March 2019 Preview

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VOL. 46, NO. 10

MARCH 2019

When did you start fishing?

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By Len Stagoski he whip-poor-wills were determined to serenade us with their endless Nocturnal Song. When one bird would stop, another would take up the cry… whip-er-will, whip-erwill, whip-er-will.

The birds were nestled in trees lined up on one side of our gravel bank, while the Current River flowed on the other side.

My fishing buddies from the St. Louis Chapter of the Missouri Smallmouth Alliance were in no hurry to leave our campfire as we circled

it in our camp chairs, for we anticipated that with the whip-poor-will’s serenade, it would be a challenge to get a good nights’ sleep.

Hushed talk around the campfire centered around the subject we dearly loved… fishing. I remember an evening when someone raised the question, “When did you start fishing?”

I don’t remember exactly my response that evening, but now I do fondly remember exactly when, as a maturing adult, I “got hooked.”

Sure, as a kid I fished with my dad, but they Please see FISH, 18

H

servation Goose Season each year toward the end of winter. As the migratory birds travel back north, they have to pass over Missouri and usually its from mid-February through mid-March.

Magical moments await those that are willing to brave the weather and mud. The excitement of that moment as thousands of big birds put the brakes on and tornado down out of the sky on your head — with a

Take a hike off the beaten path O

ne of the best ways to enjoy the scenic and natural beauty of the Ozarks is by hiking or taking a leisurely walk through the mixed terrain enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of the forests, glades, meadows and prairie.

There are ample opportunities for visitors to the "best recreational lake" in the nation to head off the beaten path and discover the wonders of nature.

There is perhaps no better place to hike at the Lake of the Ozarks than at its two state parks. In total, the parks have a combined 26 different trails covering over 57 miles.!

Each park showcases the area's natural history and beauty, and each has its own claim to fame.

Ha Ha Tonka State Park!was voted the fourthbest state park in the country by readers of USA Today and has one of the most photographed fea-

Magical moments await goose hunters

By Richard Whiteside ow I lived so many years and never got into goose hunting I will never know.

I can give the credit to my newfound love to one of my sons.

Since that first day of goose hunting, I was hooked.!

If you live in Missouri then odds are good that you live by some good goose hunting.

MDC offers a season called Con-

www.riverhillstraveler.com

Please see HIKE, 19

loaded shotgun in hand — is too much to describe.

Make plans now to go goose hunting in Missouri and take a friend, you won’t regret it.

(Richard Whiteside can be reached at rlwhiteside72@gmail. com.)

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Be sure to visit this cafe when driving thru Union

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ne of my favorite fictional characters is Ron Swanson in the NBC hit “Parks and Recreation.” One of his many quotable moments is when he says to his friend Leslie, “There has never been a sadness not cured by breakfast food.”

Mr. Swanson, I have to agree. Perhaps that is why I absolutely love a little place located just over a mile from my house.

It can provide me an order of biscuits and gravy for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! This gem is the White Rose Café.

White Rose Café is a downtown Union landmark. It was originally a single-pump gas staMichelle Turner tion serving White ———— Rose gasoline.

Its location on what is now Main Street, but what was once Highway 50, made it an ideal spot to fill up.

While visitors can no longer fill up on White Rose gasoline, they can fill up on excellent home-cooked meals for an affordable price. With seating for a little over 100 people, this small café has a big reputation!

Since moving to Franklin County a few years ago, Susan Weaver has frequented the White Rose for meals with her family. From the chicken fried steak to the meatloaf, she’s been able to find something to enjoy each time she visits.

“Their food is delicious,” Weaver said. “Their servings are generous and the employees are always polite and friendly.”

Tyann Marcink has lived in Franklin County her whole life and has chosen Union as the place to live and raise her

kids. She frequents White Rose often with her sons.

“White Rose is simply fun to experience. It’s a step back in time with the tabletop jukeboxes and phone booth on the back wall,” Marcink shared.

“The homestyle menu is full of comfort food as well, making it a favorite birthday breakfast spot for my sons.”

