“Let me sleep in my car by the side of the road,” begins a poem with a plea from a tired driver without money for a hotel who is trying to be safe. A park representative shared a peek at a few rare copies of the Civilian Conservation Corp’s two-page newspapers of camp happenings from the summer of 1934.
In part, it listed the comings and goings of men in the program, light-hearted gossip from various bunk houses, jokes, poems and reports of future goals (ie: 4 miles of foot trails completed, construction of three cabins, and 500 acres of topographic surveying completed). The paper for Big Spring was called “Pine Chips.”
The Civilian Conservation Corps built Big Spring Lodge in 1936. As part of Roosevelt’s program to employ, house and feed out-of-work men during The Great Depression. They lived and trained in military style camps and created high quality structures that were functional and aesthetic. The men gained construction skills, took required courses such as English, and had the opportunity to take auto mechanics and chemistry among other classes.
The participants gained an average of seven pounds while at camp, which I suspect was from a combination of three meals a day and muscle from the strenuous labor. Most of their monthly earnings ($25 of $30) was sent directly home to their family. The men also formed baseball teams and occasional dances were held for socializing.
Big Spring Park is one of Missouri’s oldest state parks and was donated to the National Park Services in the late 1960s. The highlight of the park is the gorgeous, flowing spring. It has an average flow of 286 million gallons, each day. In addition to the spring, there are hiking trails, camping, fishing, picnic areas with grills and a lodge.
There are five trails in the park and we experienced two on our visit. First we headed up and around the spring. It was mostly paved with large rocks creating a solid and sturdy path that crossed a bridge over the Big Spring’s out flowing river. It was an easy walk with great views and a few foot paths down to the spring. It also gave us access to a cave off the back of the spring. It was a small cave that required crouching, but offered a break from the heat and a pretty view.
The outflow of the spring joins the Current River and we were able to see several people in boats enjoying the water. Up from the Current, and beyond the lodge, we attacked the next trail. Every time we thought we were done going up and it plateaued a bit, there would be another push upward. The rewards were nice breezes at the top and one tiny, flowering plant that was a bright spot in the surrounding green and brown.
The trail seemed like it was going to go further away from the area of the park where we entered, so we headed back. On our way down we saw the only two other people on it, different from the trail close to the water. I looked it up and believe we were attempting the Big Spring Stone Ridge Trail, which went for miles and away from the park, so good call to return with only one Cliff bar and one bottle of water.
Having had our fill of hiking in the heat and stunning blue/green waters, we headed off to explore the grounds. The old CCC lodge was not in service as it is slated to be renovated, but it showed the craftsmanship that went into the paths and buildings with solid wood and native stone construction.
The lodge offered pretty views of the park, had vaulted ceilings; well lit, window filled rooms, a large stone fireplace and an enclosed dining porch. It needed love and after speaking with a National Park Service Specialist, who knew a great deal of Big Spring’s history, I was happy to hear that funds and scheduling for the renovation/restoration were all set.
We took the rest of our tour through the park by car. The boat area was a bit rocky to cross with a canoe, but looked worth the expense to feet and arms in the future. The campground had a proper bath house, potable water available and lots of sites of varying sizes and privacy (with and without electric; noted for the future).
The nearby town of Van Buren (four miles away) was cute and had several other options for camping, hotels and float rentals. The town and the Current River were packed on a weekend in July and we were ready to head home.