Reeds Spring History
Continued from Page 20
Demand for the canned goods increased during World War II, but unfortunately Missouri suffered through droughts as the Dust Bowl raged in Oklahoma. The demand for soldiers was evident as well when you look to the names laid out in the bricks of the old Reeds Spring school and the rolls of graduating classes left lacking for the names of young men who had headed off to war. The Workers Progress Administration (WPA) created jobs during the depression. One of the projects was the construction of the Reeds Spring school in 1936. The building is currently under renovation as a community center. The close of the war ended the demand for Stone County’s tomatoes as the larger farms of flatter lands took over, and the warmer climates of California and Florida ramped up productions. Things took a turn for the better in the 50s. In 1958, a dam was completed and Table Rock Lake began to draw crowds for fishing and soon…entertainment! The Old Wilderness Road was a highway now, a fast lane for tourists out of Springfield and beyond. The Baldknobbers were no longer a menace, rather they were then known as a music sensation for the Ozarks. And in 1960, Silver Dollar City opened just down the road. Fishermen made their way down past Dinky’s Diner and to the waters around Cape Fair and Kimberling City. As the entertainment increased at Branson, it seemed only logical that Reeds Spring would continue to reap the benefits as well. But MoDot had other plans. Progress has its costs, and often it has sacrifices as well. In 2003, the Highway 13 Bypass was completed that connected Branson West to 160 at a point north of Reeds Spring…thus removing traffic from historic downtown Reed Spring. And the dollars went with the traffic.
Revitalization Reeds Spring is well worth the trip through the loop that takes you off Highway 13 and back up to Branson West. Antiques and vintage décor await in multiple shops, or dinner and drinks at Papouli’s, or grab a slice of deliciousness at nationally praised Reeds Spring Pizza, or family breakfast and dining at Suzie’s Midtown Café, and who can resist a burger or ice cream cone at the longtime crowd favorite of Pop’s Dari Dell!
Mike Collins stands with giclee print that is being raffled in Reeds Spring as part of fund raising for the community center. The building was a WPA works project in 1936 and previously served as the Reeds Spring school. Collins previously served as a teacher at Reeds Spring schools and has now taken charge of renovations of the old building. The original painting was done by Harry Louis Freund, a muralist, as part of WPA arts jobs creation project and is part of the Smithsonian collection. It currently hangs in the offices of Senator Roy Blunt in Washingsont, D.C. Freund was born in Clinton, Missouri and attended both the University of Missouri-Columbia, and Washington University in St. Louis. He traveled to Paris as part of foreign travel study, and on his return he worked for a short time in New York City before beginning his work with the WPA. As part of that work, Freund travelled the Ozarks to paint the culture of the region in an effort to preserve before it vanished. Freund’s work can also be seen within what is known as “ghost murals” of buildings in several towns, including Eureka Springs. Raffle tickets for the print are available at Spring Street Antiques in Reeds Spring, as well as other locations in the area.
Reeds Spring now and then when the Bush Hotel still stood along the historic downtown area of Reeds Spring, Missouri
Page 21 Our Ozarks Magazine