Beyond the food and atmosphere, White Rose Café pays tribute to its roots as a gas station by hosting an an-

nual car show right on Main Street in Union. The first Sunday in June is when you can find a wide range of makes and models of beautifully restored historic cars on display.

White Rose Café is located at 208 E. Main St. in Union, Mo. You can reach them at (636) 584-0500. They open daily at 5 a.m. except on Sundays when they open at 7 a.m.

White Rose Café also posts their specials on their Facebook page, which is easily found if you use Facebook.

From the food to the nostalgia, White Rose Café has a little bit to offer anyone. The next time you plan a trip to or through Union, jump off the beaten path and visit our downtown area to enjoy White Rose Café.

Tell them Michelle with the River Hills Traveler sent you.

(Michelle Turner lives in Union, Mo.)

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Watch your surroundings as you travel Missouri

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n the state of Missouri you can find several ponds, lakes, creeks, rivers and springs. Some of these branch off from each other or merge together.

The ponds and lakes are “still” waters that are contained into one area while the rest are “free-flowing” waterbodies.

Each water body is unique in itself. I found one of these in Washington County while driving by. It is called Courtois Creek.

It is a “free-flowing” waterbody that ends up branching off into other creeks Dana or forks. This creek Sturgeon is 38.6 miles long. It ———— shares its name with Eleven the nearby town of Point River Courtois.

The creek was “doubtless named for some French settler, but his identity has not been ascertained,” according to the Place Names File at the University of Missouri.

Courtois is a small community located in Washington County off of Highway C. Courtois Creek starts in northern Iron County just north of Missouri Highway 32 about four miles east of Bixby. This

A sign by Highway 8 at the entrance to Forest Service Road 2878. Courtois Cemetery and Courtois Baptist Church are down this road.

creek enters the southwest corner of Washington County just south of Berryman and passing under Highway 8.

Then it flows northwest into Crawford County roughly paralleling the course of the Huzzah Creek to its west.

Then, it flows into the Huzzah Creek just before it connects with the Meramec River near the Highway E bridge east of Scotia.

This creek is popular year-round for canoeing, kayaking and rafting. It has an abundant supply of fish, turtles and waterfowl.

The St. Louis Riverfront Times cited the creek as the best local float trip in 2007.

As you find yourself hiking, fishing, hunting, or driving, make sure you look around at your surroundings.

If you don’t, you may miss another beautiful feature that Missouri offers all of us!

(Dana Sturgeon lives in southern Missouri. She can be reached at mo_dana@hotmail.com.)

AROUND the WORLD with the River Hills Traveler

(Above) Karlene Hoch, 12, on the way to tour Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota with her mother last year. (Right) Aaron Williams, Jace Renfro, Landon Adams, and Jonah Link getting ready to enjoy a hearty lunch at Pasghetti’s in Branson during a recent trip with their families.

———

If you're going on a trip or vacation, please take the River Hills Traveler with you and have someone photograph you and the magazine in front of a landmark or somewhere pretty interesting. Then email the picture & info to us at jimmy@riverhillstraveler.com and we will publish it an upcoming issue. You can also text your photos & info to (417) 451-3798 or send them to us via our Facebook page.

Thank you very much & we look forward to seeing your family’s adventures!

Courtois Creek at an access off of Highway 8, down Forest Service Road 2878.

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Rymers restroom project will shift to Powder Mill

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zark National Scenic Riverways (ONSR) will soon replace several deteriorating or flood-damaged restroom facilities at various locations in the park.!

New vault toilets will be installed at Rocky Falls, Shawnee Creek Campground, and Buck Hollow Access as scheduled.!The installation of a new vault restroom facility previously planned for the Rymers Access has been canceled due to the inability to get heavy equipment transported to the site.

Jimmy Sexton That vault toilet ———— will be shifted to the Journey On Powder Mill Campground, to replace the waterborne (flush) restroom that is no longer operational following the April 2017 flood.!

