Missouri Roadsides: The Traveler's Companion - Softcover

Earngey, Bill

9780826210210: Missouri Roadsides: The Traveler's Companion

Softcover

ISBN 10: 082621021X ISBN 13: 9780826210210

Publisher: University of Missouri, 1995

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Earngey, Bill

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author:

With a love of backroads and what's beside them, Bill Earngey has spent the last eight years, and logged thousands of miles, doing research and exploring the roads and roadsides of the Show-Me State. He is also the author of Arkansas Roadsides: A Guidebook for the State.

Review:

Sample Entries

Downing Depot Museum. Railroad, 1872; National Historic Register. Board-and-batten with pressed metal shingles, bracketed eaves, and tall narrow windows, the building was moved here from its original location. Interior features include plaster walls, beaded paneling, and a ticket window. Displays: local items, quilts, tools, military memorabilia. The former one-room stucco city jail (1930s) is adjacent. SR A, S end of town at city park.

Novelty, Mo. Two stories try to explain this name: (1) Dr. Tom Pendry, an eccentric who built the first store, placed a flagpole on it as a guide. He named the place for the store's assortment of merchandise. (2) Pendry built a store, house, and office. To make the office easier to find, he raised a flag over it. His wife said the flag was a novel idea. Usually applied to villages as an unusual name, the name is not novel. Post office: 1854\-now. SR 15, S 11 m.; SR 156, W 1 m.

Spring Park (El Dorado Springs). This inviting park is situated in a natural bowl landscaped in three tiers and lined with benches. At the bottom is a springhouse flanked by a presettlement stone washbasin. A nearby fishpond grotto and a bandstand (the site of weekend concerts) are accented by folk-art rockwork. A community building, picnic area, playground, and pool are adjacent. The original spring (50 feet SW of present bandstand) was channeled in 1890 to the springhouse, around which today's park grew. Bring a jug. SR 82, Downtown.

Hall of Waters (Excelsior Springs). Art Deco, 1938; National Historic Register. This three-story stone and concrete building with an 85-foot tower of structural glass has a recessed entrance accented by elaborate bronze grilles and Mayan-motif bas-reliefs. The interior has inlaid variegated tiles on the walls. Set in Siloam Park near Siloam Spring and Fishing River, this million- dollar structure, built by WPA funds, features the world's longest water bar (47 ft. 4 in.), where four varieties of mineral water can be sampled. CALCIUM BICARBONATE: Reportedly appetizing as table water and helpful in kidney and bladder disorders. IRON MANGANESE: Supposedly "a potent blood builder by adding iron to the bloodstream." Reportedly this is America's only natural supply of this water and one of only five sources for it in the world. SODIUM BICARBONATE: "A stabilizing agent . . . used extensively in anti- acid therapy." SULPHO-SALINE: A mild laxative also used for bathing. The Hall of Waters also features a 25-meter indoor pool, mineral-water steam baths and showers, and massages. Grounds: walking trail and two pagodas. City-owned (also houses city offices). Downtown; SR 10, N 2 blocks on Marietta.

Ferry Boats. Besides saving driving time, ferries offer a scenic side trip. The ones listed below are privately owned and inspected by the Coast Guard. Fares vary according to crossing time. Schedules vary according to the season (generally the boats run during daylight hours). The listings are by the nearest Missouri town. Note: like any small business, ferries can close temporarily or permanently; call before planing a route.

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