We did the route I loosely refer to as “Upper Center Creek”, from Fir Road back to my house. I like this route because it was the very first route I did in a kayak. It’s about 5 miles and has some nice rapids and passes the old lakeside park. The only part I tend not to like is the Dyno factory, and the pipes of water (?) that drain directly into the creek…which I find fairly disturbing. Each year the river changes a little bit because of floods – sometimes clearing out debris, sometimes creating new obstacles. This year there seemed to be a lot more obstacles than in previous years, but it was fun nonetheless.

We stopped to release a sea turtle that was snagged on someones trot line, so if nothing else we accomplished a good deed.

Lakeside Park near Carterville, approximately 100 years ago.

This place has always fascinated me and I like to walk around and imagine what it was like back in the day. Sometime I should take copies of the old postcards and try to take photos from the exact same angles… another day I suppose.

Here is an old post card. This is cool because at least part of all 3 structures are still around today. The arched bridge, the supports for the bath house, and parts of the dam.

This bridge is long gone but the support posts are still around – however I didn’t get a pic.

This used to be the low dam that held back the small “lake”. People would walk across here and get their feet wet. I have concluded that the roller coaster was located to the southeast of the dam – so it would be in this photo if still standing.

Another random old wall further downstream. I think it’s cool to imagine the people constructing this wall around the turn of the previous century. For decades this place was full of people and good times. Now there is only the sound of the river and the birds.

Generally speaking I think Kansas is a fine state, but I am going to pick on it here just because I have been enlightened on their issues and did a bit of research to confirm what I heard. Turns out that Missouri and Kansas regulations are similar on paper… both say that if a waterway is navigable then it’s public property. The difference is that MO uses this to provide public access, and KS uses it to restrict it. In Missouri, if it is physically possible to float it then chances are you have the right to do it. Kansas has determined that only 3 rivers in the entire state are ‘navigable’ and they are the barge sized mega-rivers that I can’t imagine anyone wanting to float in. Apparently, several rivers that are routinely floated further upstream in Missouri, such as nearby Spring River or Shoal Creek have been officially designated as ‘off-limits’ in Kansas.

The act of floating in Kansas isn’t actually illegal and it’s not to say that people can’t and don’t ever float in Kansas…but it is trespassing since the state lets private individuals have total ownership of their section of the river. Additionally, landowners can, and do construct various obstacles, barriers, barbed wire fences, dams, or whatever else they feel like. Personally I think this is a terrible and selfish approach and will lead to damaged and impaired rivers that are sorely under appreciated and largely unknown to the public. I know I didn’t fully appreciate area rivers until I started experiencing them and realizing how great they actually are.

Anyways… I am glad Missouri recognizes that rivers are bigger than any one person’s property and does not allow an individual to claim ownership of it. I am glad we Missourians have the opportunity to enjoy and appreciate the state’s rivers, large and small.