advantage Plan or if we are already at your home for a service call we can do an IAQ test for free.”

How does someone go about fixing the IAQ in their home?

“Remediation can include changing air filters, duct cleaning, regulating humidity levels and installing air purifiers or cleaners. After cleaning or installing air-improvement technologies one of our AireServ technicians will come back to retest the air quality in your home.”

How do I maintain better indoor air quality once I have had our home serviced?

“That will vary depending on the results of your air quality test. AireServ technicians will recommend regular, professional IAQ monitoring for 90 days to three years after the initial test. We recommend regular,

professional IAQ monitoring to ensure that the air quality remediation steps are working. We can easily create a plan based on your home’s specific needs.”

Are you offering any specials in this issue for customers?

“Yes. If you mention this article, we will give you 15% off any indoor air quality service or equipment.”

By: Christal Valbracht www.aireserv.com www.dryerventwizardspringfield.com www.MrRooter.com

The Magic of Fireflies

One of my favorite childhood memories is catching fireflies and watching them magically light up the night! I’ve spent many springs and summers marveling at the joy of the woods and prairies lighting up as the frost gives way to warmer nights. Slowly they emerge every year, on their own schedule, letting us know the cold is gone and the warm season has begun.

Fireflies, or lightning bugs, depending on where you’re from, are actually beetles. They are identified by a long, thin, brownish/black soft body with a red or orange spot on its head (from above). The end segment s of their abdomen are pale yellow and they glow yellow or green. There is a species that also glows red in Missouri, but I have not seen them here. They are about 3/4 inch long. These are Missouri’s only flying, bioluminescent insects.

And if that is not cool enough, the larvae is called glowworms! They are wingless and don’t blink, but they do glow all the time and can be seen on the ground in damp areas near grasses and brush.

The beetles spend winter as larvae, then in spring, they metamorphose into adults. The flashing abdomens have their own rythem and are used to attract a mate.

The Ozarks are full of magic and lore, you need only to look for it!

Fireflies are nocturnal and crepuscular (meaning they are active at dawn and dusk) and emerge in the spring and summer, when the adults fly and their bioluminescent abdomens begin blinking on and off beginning the courtship stage.

The larvae eats snails, slugs and various invertebrates and the adults are not typically preyed on because they contain chemicals that make them bad tasting.

Fireflies are commonly viewed in yards, edges of woods, meadows and near ponds, streams and lakes. To encourage fireflies in your yard or area, avoid using broad-spectrum insecticides and leave higher grasses and natural vegetation around the edges.

One of my favorite moments last season was during the 4th of July weekend. After dropping friends at their dock following fireworks, I

proceeded into the darkness, away from the neighborhood lights. The further i got into the dark, the brighter the woods around the lake began to blink. At first, it felt like a “Pirates of the Caribean (the ride)” moment, but as I cruised the shoreline the night came alive. I was so caught up in the magic happening around me that I stopped the boat and sat in my silent fairytale.

I encourage all of you to slow down and fall into the moments that wrap themselves around you. There is so much beauty and magic happening around Table Rock and we are so lucky to be here.

I hope this season you see the fireflies as magic and appreciate how really unique they are!

References:

Missouri Department of Conservation

Firefly Conservation & Research

Porch and Garden Plants that repel mosquitos

LEMONGRASS :

This is a tropical herb that has a strong citrus smell. It is said to repel mosquitos and other flying insects. It is often used in Asian cooking as well as in sauces, soups and teas. This ornamental grass grows to form a tall grassy clump and can get as big as 3-5 feet tall. These grasses can be planted in ground or in pots to use around your deck/patio. They love full sun and well drained soil. Water as the top inch of soil becomes dry.

LAVENDER :

This is a shrubby perennial that has very fragrant flowers. This plant grows well in pots and in your home garden. It can also make a nice border plant. Lavender can be used for sachets and cooking. Dried lavender smell wonderful. It florishes in heat and can go days with no water. It is said that mosquitos do not like the smell of the flowers and some people even rub lavender on their skin as a natural repellent.

