Aux Arcs Observer

Giveaway Posting

2011-09-08T13:26:00.000-07:00

For any of my readers that may have missed the latest Giveaway Posting:

http://drbilltellsancestorstories.blogspot.com/2011/09/treasure-chest-thursday-my-memories.html

Trip to Hardy, AR

2010-05-22T20:08:00.000-07:00

On May 15, I had the opportunity to travel from my home in Hollister, MO, down US 65, to where 62-412 go over to Hardy, AR. I enjoyed the trip, very much. It was raining on the way over, and I had an appointment, so I couldn't stop anywhere. It was a book signing at 2 p.m. at Words and Afterwords. Here I am at the bookstore.

And, here are some of the folks visiting the story that day.

Thanks for the memories,

If you haven’t visited the Ozarks region, yet, you should, soon!  

Dr. Bill ;-)

Get the Arkansas State Park newsletter in your email box

2010-04-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

Today I want to recommend that you consider signing up for the Arkansas State Parks electronic newsletter. It is written by the Park Interpreters around the state. They are excellent. Here is the blog site that comes in the newsletter. The sign up space is on the right.

http://arkansasstateparks.wordpress.com/2010/04/12/hidden-treasures/

Each one is very special, even if you are never able to visit. Check it out! Thanks!

If you haven’t visited the Ozarks region, yet, you should, soon!  

Dr. Bill ;-)

Ozark Medieval Fortress begins

2010-03-30T17:34:00.000-07:00

Now that spring has finally come to the Ozarks, our thoughts turn to where we might visit this years. The Springfield tv news, tonight, provided an interesting possibility. The story was of the Ozark Medieval Fortress being built in Lead Hill, AR, which overlooks Bull Shoals lake - a 20 year project, that will be open for public tours starting May 1, 2010 - just a month away. The opening scene on the web site is marvelous! I am really looking forward to this development.

The project is using 13th century building techniques. They want to reproduce with utmost authenticity the technology used the 13th century with the only limitation being safety. "Every stage of work is validated by a committee of scientists to ensure the credibility of the building."

Be sure to check out the rope with 13 knots. They do seek volunteers and interns. Be sure to check out the Scientific Team under About Us. What do you think?

The Photo Gallery has photos back to the Summer of 2009.. neat! The Press Release has a great overview and excellent downloadable graphics.

I signed up for the newsletter, I'll bet you did to!

If you haven’t visited the Ozarks region, yet, you should, soon!  

Dr. Bill ;-)

Two Ozarks Counties in 1867: Shannon and Texas

2010-02-21T20:47:00.000-08:00

I was doing some online Missouri History research today, for a future book, and thought it might be fun to share with you what I was reading. Note the citation at the end of the two excerpts:

SHANNON COUNTY 1867 p 382*

    This county is situated in the south-southeast part of the State, bounded on the east by Reynolds and Carter, on the west by Texas, on the north by Oregon and Carter Counties. The first settlements were made here in 1819; yet there are now (1860) by 1978 inhabitants.
    The Physical Features of the county are similar to those of Reynolds County - generally broken and well timbered. The greater portion of the soil is well adapted to fruit and grape culture, and also to the production of grasses and cereals. The valleys are generally fertile. The county is traversed in a southeasterly direction by Current River, (an affluent of Black River) and by their numerous tributaries. The Current is a rapid stream, affording an abundance of water power which could be improved to good advantage.
    Most of the land was entered in 1858-59, at 12 1/2 cents per acre; previous to which time but few entries were made except of the copper lands. Seven townships were reserved by government as "copper lands," and of these 140,000 acres are still (January, 1860) subject to entry at $1.25 per acre. But few farms are opened yet; corn, wheat, rye, and oats are the most profitable crops. Some portions of this county have generally been looked upon as unproductive, yet some farms opened have produced per acre: wheat, 30 bushels; rye, 30; oats, 30; potatoes, 150; turnips, 200; tobacco, 1000 pounds; and an abundant crop of apples and peaches; and some of the old settlers in this and other portions of the State seem disposed to complain because they lived in certain localities so long, endured so many (p 383) privations, and met with such ill success. In this county there are settlements 25 to 30 years old, that have not a fruit tree nor a grape vine on the whole place; while there is no better soil or climate for fruit or grapes in the Union probably, and no more certain or profitable crop; and ten dollars' worth of fruit trees and vines planted 20 years ago and properly cultivated, would now be worth as many hundreds.
    Minerals - This county is very rich in minerals; containing immense deposits of hematite iron ore, lead ore, and very extensive beds of copper of a superior quality, in townships 28 and 29, ranges 34 and 35 west. Some of these mines will be opened and worked to great profit at an early day. Some gold has been discovered in this county in hornblende and quartz rock, associated with magnetic iron ores; as yet it is entirely undeveloped.
    EMINENCE, the seat of justice, is a brisk town, situated a little above the center of the county on Current River, and is surrounded by a good agricultural country.