There are no plans to restore electricity to Powder Mill because it is at the end of an electrical service line and all other buildings requiring electricity at Powder Mill were destroyed in the flood. Without electricity, there is no way to operate the water system necessary for a flush restroom.!!

Installation of the vault toilet at Powder Mill will provide a usable restroom for river users and campers in the future, when the river access and camp-

ground are repaired and reopened.

The National Park Service will continue to work with the Federal Highway Administration to accomplish major repairs to both the campground road and river access road.! !!

A suitable replacement option for the deteriorating restroom at Rymers will be considered in the future. That restroom was not damaged in the 2017 flood, but needs to be replaced due to its age and condition.!

New waterborne (flush) restrooms will still be installed in the 200 Loop of the Big Spring Campground and the 400 Loop of the Alley Spring Campground as previously announced. Those installations are scheduled to occur in late March and take about one week to complete.

The previous restrooms in those locations were destroyed during the 2017 flood. Landscaping and construction of sidewalks will occur after facility installation, and is expected to be finished prior to April 15.!!

The existing outdated vault toilets at Buck Hollow and Rocky Falls are in very poor condition and were already a high priority to be replaced prior to the 2017 flood. Demolition has begun on those buildings and on the existing restroom at Powder Mill.

There will be no restrooms available at those locations until the new facilities are installed. Installation for the new vault toilets is expected to occur in early March. The new vault toilet at

Shawnee Creek Campground will also be installed at that time.

Currently, there is no restroom at Shawnee Creek because the previous restroom was destroyed in the 2017 flood.!!

The new restroom facilities are all constructed of cast concrete and designed for use in flood zones.!

——— Visitors to Battle of Pilot Knob State Historic Site can now experience a rotating exhibit!of artifacts relating to the site.

Many of these original artifacts have never been displayed until now. Upcoming displays: • March-April — “Why this Valley?” depicts how natural resources influenced settlers to stay and make a home in the valley.

• May-June — “Dropped and Found” displays a variety of items that were dropped during the heat of!battle and then found later.

• July-August — “Guess what this is” gives visitors a chance to view several unique items!pertaining to the battle and!the history of the valley.

They can then venture a guess as to what!they are and what the items were!used for.

• September-October — “Before the Fort” highlights Native American life in the valley before!European settlement.

• November-December — “Remembering the Past” features battle partici-

there are a LOT of things going on.

One of my personal favorite projects is the Missouri Community Legacies program. We are being asked to document our local traditions, our meaningful places, our significant institutions here in Newton and McDonald counties and submit them via the Missouri2021 website.

This is to create a current snapshot of the part of the state we call home, and develop a future resource for researchers. Go to missouri2021.org to download the Missouri Community Legacies field kit and for more information.

A fun and easy one is the My Missouri 2021 Photograph project. Just submit photos taken in 2018 or 2019 of things or scenes in your county that really captures its essence and spirit.

The photos will be displayed on the Missouri2021 website, as a permanent visual record of Missouri at its bicentennial of statehood, and 200 will be selected for a traveling exhibit across the state in 2020-2021. Go to missouri2021.org for rules and further details.

A project that I am personally interested in is the online Missouri Encyclopedia. Local writers are being asked to submit articles on people, places, and events in OUR area that shaped our communities, our counties, and our region.

You can also simply suggest topics for articles. Go to missouriencyclopedia.org for more information, including guidelines.

Another fun project is the Missouri Bicentennial Quilt. All 114 counties of Missouri are being asked to submit a quilt block that represents their particular county. All of the quilt blocks will then be assembled into a single Mis-

souri Bicentennial Quilt that will travel around the state.

My understanding is that there can be multiple submissions from individuals and groups within the same county, but only one block will be selected for the quilt by a panel of judges.

However, the quilt blocks must be submitted by Labor Day of THIS year (which is September 2). You can find rules and other information at missouri2021.org .

There is a penny drive program to pay to help preserve original founding documents of the state. For more information on how to get your school or organization involved in that one, contact Claire Bruntrager, at the Missouri Humanities Council, at claire@mohumanities.org or call (314) 781-9660.

