Lens & Pen Press

07/08/2025

The fanciful Indian name of the spring below the bluff is attributed to Col. R. G. Scott who came from Iowa to the Ozarks in the 1890s and partnered with R. D. Kelly to acquire the land around Gunter Spring. Col. Scott published the first article extolling Ha Ha Tonka’s natural wonders in an 1898 issue of Carter’s Magazine. In it he claimed the name is Osage for “Laughing Water.”...

The fanciful Indian name of the spring below the bluff is attributed to Col. R. G. Scott who came from Iowa to the Ozarks in the 1890s and partnered with R. D. Kelly to acquire the land around Gunt…

25/07/2025

Throughout the United States are scenic spots where subterranean waters surface. Attaching “mystic” to the place name is not uncommon and evokes their poetic charm. Eureka Springs, Arkansas has two. This detailed cabinet photograph, circa 1900, by the local photographic firm, shows one of the springs still in its natural state. The second spring, Mystic Blue Springs (not illustrated) today is a deep pool enclosed by a concrete circle....

Throughout the United States are scenic spots where subterranean waters surface. Attaching “mystic” to the place name is not uncommon and evokes their poetic charm. Eureka Springs, Arkansas has two…

17/07/2025

This circa 1910 unsent, real photo postcard shows a large family camping out in the woods. We assume it’s a family but the subjects are unidentified so no guarantee. Not that their scribbled title isn’t descriptive, but we wished we knew their names and where they came from. Sadly, we know nothing about the family, place or circumstance. These real photo postcards often have frustratingly specific images, with no written information....

This circa 1910 unsent, real photo postcard shows a large family camping out in the woods. We assume it’s a family but the subjects are unidentified so no guarantee. Not that their scribbled title …

08/07/2025

EUREKA SPRINGS PROMISED ITS SPRINGS HAD HEALING PROPERTIES No rusticated place this. Improbably built into the side of some of the Ozarks’ steepest real estate is an authentic Victorian village. One hundred years ago, nattily attired ladies and gentlemen strolled miles of winding paths along hand-cut stone wall, pausing to sip the waters of the various springs. … “The city of healing waters—there’s health in every glass,” was only one of many taglines for the city’s promotional literature....

EUREKA SPRINGS PROMISED ITS SPRINGS HAD HEALING PROPERTIES No rusticated place this. Improbably built into the side of some of the Ozarks’ steepest real estate is an authentic Victorian village. On…

28/06/2025

Sportsmen and vacationers were not the only groups invited to come and see the Ozarks. The Frisco Line’s full-page ad in a 1912 Washington, DC, Star Sunday Magazine asked, “why don’t you take your family to live in the beautiful Ozarks? A small farm in the Ozarks is the opportunity you need. Think what a wholesome, healthy life it would mean for your children....

Sportsmen and vacationers were not the only groups invited to come and see the Ozarks. The Frisco Line’s full-page ad in a 1912 Washington, DC, Star Sunday Magazine asked, “why don’t you take your …

19/06/2025

We’ve seen “Shorty” identified in one photo as the tall bass player, but in another shot the same gent is holding a fiddle. Calling tall folks “Shorty” wasn’t uncommon and was thought amusing. In his Oct. 28, 1965, obituary in the Tri-County News (Sullivan Missouri), “Shorty” is identified as Clifford Wilkinson. In addition to heading up a string band that played on numerous radio stations and played for dances, he operated a confectionery in Sullivan....

We’ve seen “Shorty” identified in one photo as the tall bass player, but in another shot the same gent is holding a fiddle. Calling tall folks “Shorty” wasn’t uncommon and was thought amusing. In h…

06/06/2025

Keith McCanse’s Scotch-Irish family settled in the Ozarks in the 1840s. His father, George, co-founded a bank and was a true believer in Republican politics. He took his son numerous times on the legendary Galena-to-Branson float trip. After a stint as a stockbroker in Kansas City, Keith moved his family to Taney County due to touchy health issues. He fished and hunted and became active in organizations like the Isaac Walton League dedicated to the preservation of natural resources....

Keith McCanse’s Scotch-Irish family settled in the Ozarks in the 1840s. His father, George, co-founded a bank and was a true believer in Republican politics. He took his son numerous times on the l…

29/05/2025

Caves have been inhabited by humans and served as the stage for mythological tales in most cultures, past and present. Bluff Dwellers Cave near Noel, Missouri provided shelter for Native Americans but not the club-bearing Neanderthal pictured in this roadside ad. Wikipedia’s entry for Bluff Dwellers’ Cave says it was discovered by C. Arthur Browning while checking traps on his family’s land....

Caves have been inhabited by humans and served as the stage for mythological tales in most cultures, past and present. Bluff Dwellers Cave near Noel, Missouri provided shelter for Native Americans …

21/05/2025

An odd-looking, prehistoric species of fish appears to be making a comeback in Minnesota. The paddlefish — named for its paddle-shaped snout — is a threatened species here, but now, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is seeing higher populations of paddlefish.

21/05/2025

The Osage River and the plight of the paddlefish have a special little corner of my mind at all times. After all, the fight to stop Truman Dam and preserve paddlefish spawning beds cost our family a lot....

An odd-looking, prehistoric species of fish appears to be making a comeback in Minnesota. The paddlefish — named for its paddle-shaped snout — is a threatened species here, but now, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is seeing higher populations of paddlefish.

21/05/2025

The Osage River and its denizens are always on my mind! After all, the fight to stop Truman Dam and protect paddlefish spawning beds cost us a lot.

An odd-looking, prehistoric species of fish appears to be making a comeback in Minnesota. The paddlefish — named for its paddle-shaped snout — is a threatened species here, but now, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is seeing higher populations of paddlefish.

21/05/2025

How does a marching brass band cross an unbridged Ozark river? On a cable-driven ferry, of course. This sharp focus cabinet photograph preserves the record of a lost musical tradition and a vanished transportation technology. In its entry about Fredericksburg, the Gasconade Historical Society documents the population of the tiny village in 1879 population at 40. It likely never much exceeded that....

How does a marching brass band cross an unbridged Ozark river? On a cable-driven ferry, of course. This sharp focus cabinet photograph preserves the record of a lost musical tradition and a vanishe…