By Kathie Sutin, Healthy Planet Staff Writer
Photo: Willmore Lodge
Each year uncounted numbers of vacationers flock to Lake of the Ozarks to swim, fish, boat and relax. With no way to count how many people come each year, it’s hard to determine actual numbers but estimates are at least 2.5 million.
Although the story of the lake’s creation is fascinating, it’s likely many of today’s lake visitors are unaware of it. For those wanting to learn more, there’s Willmore Lodge with its free Bagnell Dam History Museum, one of Missouri’s hidden gems. Loaded with photos, artifacts and commentary from people who lived in the area that became Lake of the Ozarks, the museum can answer questions visitors have about the lake’s past.
The lodge itself is photo-worthy. Its patio and large window overlook a picturesque section of the lake. Union Electric (now Ameren), owner of the dam, built the Adirondack-style 29-room historic log building in 1929-1930. It now houses the museum and is home to the Lake of the Ozarks Chamber of Commerce. It’s also available for special event rental.
The Great Osage River Project, as the dam construction was called, was started in 1929 just months before the stock market crash that ushered in the Great Depression. The dam created Lake of the Ozarks by holding back the water from the Osage River. Hydroelectric power produced by the dam powers electricity for more than 40,000 households.
Cost of the two-year project was $30 million. It was the last privately funded construction of a major dam in the U. S. Damming the Osage created what was at the time the largest manmade lake in the world. Creation of the 54,000-acre reservoir ate up five towns. While the project brought electricity and jobs to the area, some protested flooding of the land to create the lake. Their stories and those of the displaced residents are poignantly told at the museum.
Several years ago USA Today readers proclaimed Lake of the Ozarks the “best recreational lake in the U.S.” Weekends the lake teems with vacationers from near and far. Many don’t know about the towns sunk by thousands of cubic feet of water almost 100 years ago. But those who are curious about them can learn more at the museum.
Admission to the museum is free. The lodge and museum are just northeast of Bagnell Dam on Business Highway 54, Lake Ozark, MO. It’s open Monday-Saturday April through December.