Not Thriving, but not Dying

We’ve been in a lot of small towns in our travels, and Waynesville, MO, where we are now, is like many of them.

Its old downtown is trying to survive.

Much is made of its location along the old Route 66, which has become nostalgically popular.

Most of the businesses use the old route in their advertising.

The five arch, concrete bridge still carries traffic through downtown,

as it has since it was built in 1923.

This was a route through the Ozarks long before Route 66. This building was built in the early 1800’s and served as a stage coach stop for many years.

Before the stage coach stop, the area served as a stop for groups of eastern Indians on their long trek to Oklahoma after they were forced off their homelands in the southeast.

The Indian caravan stopped here because of the natural spring, which still gushes from under this wall…

at the base of this hillside.

It is not too impressive from the surface, but is a very popular cave dive in this area of the country.

The spring runs into Roubidoux Creek which is stocked with brown and rainbow trout. The spring and creek are another draw for this small town.

But what keeps this town alive is Camp Leonard Wood. The soldiers fill the rental houses in town as well as many new townhouses and apartments on the outskirts, and their children fill the large school.

To encourage tourists to stay a while, the city operates this campground.

It’s basic, but it does have full hook-ups. The setting is pretty,

and there are nice walks…

on both sides of the creek.

And at $20 a night or $100 a week it was enough to entice us to stay 9 days. Seemed like a good place for another little break.