Has your community’s public event or program been around for a long time and align with the Missouri2021 mission (see above)? You can get it officially endorsed by the Missouri2021 bicentennial commemoration to help promote it on the Missouri2021 website and social media platforms. Apply at missouri2021.org.

There are also school lesson plans, traveling exhibits, conferences, programs, and lots more going on to celebrate Missouri’s 200 years of statehood. You can get more information on all of this and more at missouri2021.org.

As I told someone after last week’s meeting, and as I said at the top of today’s column, this could be really good – if it gets cooperation and involvement from Missouri’s citizens.

That’s you and I. (Wes Franklin!can be reached by email at cato.uticensis46@gmail.com, or by USPS mail at 12161 Norway Road, Neosho, MO 64850.)

Missouri Bicentennial celebration needs you

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n 2021 Missouri will enter its third century of statehood. Maybe we should take the time to ask why do we call Missouri home? What will keep our State vibrant for the next 200 years?

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a Missouri Bicentennial informational meeting at the Neosho-Newton County Library.

Michael Sweeney, coordinator of the Missouri Bicentennial celebration for the State Historical Society of Missouri, talked about the many different opportunities for citizen and community involvement in the Wes Franklin bicentennial.

———— I do hope we MisNative Ozarker sourians give the planners our full cooperation because this could be something really good. The mission of Missouri2021, the brand name of the bicentennial commemoration, is “to promote a better understanding of Missouri and its regions, communities, and people, both past and present.”

To that end, “the Missouri Bicentennial provides opportunities for citizens to celebrate, explore, and share perspectives on the state’s rich history and culture.”

Organized by a coalition of statewide nonprofit organizations, as well as a special commission created by the governor, Missouri2021 is being implemented with a heavy focus on pulling our different regions together to work toward understanding our entire state better.

So what can we do? Well, like I said,

pant reunions and picnics!which kept the memory of the battle alive. This exhibit also shows the development of!the museum and the prior reenactments.

The site will have an event passport card for visitors to get signed by staff at each of the exhibits. The first five people to turn in their completed passport form will receive a VIP pass to the September 2020 reenactment.

The pass will include VIP seating and parking at the event as well as other incentives.!!

Battle of Pilot Knob State Historic site is located in southeast Missouri at 118 E. Maple St., Pilot Knob. For more information about the event, call the site at (573) 546-3454.

——— As spring approaches and Missourians, as well as visitors to our beautiful state, plan their vacations and travels we’re looking to do some stories on unique, out-of-the way places that don’t get much publicity. Even if it’s just for a day trip.

If you know of something like that in your area, please let me know by phone, email or text!

(Jimmy Sexton is owner and publisher of the River Hills Traveler. He can be reached by phone or text at (417) 451-3798, or jimmy@riverhillstraveler.com.)

On the Cover Len Stagoski really enjoys fishing on the Eleven Point River. See Len’s story on page 1 of this issue when he asks: “When did you start fishing?”

River Hills Traveler 212 E. Main St., Neosho, MO 64850 Phone: (417) 451-3798 Fax: (417) 451-5188

www.riverhillstraveler.com Email: jimmy@riverhillstraveler. com Owner & Publisher Jimmy Sexton Managing Editor Madeleine Link Circulation Manager Rhonda Sexton Staff Writers Wes Franklin • Mike Roux Bill Wakefield • Bill Oder Judy Smith • Michelle Turner Dana Sturgeon • Bill Hoagland Richard Whiteside • Ronnie Moore Advertising Jimmy Sexton & Madeleine Link

River Hills Traveler, established in 1973, is published monthly by Sexton Media Group and Traveler Publishing Company. Postmaster: Send change of address notices to: River Hills Traveler, 212 E. Main St., Neosho, MO 64850. Subscription prices: $22 per year; 2 years, $40. Back issues available up to one year from publication, $5 plus sales tax & shipping.

