Ha Ha Tonka Castle Ruins

When I ride my motorcycle, or any vehicle, I tend to notice the brown signs signaling national parks. The signs contain white letters on a brown background.  State park signs display the same white letters on a brown background.  The brown signs catch my eye when I am cruising down the road, especially in a new-to-me area.  Motorcycling around Lake of the Ozarks is no different; I noticed and followed a few “brown signs”.  Brad and I stopped at Harry S. Truman State Park, Scenic Overlook of Lake of Ozarks, and Bagnell Dam. Bagnell Dam had a sign, and many others.  Ha Ha Tonka State Park was a memorable stop.  It required Brad and me to walk a nature trail to the castle ruins.  We don’t often get off our bikes for a nature walk.  It does happen on occasion. The best so far has been at Glacier National Park, but that was a different story with BBQ and a hungry bear!  In Missouri, the Ha Ha Tonka name caught our interest. Plus, it was a short walk.  The path let up a steep incline.  There are plenty of benches to rest on while enjoying the view along the path.  After viewing the castle ruins, we walked to the old water tower and then to the Natural Bridge. 


Ha Ha Tonka State Park’s history of the castle ruins.  Robert Snyder began constructing the mansion in 1905 as a retreat. Tragically, Snyder passed away in a car accident in 1906 before the mansion was completed. His sons finished it in the early 1920s.

Destruction struck the castle and carriage house in 1942 when a fire ravaged the structure. The water tower met its end in 1976 when it burned down.

Enjoy the pics of the Natural Bridge, Harry S. Truman reservoir, Bagnell Dam, and the Ha Ha Tonka Castle Ruins  

Cup Tree and Shoe Fence

 The Great American Campground and Dive Bar is our base camp.  We visited Whiskey Dicks the first night.  The second night, we went into the tourist area.  Today, we are riding to Big Dicks.  Once we arrived, we saw the bar is next to the water.  Very few land parking spots.  There were more spots for boat traffic off the water.  Neat area.  Unfortunately for us, Big Dicks was closed this day.  That is okay.  We already had some intel about a Cup Tree and a Shoe Fence.  Off we go looking for the Cup Tree.    

We heard a couple of stories about the origin of the Cup Tree.  Someone said there used to be a water spring nearby, and people were welcome to use a cup and get a drink of water.  I heard that two women were fighting over some cups and saucers.  One woman started throwing the dishes at the other.  After the fight was over, the woman who lived in the house began nailing the cups to the tree.  I heard she would often visit Big Dicks until her passing a few years before.  I heard the first cup was hung 30 years ago.  I am just reciting what I heard during the trip.

Not far from the Cup Tree is the Shoe Fence.  We found it.  The story I heard about the shoe fence was that if kids needed new shoes, they could get a pair from the fence.  I also heard that the shoes represent hunters that were poaching out of season.  The only thing that remains of the poachers were their shoes hung on the fence. 

The Cup Tree and the Shoe Fence are both unusual sites to experience.  I hope you enjoy the pictures. 

YouTube Shorts @Bill.Lanham

Cup Tree  https://youtube.com/shorts/ASv7L0lw_QQ?si=HyiTP2P_507XDJOJ

Shoe Fence https://youtube.com/shorts/5R-izsPPb5Y?si=GjkcvHvvRXPdM-1c