MARIGOLDS :

Although this flowering plant is pretty, the smell is pungent. They are one of the easiest plants to grow from seed and they grow very quickly. The plant prefers full sun and will provide flowers all season. These mosquito repelling annuals can be grown from seeds easily each year once the threat of frost is gone. This flowering plant can tolerate dry conditions and love well-drained soil. Removing spent blooms (deadheading) can help the plant produce more blooms.

CATNIP :

This plant is a natural cat attractor. This is the same plant that cats go crazy about when it is dried. This bushy plant grows rapidly and repels mosquitos and flys, while attracting beneficial bees. This plant will also spread throughout the garden and comes back for years. Full sun is preferred and this can be planted in ground or in pots once the threat of frost is gone. If you cut back the flowers as they fade it will encourage another round of flowers soon after.

Custom Furniture & Fixtures

Cliffside Design Company is rooted in the idea that heirloom furniture and custom fixtures for residents and commercial clients should be availalbe to everyone. Based in Galena, MO, on the cliffs overlooking Table Rock Lake, Jeff and Andrea Mertz create the unique designs that their clients can only imagine.

Jeff spends long hours in his workshop on a craft he learned over the course of a lifetime. His Grandfather and Father instilled the love of fine woodworking in him as a teeneager, and now he spends his days sharing that with his clients.

The workshop is well thought out, obviously designed by a craftsman. Jeff has every type of hardwood that you can imagine and more tools than I knew existed. The pieces he creates are pure art, and heirloom furniture to be loved forever. If you can dream it, I believe Jeff can build it.

Jeff and Andrea create everything from home furniture, shuffleboard tables, doors, patio furniture, baby furnishings, resort pieces and fixtures, bunkbeds, outdoor games and more.

They also have a portfolio of commercial projects they have worked on and they enjoy fabricating pieces that fit a business needs perfectly. They can make your specialty piece a reality.

You can view some of their projects here: www.cliffsidedesigncompany.com

If you are looking for a design team to create a masterpiece for your home or business, give Jeff and Andrea Mertz a call. They will work with you to create a piece that you will love forever. They offer white glove delivery locally, and also can design and build for delivery outside the area.

cliffsidedesigncompany@gmail.com

www.cliffsidedesigncompany.com

417-501-6909

299 Bow Hunter Ln Galena, MO 65656

Fishing Tournaments on Table Rock Lake

Favorite Recipes with The Rogue Chef

Seafood Dip

Yield: 2 Cups

Prep Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

1 - 8 oz pkg Cream Cheese

1⁄2 C Sour Cream

2 T Lime Juice

1 tsp Granulated Garlic

1⁄4 tsp Salt

1⁄4 tsp White Pepper

1 6 oz can of Baby Shrimp

1 6 oz can of Crab Meat

Instructions:

• Let cream cheese soften for 30 minutes

• Blend cream cheese, sour cream and lime juice in a mixer on medium speed until combined and smooth

• Add granulated garlic, salt, and white pepper

• Mix for approximately 2 minutes

• Open cans and drain excess liquid from crab and shrimp meat

• Add crab and shrimp meat to the mixture

• Blend until combined (Do not over mix)

• Place in a container and chill in the refrigerator until served

Go Rogue by making Chips with Egg Roll Wraps

• Cut the Egg Roll Wrap into 8 triangles (Slice from corner to corner)

• Cook in 350° oil until brown and crispy

• Lightly salt and serve warm

Don’t want to make this yourself?

Hire Chef Jeff, The Rogue Chef, in Branson, Missouri. He will make the perfect meal for you.

www.TheRogueChefBranson.com

Day Trippin’Persimmon Hill Farm

Persimmon Hill Farm offers an experience that is pure and refreshing. Driving up to the 80-acre farm, in the rolling hills of Lampe, MO, you forget that you are only minutes from Table Rock Lake.

The farm was founded in 1982, with a dream of growing fresh berries and fruits. For the

owners, Earnie and Martha Bohner, it was never about being the largest farm of its kind. It was, and still is all about providing a real farm experience where families can pick fresh berries and also enjoy fresh, daily baked treats. They raised their children on the farm, and now their grandchildren also enjoy a taste of the lifestyle. And they

love seeing families bring their own children and grandchildren to share the experience.