COPYRIGHT © 2019 No part of this publication may be reproduced without the express written permission of the publisher of the River Hills Traveler or his duly appointed agent. The publisher reserves the right to reject any advertising or editorial submission for any reason.

March 2019 • Page 5

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Granddaughter, 10, nails a buck in late fall

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To the Editor, t dusk on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2018, one of the last days of the youth deer hunting season in Missouri, my 10-year-old granddaughter, Madeline Carter of Affton, Mo., bagged an 8-point buck!

She told me she was with her dad, Mike Carter, in a tree stand waiting for any movement to come from any direction.

When Mike whispered that a doe was right behind them, she said she got up slowly and turned to shoot, but in her heart she didn’t feel that it was the one, but she didn’t want to miss the opportunity, so she waited to take the right

shot... but the doe was startled and took off! Madeline cried, believing she wouldn’t get another chance.

And then she spied a large buck coming out of the woods right toward them.

She prepared and shot precisely behind the shoulder with a .273 Savage and down he went.

She said it felt like she won 1st Prize

for the biggest game she ever played, but her happiest moment came with knowing she had made her dad so very proud of her!

She thanked our Lord for her bounty and we’re all still sharing it.

Judy Cissell via email

VINTAGE OZARKS

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Pinebrook Inn — John T. Woodruff’s resort fiasco

he copy on the card reads “The Pinebrook Inn, 50 Rooms Private Baths. Siloam Springs, Missouri.”

We may have come down too hard on John Woodruff, Springfield’s fabled developer. He relentlessly promoted Springfield, was instrumental in the creation of Route 66, and was honorable and honest in his business dealings.

But he was wrong in his negative literary judgment of Vance Randolph and other Ozarks local-color-school writers. He clashed with Randolph, who he thought promoted a backward or hillbilly image of the Ozarks.

In our book James Fork of the White, we’ve got a panoramic photo of the Pinebrook Inn from the 1930s and a contemporary photograph of the site in ruins.

It burnt to the ground a few years ago. Our write-up (page 144) encapsulates his resort aspirations: “For all his antipathy for Ozarks rusticity, John T. Woodruff had a taste for country life. In 1922, he bought an unfinished health resort at Siloam Springs,

5 years ago • Anticipation for the opening day of trout season has been growing both on the part of Missouri’s anglers and parks and conservation department personnel for some time.

It’s an annual thing that both parties appear to have mastered quite well.

Nonetheless, fishermen grow restless over the winter months, having been kept inside more than they like by the forces of nature.

Park personnel wring their hands about all the winter maintenance and repairs they have tried to complete.

The approach of trout season always seems to come a bit too soon, but somehow everything gets done and the trout parks open like clockwork, just as they have done for decades. (Bill Cooper) • No sooner than the official comment on the National Park Service’s Draft General Management Plan for the Ozark National Scenic Riverways came down to the wire for comments than Missouri officials began to weigh in publicly.

On Feb. 7, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon made public a copy of his letter to Department of Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, indicating that he supported the park service’s Alternative B: “Among the alternatives presented, Alternative B provides the best course for continued and future enjoyment of this treasure, provide that you allow for flexibility to give entities and individuals an opportunity to demonstrate that the activities they propose do not pose a risk to the Riverways,” he said. (Jo Schaper) 10 years ago • In a long, rusty, metal chicken shed northeast of Potosi, a Canadian aeronautics engineer and crew build custom all-

Printed postcard, 1930s

Missouri, near the North Fork River, seventeen miles from West Plains.

“Woodruff finished the impressive four-story Pine-

brook Inn, built a nine-hole golf course, constructed a dance pavilion and dug a swimming pool. Excavations to attempt to increase the flow of the place’s ten medicinal springs apparently had the reverse effect.

“Few believed by this date that drinking mineralized spring water cured diseases anyhow. Nevertheless, the progressive businessman advertised that ‘Siloam Springs water is recommended by physicians and praised by thousands of people who have been benefited or cured by using it.’

