Re: Osage River Bridges "Today" Anyone who was in Boy Scouts in Kansas City, MO, attended summer camp at Osceola. The camp was located near the hamlet of Iconium. One Pappy Grube, an old timer as old as the camp hills, recounted the early days, when hundreds of scouts arrived by train, and were taken the last leg via cattle truck. I too spent many summers there, and even worked a couple of years on camp staff. It was a 10 mile trip via the river to camp, so half day canoe trips were also part of the program. The starting point of these trips was from the "beach" just below the dam depicted by trainsignguys's images. During my "day" the former Highline (KCOS) was still present, but the Leaky Roof (KCCS) was long gone. Only the cut-stone bridge piers remained. The Kaysinger Bluff project, now Truman Lake, destroyed all shown in the images below. During a trip to Missouri several years ago, I took this shot, which is looking south toward Osceola.
Karl, Where did you get that older topographic map? I'm looking for one of Lowry City. I'm trying to figure where old Missouri Highway 13 went through town.
I bought the maps from the USGS when it was cleaning its stock of outdated maps. I bought several during the late 1960s. I do have the USGS, 7-1/2 minute sheet for Lowry City which is dated 1941. The 1941 alignment of Missouri Hwy 13 is very close to the current alignment of the highway. In other words, at least during 1941, Missouri Hwy 13 did not go through Lowry City. The mother board on my PC died, so I do not have access to my scanner, and normal suite of graphics apps. I have also been traveling for my job, and have had limited access to web, and to my stack of stuff. I will take the map to work tomorrow, and see if I can get a copy for you.
Karl, Thanks. No need to go to that trouble. The fact that you can verify it followed the current path and didn't actually go through town is good enough for me.
These postcard pics all seem to be taken from the same vantage point. What direction is this looking? Would that be the SLSF or KCCS bridge in the background?
Southwest upstream on the Osage River toward the SLSF (KCOS) bridge. The KCCS bridge was a couple hundred yards downstream with only the stone piers remaining in my lifetime, post 1961. There was also a single lane truss road bridge a couple of blocks upstream from the SLSF bridge. I posted a photo looking downstream that shows all three bridges. http://www.frisco.org/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=4191&d=1161711862 Another resource for more information about the road bridge in Osceola is below. http://bridgehunter.com/mo/st-clair/osceola/ Dale Rush Carthage, MO
Ok if that's the case the water is flowing north correct? I'm having trouble wrapping my head around that. I thought all waterways flowed in a southern direction.
Streams are liable to flow in any direction. The Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers, for example generally flow North into the Ohio River. With multiple twists and turns, at any given point a river may floe in any compass direction. Tom
In this particular view the Osage is flowing northeast. The Osage is a very crooked river and like Tom's examples flows in every direction too before it reaches the Missouri River just downstream from Jefferson City. Take a look at a map of Lake of the Ozarks and you can really see how crooked the Osage River is. Dale Rush
Thanks for the clarification. It makes sense now. Looks like I need to rework a few things on my High Line route. I have the dam on the wrong side of the SLSF bridge. Good thing its a virtual route.
Derrick, Looks to me like you have the dam in Osceola in the correct location. If the V-scale view of the Osceola bridge and dam you recently posted is looking in a south southwest direction you have the dam located correctly. The road bridge would have been further southwest (left) about 2 blocks. The KCCS stone bridge piers would be about 200 yards northeast (right) in the view. Dale Rush
The KCC&S track from Lowry City to Harlan Jct. was retired effective July 1, 1918, according to an index of property changes in the Missouri State University special collections. KCC&S trains were routed over the SLSF Clinton Subdivision between these points thereafter, according to a November 1918 ETT issued during the period of USRA government control. Did the Osceola dam and the KCC&S bridge ever co-exist? When was the Osceola dam built? BAS
I found some additional information. The dam was built for the Western Missouri Power Company out of Pleasant Hill. There is an article in the Southeast Missourian, from an AP report, Sept 7, 1928, front page, regarding the proposal to build the dam with two 800 KW generators to supply power to Missouri Public Service and Ozark Utilities. https://news.google.com/newspapers?...AIBAJ&sjid=zNMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1658,1981399&hl=en Then, there is a Roots Web page for St Clair County, regarding a flooding easement as a result of the dam and it was signed in 1930. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mostclai/circuitcourt/LandEasement.htm So I guess the dam was built between 1929 and 1930?