TEXAS COUNTY 1867 p 404*

    This county is in the southern part of the State, has an area of about 1250 square miles. The so-called Ozark Mountains extend through this county,and a very considerable portion of it is what may be termed "broken." There are extensive forests of yellow pine, and some of the largest pine-trees in the State are found in this county. The surface is fertile, but the county at large is better adapted for lumbering, stock raising, fruit growing, and mineral purposes, than for agriculture.
    The first settlements in the territory now embraced in this county were made in 1820, by Patton, Boone, Truesdale, Baldridge, McDonald, Buckhardt, Ormsby, and others, who built saw-mills at an early day on Piney River, and rafted the lumber to St. Louis, down the Gasconade River. If lumbering business was profitable or practicable 30 or 30 years ago, when the State was a wilderness, and St. Louis had less than 9000 population, certainly it should be now, when we have a population of upwards of 200,000, and an unlimited demand for lumber of all kinds, to supply which the lumber is brought several hundred miles by river, lake, and railroad. Capitalists would do well to investigate this matter. There are extensive pineries much nearer, and some of them convenient to or traversed by rivers and railroads.
    Iron and lead ores have been found in this county, but its present remoteness from railroad communications have deterred parties from making thoroughly investigations as to quantity or quality. Clay suitable for stone-ware, and lime and sand stone for building purposes are abundant.
    HOUSTON, the county-seat, in common with the great portion of Missouri, was sadly "demoralized" by the war, and but few of the original 200 population were left; but immigrants are settling up the county rapidly, and many of the towns, almost or quite depopulated by the war, have a larger, more intelligent, and more energetic population now than ever before. From Houston to Springfield, 80 miles; to Ironton, 65; to nearest point on the Southwest Pacific R. R., 40 miles.

* "Missouri As It Is IN 1867: an illustrated historical gazatteer of Missouri"
http://cdm.sos.mo.gov/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/mocohist&CISOPTR=93862&REC=1
Missouri Digital Heritage site

The Ozarks Region defined

2010-01-19T18:43:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the Wikipedia Commons, this map reveals the extent of the Ozarks region.

See The Ozarks at Wikipedia for more details and references.

If you haven’t visited the Ozarks region, yet, you should, soon!  

Dr. Bill ;-)

Beaver Lake is ABOVE Table Rock Lake

2010-01-18T17:13:00.000-08:00

This story is from the Hometown Daily News site: http://www.hometowndailynews.com/content.aspx?module=ContentItem&ID=162795&MemberID=1191 - It is a reminder that Beaver Lake in NW Arkansas is actually UPRIVER, higher than, and feels into Table Rock Lake. The river ran north from Arkansas into Missouri then back southeast into Arkansas again.

Corps to Move Water from Beaver to Table Rock, Bull Shoals
1/15/2010

by Sam Clanton
The Army Corps of Engineers plans to move water into Table Rock and Bulls Shoals lakes beginning Tuesday. Those lakes, along with Lake Taneycomo, are downstream from Beaver Lake, which is located in northwest Arkansas.