“He would spend the rest of his life waiting for guests to find the money pit in the middle of an isolated patch of cut-over mixed pine and oak forest. “ (This feature is courtesy of Leland and Crystal Payton at Lens & Pen Press, publishers of all-color books on the Ozarks. Their next book, Lover’s Leap Legends, was inspired by their discovery that both the Osage and James rivers had Lover’s Leaps. Mark Twain’s satiric comments on those legends added motivation and they have found Lover’s Leaps across the country.)

REMEMBER WHEN

welded, aluminum-hulled fire and rescue boats that save lives on the Ohio River and fishing boats that provide safe, pleasurable transportation on Ozark lakes and rivers.

The engineer-owner is Curtis S. Dzuba, who brought his computer-assisted manufacturing skills to Missouri nine years ago as a partner in Potosibased Scorpion Watercraft, Inc. Dzuba bought the company. (Emery Styron) • Although the March day dawned chilly and overcast, my spirits soared as I pulled into the just-mown field designated for a parking lot, in what seemed like the middle of nowhere.

Today, adventurous kayakers would compete in Missouri Whitewater Championships, testing themselves against the power of the wild St. Francis River, with a goal of achieving bragging rights as Missouri’s top kayaker, as well as earning a wad of cash and a trophy. (Silvia Forbes) 20 years ago • A federal lawsuit has been filed against Scott Tire Co.’s owners, Junior Flowers and David Brawley, charging they continue to pollute Doe Run Creek in Reynolds County.

Penalties of $25,000 per day, per defendant, per violation are sought by the Missouri Attorney General for violations of federal law, as well as $10,000 per day, per defendant, per violation, for violations of state clean water law.

The lawsuit also seeks recovery of attorney fees and court costs the state has spent on this case and asks the federal judge to retain jurisdiction of the case to be certain his ruling is carried out. (Bob Todd) • It was not exactly what I needed. The outboard started, but refused to run. Let it sit a moment, and it would start again, only to die after about 10 seconds.

So much for my run up the North Fork River to check out walleye fishing spots.

That was the reason for my drive to Lake Norfork, that and I just needed to get away and assure myself, deep down in my bones, that spring was on the way and I was still really alive. (Bob Todd)

30 years ago • In late February, the long-awaited Missouri Stream Team program was launched by the Missouri Conservation Federation. Now, civic groups can use the program to adopt a stream or segment of a stream for conservation.

The “the adoption’’ will be followed by an inventory of the stream, then, possibly, action to help the stream.

Action may entail anything from litter clean-up to helping a landowner with bank stabilization, to turning in a polluter, to lobbying for legislation to protect the stream, to creating fish habitat.

The action will be dictated by what the group finds wen it inventories the stream. (Bob Todd) • I had always been a fair weather fisherman. When the howling breezes of fall began, my rods usually were placed in the closet to rest until the solid spring warm-ups.

Then, I moved to the Ozarks. I took the job as superintendent of the James Foundation’s Maramec Spring Park. I

was stunned at the sight of hordes of trout fishermen flocking to the half-mile spring branch on March 1, regardless of the weather.

Freezing temperatures and flying snow seemed to add fun to the fury. It didn’t take me long to join the crowds and enjoy the fanfare. (Bill Cooper) 40 years ago • It is the eve of the most terrible earthquakes to ever have struck the North American continent.

On the Mississippi River downstream from New Madrid there is a Frenchman’s boat loaded with 30,000 pounds of lead from mines in southeast Missouri.

It is Dec. 15. 1811, and the owner of the boat is still in St. Louis while an English naturalist, a trained observer, is in command of the boat.

The Englishman is John Bradbury and he is en route to New Orleans to sell the lead for the Frenchman and then book passage for himself back to England.

(Bob Todd) • Camping is probably the most popular outdoor recreation in America today.

Everyone goes camping from Grandma and Grandpa, who drive their motor home to Florida for the winter, to Mom and Dad who take their tent and trailer to the lake each summer, to daughter and companion with packs and bedrolls hiking throughout the wilderness.

