Camdenton History
Had fate not intervened, in the form of Bagnell Dam and the Lake
of the Ozarks, Camdenton may have never come to be. It is a crossroads
location, leading travelers west to Ha Ha Tonka and south to Lebanon
and is called “The Hub City of the Ozarks”. As the County
Court-approved Board of Trustees met in 1931, to organize the little
village that was built on the dreams of some and the heartaches
of others, they could not have envisioned it as it is today.
The whole country was suffering from the Great Depression when
Clint Webb contracted (for the city) to buy the Chapman farm which
contained the crossing. Webb, together with friend and partner Jim
Banner, held an auction for the sale of lots and a free barbeque
to promote the sale. The city well pumped water over the hillside
to show the people the sweet, soft water was to be theirs. Old Linn
Creek was platted in 1845, near the confluence of the Niangua and
Osage Rivers and the creek for which it is named. Joseph McClurg,
U.S. congressman and Missouri governor in1868, was prominent in
its development.
 The citizens of Old Linn Creek were bitterly divided over the construction
of Bagnell Dam and the Lake of the Ozarks, which would flood and
bury their homes and town. Some moved up the valley to present day
Linn Creek, some moved out into the hills and the rest begot present
day Camdenton, which became the county seat of Camden County. Camden
County Historical Society and Lake of the Ozarks: The Early Years,
by H.Dwight Weaver excerpts from a submission from J.L. Bohannon,
The 50th Anniversary of Bagnell Dam, Lake of the Ozarks, by Lorraine
Burks; On the construction of the City of Camdenton: We furnished
the explosives used in blasting the stones, widening and making
the roadway. We delivered flour and feed to Seaton’s in Old
Linn Creek. Always brought back a mess of catfish purchased from
old fisherman John down on the riverbank at the Swinging Bridges
location (Bridge spanning the Osage at Linn Creek, before the Lake).
Lover’s Leap, on the southern 31.5mm of the Niangua: Some
say it is so named because of the Indian maiden who hurled herself
from the bluff rather than forsake her lover, who later fell to
the same fate, along with the couple’s interloper in the struggle
that ensued. Bridal Cave, at Thunder Mountain, just north of Camdenton
on Hwy 5, also gets its name based on a legend of Indian weddings.
More than 1,500 have been performed there since.
 Ha Ha Tonka: It was a hunting trip that introduced Robert M. Snyder,
a wealthy businessman from Kansas City, to the site in 1903. Captivated,
he purchased 60 tracts of land and proceeded to build a private
retreat with the crown jewel being a huge, European style, castle-like
mansion atop the bluff overlooking the spring chasm. When Bagnell Dam was built, the waters
of the Lake backed up the spring branch and destroyed Ha Ha Tonka
Lake. The Snyder sons sued Union Electric for damages and settled
out of court.
DOGWOOD FESTIVAL
In April of 1950, the first Dogwood Festival was held in Camdenton.
The organizers planned to rival the tulip, cherry, gardenia, onion,
gladiola and magnolia festivals that were being held in other parts
of the country. The festival has been held every year since then
(except in 1965, when highway construction prevented it) and the
agenda remains much the same, except for the absence of the coon
dog races and the fox hound bench show. The festival is traditionally
scheduled around the third week of April when the Dogwood, which
flourishes in the Ozarks woods, is at its peak.
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