Beaver's current elevation of 1-thousand-127 feet needs to be lowered about 7 feet to conservation pool, according to the Corps of Engineers. A news release states Table Rock currently is below conservation pool elevation, with Bull Shoals expected to be within two feet of its conservation pool of 654 feet by January 19th.

Possible rainfall this weekend could alter the plan to begin making releases Tuesday morning through the hydropower turbines at Beaver Dam.

If you haven’t visited the Ozarks region, yet, you should, soon!  

Dr. Bill ;-)

Entering the Ozark Mountains from Jonesboro

2009-12-14T19:38:00.000-08:00

We had the opportunity today to enter Ozark Mountain Country on US 63 from Jonesboro, Arkansas. It was an interesting experience. The delta country around Jonesboro is so flat, it is hard to imagine you are only a few miles from the stark hills environment of the Ozarks.

I noticed a billboard for Randolph County that particularly caught my attention. Randolph county was north and east of US 63, but it made the point of having 5 rivers running through it, as well as Ozark Mountain Country. The Randolph County Tourism Association has a great website that focuses on first, the 5 rivers running through the county, and second, that the county is split between the flat delta and the Ozark Mountains.

Going up US 63, we experiences that split. As we crossed an unusually high bridge over the Black River, the delta was behind us, and we left the bridge in Ozark Mountain County!

As we proceeded up US 63, we noticed that the little town of Hardy, Arkansas, had a strong tourism emphasis. It was also by-passed by new road, so we did not go in town.

We went on up the Thayer, MO, where tourism was also enouraged. They had good signage and a neat little Tourism Information Center.

At Thayer, we turned west on MO 142, to MO 101 up to US 160 west. Running west, a few miles north of the state line, it was interesting to note several areas of open glades, or pastures. It was not all wooded. Driving north of the lakes, along US 160, just as we entered eastern Taney County, we did enter forest. In fact, it was a piece of the Mark Twain National Forest for about 15 miles.

If you haven’t visited the Ozarks region, yet, you should, soon!  

Dr. Bill ;-)

Alpena, Arkansas

2009-11-05T18:34:00.000-08:00

Driving west on US 412, from US 65 (north of Harrison), across northwestern Arkansas, to Springdale, the four lanes of US 412 end at Alpena, Arkansas, and only resumes as we got closer to Springdale. Alpena is a very memorable little burg, and will not doubt one day be bypassed by US 412.

In the meantime, the "main street" is mostly abandoned, though we noted that a "chain-saw log artist" had taken up at the east end of the strip since we last passed through.

If you haven’t visited the Ozarks region, yet, you should, soon!  

Dr. Bill ;-)

Not all the color is gone for the year

2009-11-04T16:38:00.001-08:00

Late fall foliage in Hollister, MO, in the heart of the Ozarks:

If you haven’t visited the Ozarks region, yet, you should, soon!  

Dr. Bill ;-)

Scenic 7 Byway - South

2009-10-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

This is a brief followup to my previous post on the North end of the Scenic 7 Byway in Arkansas. We did not take a lot of photos on the southern part of the trip.

There was a marker like this in the North and in the South.

Here is one of the forest, from near the Cliff Inn, that is called the Grand Canyon of the Ozarks.

If you haven’t visited the Ozarks region, yet, you should, soon!  

Dr. Bill ;-)

Scenic 7 Byway - North

2009-10-02T21:19:00.000-07:00

We recently drove down Arkansas Highway 7, all an Arkansas Scenic Byway, most a National Scenic Byway, from Harrison through Russellville to Hot Springs... making several stops along the way. Just some highlights, here, for you to check out an consider for yourself. Of course, we crossed the Buffalo National River (private site; NPS; NPCA; .

The river was at flood stage:

It was even posted:

We went by the Hollis CCC camp - where my daughter and son-in-law Annette and L arry visited in May 200 5.

We stopped on a mountain top for a picnic lunch.

We stopped at a ranger lookout, Nancy took this one:

If you haven’t visited the Ozarks region, yet, you should, soon!  