Camping is a great way for the family, as a unit, to work and play together away from the pressures of ordinary life.

Swimming, hiking, eating and sleeping together makes for family closeness that is more than physical. (Emma Comfort Dunn) (compiled by MyraGale Sexton)

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Make a checklist with these ‘official’ state items I enjoy making lists and also reading a list. They give me a sense of order. They are usually short and to the point and I like the feeling of accomplishment when I get to check an item off the list.

The state of Missouri has adopted a long list of official items. As you travel throughout the state it might be interesting to find some of the various state official items on the list and check them off.

This information may also be useful for any trivia contest.

State Bird — The Native Bluebird Why not watch the official state bird from your own backyard. Install a couple of propersized nesting boxes, have fresh water and a supply of wax worms or meal worms for them to eat and maybe these delicate and pretty Bill Wakefield birds will find your ———— backyard.

State Insect — The Honeybee The honey bee is one of the most important insects in Missouri as a pollinator and as a source of sweet-tasting honey.

They can be attracted to your backyard by planting a selection of flowers.

A list of flowers that attracts bees include Catmint, Calendula, Bee Balm, Sedum, Lavender, Borage, Foxglove, Crocus, Anise Hyssop and Heliotrope.

Besides honey bees, these flowers also attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

Honeybee

State Rock — The Mozarkite The mozarkite rock can easily be found around Lincoln, Missouri.

Mozarkite is a variety of chert nicknamed for Missouri and the Ozarks where it is found.

It usually has some pink and polishes well. It is also the Missouri state gemstone. Look in ditches, road cuts and on boulders.

Bring the typical tools like rock hammers and heavier hammers and picks (with safety glasses and gloves).

State Mineral — The Galena Galena is dark gray in color and breaks into small cubes. Mining of galena has flourished in the JoplinGranby area of southwest Missouri and rich deposits have been located in such places as Crawford, Washington, Iron and Reynolds counties.

State Tree — The Flowering Dogwood The flowering dogwood tree can be seen throughout Missouri. Charleston Missouri, holds the Dogwood-Azalea Festival annually on the 3rd weekend of April when “Charleston becomes a

blooming wonderland.” This would make a great weekend trip.

State Song — The “Missouri Waltz” There are many places where a person can hear the Missouri Waltz. A CD soundtrack from a movie called “Winter’s Bone” includes the Missouri Waltz along with other songs that are popular in the hills of the Ozarks performed by Missourian Marideth Sisco.

State Fossil — The Crinoid Crinoids are an ancient species that is hundreds of millions of years old. The sea lily, as it is commonly referred to, is a marine animal.

This fossil can be found along the road cuts and creekbeds that dot the Columbia area and the Grindstone Nature Area.

Other places to find fossils in the area include Rockhill Park and the quarry at the Cosmopolitan Recreation Area, the Pinnacles State Park and Three Creeks State Park.

The crinoid, Missouri’s state fossil.

them to leap into the water.

State Animal — The Mule Travel the back roads of Missouri and look in the pastures and barnyards of the farms that you drive by. You are sure to come across some mules lounging around the pasture.

State Grass — The Big Bluestem Big bluestem!was designated as Missouri’s state grass on June 11, 2007, as a result of efforts by the fourth grade class at Truman Elementary School in Rolla.

Big bluestem is native to Missouri and occurs throughout the state, with the exception of a few southeasternmost counties. It is a major component of Missouri’s tall grass prairies where it impressed the first explorers by sometimes growing tall enough to hide a person on horseback.

The name “bluestem” comes from the bluish-green color of the leaves and stems that turn an attractive reddishcopper color in autumn.

State Aquatic Animal — The Paddlefish Why not try your luck to snag a paddlefish (spoonbill)? The state’s major paddlefish snagging waters include the Lake of the Ozarks, Truman Lake and Table Rock Lake.

The paddlefish snagging season for these and most other waters in the state runs March 15 through April 30. Be sure to check rules and regulations issued by the Missouri Department of Conservation (www.mdc.mo.gov).