The farm has all the feels of a wonderful childhood memory, spending the day in the sun, picking berries to savor at home and enjoying the sound of the breeze through the hills. During my visit, the berries were still blooming and the honeybees were working their magic. This year the farm brought in 1.4 million honey bees to pollinate the plants and to make the Blueberry Blossom Honey,

The goal to provide a wholesome, farm experience to locals and visitors has grown over the years to include berries, fruit and shiitake mushrooms. The experience of visiting the farm includes touring the fields, picking fresh berries, dining on freshly baked “Thunder Muffins” and cobblers and tasting the dozens of unique gourmet products made right on the farm. There are acres of berries and they also

have shiitake mushrooms that are grown on logs in the woods and in house. They bake fresh muffins and other sweet berry treats daily for your enjoyment and offer delicious Berry-Lemonade cold drinks.

Of course, gourmet jams, syrups, barbecue sauces and more can be bought onsite and online. The shiitake mushrooms are available fresh and dried for gourmet cooking.

Earnie & Martha Bohner (& Lizzie)

I can’t say enough good things about my experience. I encourage you to take a day trip to the farm and create your own family memories.

Be sure to stop in the store on your way out and grab treats to go. Or, you can always order online!

Persimmon Hill Farm

(check website for daily hours) 367 Persimmon Hill Lane Lampe, Missouri 65681 427-779-5443

www.persimmonhill.com

What LiesBeneath ...

Stories About What Is Buried By Table Rock Lake © Tom Koob 2023

Radium Spring: A Deadly Beauty

The karst topography of the Ozarks produces many wonders — caverns, sinking streams, sinkholes, natural bridges and springs. These features have always attracted people for their beauty, wonder and potential for exploitation.

Hidden deep in the Mark Twain National Forest near Eagle Rock, Missouri is the little known Radium Spring flowing from Radium Cave. Its story is one of discovery, mystery and chicanery. The story was first revealed in a scientific magazine Technical World in 1913. The article tells of three local hunters and their

hound dog on the trail of a wildcat.

They traced their prey into a blind canyon where the dog followed the scent into a cavern. Following the hound, the three men entered the cave and observed what they described as “what looked like a big tree trunk of solid silver. It was a light peacock blue in color and glittered like diamonds in the glare of our torches.” While admiring the wonders of the cave, the men were overcome by some illness and immediately retreated.

The hunters were seriously ill. Two of them recovered, but one died. One of

The Old rock bridge near Radium Spring

Photo by: Tom Koob

the men returned to stake a claim and mine what he thought was silver ore, but a quarrel over the title to the land drove him away, after he had blocked up and hidden the mouth of the cave. The story of the strange adventures of the three hunters spread by word of mouth among the Arkansas and Missouri hills and became one of the grim traditions of the Ozarks.

A few years later, James L. Leib, a prospector and self-taught geologist who had grown up in the hills about Bentonville and Rogers heard of the death-dealing cave and, at once, associated it with the terrible powers of the new element radium. He located the cavern and took ore samples that were determined to be radioactive.

Radium Spring was discovered around 1879, but could not have been named until at least 1898 when Marie and Pierre Curie discovered and named the element radium. Radium is found in uranium ores and is highly radioactive. It is luminescent, giving off a faint blue color. It decays into radon gas and eventually lead. Radon gas can accumulate in enclosed spaces and exposure can lead to serious, adverse health effects. Radium exposure is likely one of the contributors to the death of Marie Curie.

Over the next several years, several attempts were made to exploit the radioactive ore and water at Radium Spring. Sometime before 1920, a man named Douglas Cloe camped near the spring for its supposed health benefits. Cloe later purchased the property and bottled and sold the “radium water” from the spring.

In 1949, the Radium Springs Mineral Water Company was incorporated. The St. Louis Globe-Democrat printed the following for a story in 1951:

“A seven man expedition from St. Louis is roaming a section of the Ozarks

south of Springfield, Mo., in a search for valuable radium-ore first discovered in 1879. The group represents the Radium Springs Mineral Water Company, organized Apr. 7, 1949, under the laws of Missouri.”