Dr. Bill ;-)

36th Autumn Daze Festival in Branson, MO

2009-09-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

More than 100 crafters and artists from all over the Midwest and from as far away as California gathered this weekend (Sept 17-20) in downtown Branson, MO, for the 36th Annual Autumn Daze Arts and Crafts Festival. Most of the booths are under two large tents in the center of Awberry parking lot, north (behind) Dick's Old-Time 5 & 10; and in the street to the east which is closed off. When we were through around noon on Tuesday, a good gospel singer was entertaining in the designated area at the south end of that blocked off street. Very good!

My wife found a neat handcrafted napkin holder for our little cabin - we can't get anything very big! The crafters were from the Galena area in Stone County: Cedar Plus (417-538-4676).

This is just one example of the festivals taking place all over the Ozarks nearly every weekend!

If you haven’t visited the Ozarks region, yet, you should, soon!  

Dr. Bill ;-)

Table Rock Lake

2009-09-13T17:19:00.000-07:00

Table Rock Lake recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Corps of Engineers construction of the Table Rock Dam on the White River. This was just one dam and one lake along this river system but it has been the most significant over the subsequent 50 years in my view. Already a popular fishing and tourist area, the addition of the major lake just added more opportunities for recreation for a Midwestern population with more leisure time.

Gates open in April 2008

Following is a neat factoid from the Corps Lakes Gateway website: “Winding through the valleys of the Ozark Mountains, from Branson, Missouri to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Table Rock Lake is a paradise for boaters, scuba divers, campers and fishermen alike. Camping enthusiasts choose from 13 modern campgrounds located adjacent the lake. Full-service marinas provide service and convenience to boaters. Resorts located adjacent to Table Rock Lake provide visitors with numerous water-related activities and five commercial boat cruises operate on Table Lake seasonally.” {http://corpslakes.usace.army.mil/visitors/projects.cfm?Id=M418030}

Nancy checks the high level of the lake, April 2008

The Lake website of the Corps of Engineers also reminds us that there are over 100 resorts located adjacent to Table Rock Lake along with five commercial boat cruises or rides that operate on Table Rock Lake {http://www.swl.usace.army.mil/parks/tablerock/}. They also remind us that much of the lake is surrounded by portions of the Mark Twain National Forest.
{http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/marktwain/}
We’ll plan to discuss the Mark Twain National Forest in a future post.

Recently, the local media reported that the Table Rock State Park {http://www.mostateparks.com/tablerock.htm}
is in the process of expanding their trail system to connect with nearby Lake Taneycomo, below Table Rock Lake in the lake system. We will also discuss Lake Taneycomo further in a future post.

If you haven’t visited the Ozarks region, yet, you should, soon!  

Dr. Bill ;-)

Inital Post

2009-09-01T06:05:00.000-07:00

Let’s get to the “Aux Arcs” – Ozark relationship right now. The words in French relate to the “northern-most bend” in the Arkansas River – the reference from the early French explorers and cartographers of the Arkansas River, years before the Louisiana Purchase made the area a part of the United States of America. The best description I have found is at a great little web site by the merchants of Ozark, Arkansas, at this location (see story and map): http://www.ozarkmerchants.com/aux_arcs.html

Ozark is located south of I-40 east of Fort Smith, in Arkansas, and on the north side of the Arkansas River, of course. Wikipedia has a nice article on Ozark (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozark,_Arkansas), including some interesting information about their relationship with Craig Ferguson, the late night TV host and comedian.

* * * * *

Our family has visited the Ozarks (southern Missouri – northern Arkansas) at least once every year since 1970 – while living in Iowa, Arizona, and Kansas during that period. We have also visited most of the other states of the USA, as well, and continue to do so. In June 2009 we shifted our permanent residence to the Ozarks - Hollister, MO, near Branson, MO - to be specific, and now travel from there. Entries will generally be weekly in 2009; perhaps more frequent as we move into 2010.

If you haven’t visited the Ozarks region, yet, you should, soon!

Dr. Bill ;-)