Exploring the District: Camden County
The 16th Senatorial District consists of five central-Missouri counties: Camden, Crawford, Dent, Phelps and Pulaski. I thought it would be interesting to provide a brief overview of each of these counties, provide a little history and highlight significant aspects of each area. I will attempt to cover each of these counties in the coming weeks, as time and events allow. This week, I’ll explore Camden County.
The westernmost portion of my Senate district, Camden County was organized in 1841 and was the 56th county created in the state of Missouri. Prior to that year, the 708-square-mile area now known as Camden County was part of a much larger territory that also included present-day Benton, Morgan and Pulaski counties. The county was originally called Kinderhook, a reference to President Martin Van Buren. America’s eighth president, Van Buren was born in Kinderhook, New York, and was often referred to as “Old Kinderhook.” In 1843, the county was renamed in honor of British statesman Charles Pratt, the first earl of Camden, who was chancellor of Great Britain from 1766-1770. Earl Camden was a strong proponent of civil liberties and often sympathetic to the cause of the American Colonists.
Home to Osage Indians in prehistoric times, the area has always been dominated by its waterways. The Osage River and its tributary, the Niangua River, as well as Auglaize Creek, pass through the county. These three waterways now form the major arms of the Lake of the Ozarks. Prior to the construction of Bagnell Dam, steamboats plied the Osage during high water, and the streams were traveled by trappers and outdoorsmen year round.
In 1905, Kansas City businessman Robert McClure Snyder began building a grand mansion on a bluff overlooking a spring known as Ha Ha Tonka. Resembling a European castle, the home was the centerpiece of a 5,000-acre retreat. Snyder would never enjoy his vision, as he was killed in an automobile accident shortly after construction began. His son took up the cause and completed the castle in the 1920s. The facility operated as a public lodge until it was destroyed by fire in the 1940s. The ruins and 3,700 acres became a state park in the 1970s, and Ha Ha Tonka remains a popular tourist destination today.
Camden County was forever changed in the 1930s with the construction of Bagnell Dam in neighboring Miller County and the creation of the Lake of the Ozarks. Covering 54,000 acres, much of it within Camden County, the Lake of the Ozarks was the largest man-made reservoir in the United States when it was completed. Built to provide hydroelectric power to Union Electric (now Ameren), Bagnell Dam generates 600,000 megawatt hours of electricity every year.
Construction of the 2,500-foot-long dam began in 1929, just prior to America’s stock market crash, and was completed in 1931. The project employed about 20,000 people and helped Camden County weather the Great Depression. Formation of the lake flooded a number of small towns, the most notable being Linn Creek, which was the county seat. The town was moved to higher ground, but the county government was relocated to an entirely new community, Camdenton.
Today, the Lake of the Ozarks is one of the most popular vacation spots in America, attracting millions of visitors each year. Stretching 95 miles, with 1,250 miles of shoreline, the Lake of the Ozarks is a mecca for boating enthusiasts and anglers. The region is also famous for first-class golf courses, fine hotels and restaurants, shopping and a variety of vacation attractions. Tourism-related activities account for $164 million in revenue in the county each year, according to the Missouri Division of Tourism.
Lake of the Ozarks State Park encompasses more than 17,000 acres, much of it in Camden County, and welcomes nearly 2.5 million visitors each year. Bridal Cave, near Camdenton, has hosted more than 3,000 underground nuptials. Ozark Fisheries, near Richland, is one of the world’s top producers of goldfish and koi. The Missouri State Trap Shooting Association hosts the state championship at its range near Linn Creek, the second-largest trap shooting facility in the world.
The 2017 Farm Census showed 516 farms in Camden County with an average size of 261 acres. The county ranked 103 out of Missouri’s 114 counties in agricultural production, with about $15 million in production value. The county ranks No. 2 in Missouri for aquaculture.
In 2017, the population of Camden County was just under 45,000, and the median family income was $50,400. The biggest employment sectors are retail, health care, accommodations and food service. The largest towns are Osage Beach and Camdenton. School districts are based in Camdenton, Climax Springs, Macks Creek and Stoutland.
I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about Camden County, one of five counties that make up the 16th Senatorial District. Look for explorations of the other four counties of the district in the coming weeks.
It’s my honor to serve as your senator for the 16th District. If you have questions or need any assistance, please call my office at 573-751-5713 or log onto my webpage at https://www.senate.mo.gov/brown for more information.