State Folk Dance — The Square Dance There are numerous square dance and round dance clubs throughout Missouri. To find a club near you go to www.Dance.SquareDanceMissouri.co m and take some lessons if you don’t know how to dance, or just watch and have a good time.

State Musical Instrument — The Fiddle You can see and hear the fiddle being played at almost any bluegrass or country music performance. If you enjoy history, travel to Mansfield Missouri, and visit the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home and see, and maybe even hear, a staff member play the historic fiddle that Charles Ingalls played.

Fiddle

State Amphibian — The Bullfrog Hearing a bullfrog might be easier than seeing one. To find one there should be clean water with little or no current, and sufficient aquatic vegetation to offer them concealment.

Consider looking late in the evening or after dark, since a bullfrog’s large eyes are reflective and are more easily spotted than their bodies.

Travel the banks of the body of water you are searching quietly and slowly so the bullfrogs are not startled, causing

Paddlefish

State Dessert — The Ice Cream Cone As you travel throughout the Ozarks or any part of Missouri, stop at a local ice cream shop and enjoy a cool and refreshing ice cream cone and remember that this delicious treat was first introduced to the world at the 1904 World’s Fair that was held in St. Louis, Missouri.

State Dinosaur — The Hypsibema Missouriense Some bones and teeth of the Hypsibema Missouriense, which is a duck-billed dinosaur, were discovered near Glen Allen, Missouri.

The bones and teeth are now on display at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. You can see a replica of this dinosaur at the Bollinger County Museum (.).

Missouri’s state dinosaur Hypsibema Missouriense

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State Fish — The Channel Catfish The best way to see a channel catfish is to visit one of the Missouri state parks or a Missouri Department of Conservation access area that has a lake, pond or river.

Bait up a fishing pole with some prepared catfish bait, a glob of worms, even a piece of hot dog, throw the line out so it will rest on the bottom, then sit back and wait while you enjoy the Missouri outdoors.

State Flower — The Hawthorn You can see and enjoy the Missouri state flower by planting a hawthorn tree in your yard. Each spring hawthorn trees produce the Missouri state flower.

These pretty white blossoms are made up of five petals, bear greenishyellow stamens and appear in globelike clusters over the hawthorn tree.!Their numbers help to attract the pollinators needed to produce its valuable fruit.!

In addition to its fruit, the tree on which the Missouri state flower grows is valued by wildlife for its ability to provide shelter.

State Game Bird — The Bobwhite Quail The!bobwhite quail has been declining in numbers due to the lack of good habitat, too many predators!and weather conditions. There are quail in the northern and west-central portions of the state that have good habitat.

Look for large areas of diverse native grass cover intermixed with lots of low-growing woody cover and untilled crop fields and you are likely to find a covey of quail.

State Grape — The Norton/Cynthiana This grape has been cultivated since the 1830s and is likely North America’s oldest grape variety still commercially grown.

Norton/Cynthiana has long been prized by Missouri wine makers for its hardy growth and intense flavor characteristics, which produce lush, dry premium red wines of world-class quality and distinction.

Stop by one of the many wineries and sample some Missouri wine that the Norton/Cynthiana grape produces.

State Horse — The Missouri Fox Trotting Horse A good source of information on the Missouri state horse is the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association (www.mfthba.com). This breed’s calm disposition, sound conformation and surefooted gait will provide riders of all ages a willing companion in any terrain.!

In fact, the Missouri fox trotting horse has been referred to as “America’s Favorite Trail Horse.” You can enjoy a trail ride at Brushy Creek Lodge (www.brushycreeklodge.com) or purchase your own fox trotter at Valley Springs Fox Trotters (www.missourifoxtrotter.com).

State Invertebrate — The Crayfish Whether you call them crawdads, crawfish or mudbugs, crayfish are one of the most lethal bass, catfish, and bigtrout baits you can put on a hook.

They also happen to taste great steamed with a little Cajun seasoning.

Both are terrific reasons to get out and

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