Buffalo Point and area

Not everyone made reservations and it was over the Memorial Day weekend.  Luckily, everyone found a place, but it did mean we were scattered all over the campground.  I do have to say, the park rangers worked with us and helped us to find spots to park. 

 Although the group was scattered throughout the campground, a few of us did gather at Max's for a campfire on several occasions.

Along the trail to Indian Rockhouse we spotted this small waterfall.

Our only hike was to Indian Rockhouse, a natural shelter, believed to have been used by Native Americans for thousands of years.

On the way back out, we passed by the Natural Bathtub.  Too bad it wasn't a hot spring fed stream of water.

After the hike we joined several others for lunch at the National Park cafe, which sits on top of a bluff overlooking the Buffalo River.

This group of canoer's were floating down the river and had their canoes all hooked together like a large raft.

We had a large group kayaking and we were scattered up and down the river.  

Lana had a great idea of grilling pizza's.  She made the homemade pizza dough and the rest of us brought the toppings.  Lana and her helpers rolled out small, individual pizza crusts.

If it could be put on a pizza, it was available.  

You start by grilling just the dough on one side, then you take the pizza crust and place all your toppings on the grilled side, returning the pizza to the grill to finish grilling.  It was a big hit.

Everyone got to customize their own pizza, so if you didn't like it, it was your own fault.

Rush, one of the ghost towns in the area, was once a large zinc mining area.  Here is one of the remaining furnaces.

Most of the buildings are falling down and are not stable enough to enter.  Existing between the 1880s and 1940s, during WWI, there were ten mining companies operating 13 mines in the area.

There is still some mining equipment remaining along the trails.

The is the foundation and steps of one of the larger buildings in the area.  I believe this building was one of the last to be abandoned.

Some of the walls and the concrete floors still remain. 

 

As many times as I have been here before, I had never seen this 'boiling spring'.  Found in the middle of the creek which flows into the Buffalo River, this natural springs boils up through the water.

It was Memorial Day and we had a tribute for all our members who have served in the Armed Forces.

One day we drove up to Cotter, a small town on the banks of the White River.  This is a creek which runs into the White River and the kids have a swinging rope where they can swing out over the creek. 

 

The trains were a large part of why Cotter is in existence today.  Because of a lack of roads in the Ozarks, trains became a necessity for supplying goods to the people in the mountains.  The first trains was introduced here in 1903 and required 500-600 employees.  In the building of the trains tracks to Joplin and St. Louis, over 5000 men were employed, requiring housing and all the amenties.  Steam engines required more work and employment remained high until diesels came along in the 1950s.  Although trains still run through this area, the large railroad hub here no longer exists.

The bridge crossing the White River.

The county courthouse in Yellville, built of local sandstone.

This carving of a bear and a turkey lies on the corner, in front of the courthouse.