Lens & Pen Press

27/09/2025

The Weaver Brothers and Elviry became headliners after World War I, and performed with top vaudeville names like Al Jolson, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Jack Benny and Beatrice Lillie. Elviry's comic catchphrase was, "If I had my druthers, I druther...” They starred in movies for Republic Pictures in the 1930s and ‘40s. Elviry (June Petrie) was born in Chicago but raised in rural Missouri....

The Weaver Brothers and Elviry became headliners after World War I, and performed with top vaudeville names like Al Jolson, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Jack Benny and Beatrice Lillie. Elviry& #82…

27/08/2025

The Library of Congress is absolutely my Number One place to see in DC. Walking into the entrance area (so much grander than the word foyer) I was stunned by its beauty. This wonderful house for Thomas Jefferson's library - now so incredibly expanded! is a national treasure.

Ready for The Creek Rocks! Just a few minutes remain until this Ozarks group’s debut at the Library of Congress. Stay tuned for more!

27/08/2025

It’s time…

The Creek Rocks are heading on stage for their concert at the Library of Congress.

Can’t wait!

27/08/2025

Something special!

27/08/2025

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…