Lake of the Ozarks Recreation Area: Linn Creek, MO

It was another three-day stay, this time at the Lake of the Ozarks Recreation Area (LORA), a military recreation facility associated with the Army's nearby Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Fort Leonard Wood was named for a former chief of staff of the US Army who also commanded the Rough Riders with Teddy Roosevelt as his second in command.

The Lake of he Ozarks is a huge reservoir created when a dam on the Osage River and its tributaries was completed in April 1931. The lake has over 1100 miles of shoreline with what's got to be hundreds of inlets. On a map it looks like a dragon.

It would be a wonderful place to kayak, but unfortunately for us, the days we were there were cold, windy, and just not good for paddling the boats. But we did get in some hiking and a lot of dog walking.

LORA has a lot of different rental cabins like the ones above, plus campsites with and without hookups.  They honored our national parks senior passes, so we only paid $12.50 a night for a site with water, electric, and sewer.

Jim and Arlo on the Honey Run Trail of the Lake of the Ozarks State Park, where we saw lots of oak trees. The state park nearly surrounds the military recreation area, and is the largest state park in Missouri.

Maddie sleeping on our bed and looking bored when the wind kept us from exploring.

Built during the Great Depression, the dam that created the Lake of the Ozarks was built by  20,000 people in just 22 months.  When the dam was finished, the lake filled at the rate of 1 1/2 feet of water a day.

Another Lake of the Ozarks shot.  I always wonder what is under these reservoirs, because people lost homes, farms and other properties.  I read where the village of Linn Creek was the only major town submerged. Others that flooded were smaller towns of Gladstone and Irontown. Old Linn Creek (there's a new one where people were relocated; in fact, LORA's mailing address is Linn Creek) was founded in 1841 and was a major navigation hub on the Osage River. It had  three churches, two banks, five grocery stores, a bakery, millinery shop,  plus homes and other businesses. All that was torn down or burned and is now underwater.