In August of the same year the newspaper reported more news on Radium Spring:

“The search for uranium in the Ozarks is on again, and actual drilling has begun, Louis Venturella, president of the Radium Springs Mineral Water Company, announced yesterday. That company, first organized to sell bottled water from springs near Seligman, Mo., later concentrated on the radioactive ores believed to be there. But last spring it had to call a temporary halt because it had run out of money.”

These attempts to extract profitable “radium water” from the spring or uranium from the cave ultimately failed. The positive health effects of radium water were debunked and the mining of uranium was unsuccessful.

It is doubtful that Radium Cave contained extractable uranium. It is more likely that the source of the radioactiv -

Remains of a water tank near Radium Spring

Photo by: Tom Koob

ity, if it exists at all, is from shale which produces a natural radiation.

Radium Spring has been visited by speleologists and geologists of varying expertise. Reports of Geiger counter readings in the area run from minimal to highly radioactive. Despite the area’s interesting and disturbing history, there is no definitive evidence that extractable ore exists at all.

Deep in Butler Hollow, there are still signs of the attempts to exploit the cave and spring. A National Scenic Byway traverses the area from just south of Eagle Rock to Highway 112. This is a picturesque drive through climax forest with expansive views from the ridgetops. The area is known as Sugar Camp. In years past, local people visited the rough forest to collect sap from the sugar maples. They would camp out for a few days while the sap buckets filled and then boil the product down to maple syrup.

At one time, the Missouri and North Arkansas Railway line ran through Butler Hollow from Seligman to Eureka Springs following Butler Creek through what is now Butler Hollow Glades National Area. In the 1930s, the Federal government purchased large tracts of land in the Sugar Camp area for the

Mark Twain National Forest. The Civilian Conservation Corps developed some roads in the forest and erected the Sugar Camp fire tower.

In the spring, Sugar Camp’s hills are dappled with flowering serviceberry, redbud and dogwood. In the fall, the hardwood oaks, maples and hickories produce a spectacular display of autumn colors. Offroad-accessible only fire roads lead down into Radium Hollow. Along these gutted trails are the signs of past exploration and mining operations. There is a large concrete water tank, a building foundation and a rock bridge which bear testimony to the misguided attempts to extract “riches” from the land.

There are springs and caves throughout Radium Hollow. Changes in the karst topography and man’s interference at Radium Spring and Radium Cave make the exact identification of the landmarks difficult. It is clear though that the deadly beauty of Radium Hollow continues to attract the inquisitive and adventurous.

Tom Koob is a local author who has written several books about Ozarks history.

His work is available on Amazon “new” books or by contacting him at: wolpublishing@gmail.com .

Butler Hollow

Photo by: Tom Koob

Resorts, Lodges & Rentals

Local marinas

CAMPBELL POINT MARINA

1363 Campbell Point Rd, Shell Knob

417-858-6331

Opening Mar 2023

www.campbellpointmarina.com

BIG M MARINA

26111 Big M Campground, Cassville (417)271-3853

Opening Mar 2023

www.bigmmarina.com

STATE PARK MARINA

380 State Park Marina Rd, Branson

417-334-2628

www.stateparkmarina.com

HIDEAWAY MARINA

1810 Hideaway Rd, Galena

417-538-2828

www.hideawaymarina1956.com

INDIAN POINT MARINA

3443 Indian Point Marina, Branson

417-338-2891

www.indianpointmarina.com

PORT OF KIMBERLING MARINA

201 Marina Way, Kimberling City

417-739-2315

www.portofkimberling.com

EAGLE ROCK MARINA

31170 State Highway 86, Eagle Rock

417-271-3398

Opening Mar 2023

www.facebook.com/EagleRockMarina

CAPE FAIR BOAT DOCK & MARINA

1500 Shadrack Rd, Cape Fair 417-538-4163

Opening Mar 2023

www.capefairmarina.com

CRICKET CREEK MARINA

20515 Boat Dock Rd, Omaha, AR 870-426-3474

www.cricketcreek.com

THE HARBOR

363 Harbor Lane, Branson 417-338-2828

www.theharbor.com