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| Photo Credit: Miller County Museum |
Bagnell Dam History
It all started in 1912, when Ralph W. Street of Kansas City first proposed damming the Osage River with plans to generate electricity. Yet, it took twelve more years (until 1924) when Street and Walter Cravens were able to arrange the financing and formed the Missouri Hydro-Electric Power Company.It still took some time to get the ball rolling because the company had to start building roads and housing for the anticipated employees. In 1926, though, financial difficulties put a halt to the project, and it didn't pick back up until July 27th, 1929. Union Electric Company of St. Louis (now known as Ameren Missouri) purchased all of the facilities and construction resumed on August 6th. It was a bit untimely because the New York Stock Exchange crashed just two months later bringing the Great Depression. Amazingly, the work was able to continue, and the building of Bagnell Dam actually became the only major construction project in the nation at the time. It attracted THOUSANDS of workers from all over the country. In fact, records show that more than 20,000 people worked on the project at one time or another.
Some powered equipment was used in building the dam, but most of the labor was done by hand. Pay rates for construction workers at the time were as low as 35 cents an hour. This may sound like small, but during the depression era, a person could be hired for farm work for 50 cents a DAY - and workers were glad for an hourly wage during that time.
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| Photo Credit: Miller County Museum |
After acquiring 60,000 acres of land, 30,000 of which were trees and brush, moving one million cubic yards of earth and rock, and then pouring enough concrete to build and 18-foot wide highway from St. Louis to Topeka Kansas, the Dam was finished. It took two years, but in October of 1931, the Osage Power Plant began commercial operation.
At its time, Bagnell Dam was truly an engineering marvel. While the original purpose was to generate energy, they probably had no idea that the Lake of the Ozarks would be the recreational phenomenon that it is today.
The Bagnell Dam Strip Today
We are proud to be such a integral part of the history of Bagnell Dam. In fact, our wood floors and walls were actually made using wood from trees that were cut down at the time! Of course, now, we just love being apart of the tradition and enjoying all that the Bagnell Dam Strip has to offer. From fun monthly events like Hot Summer Nights, to a place where people come to stroll and shop - Casablanca at the Lake of the Ozarks is the best restaurant at the Lake of the Ozarks to come visit. We have great burgers, Dam dogs, and of course, the best craft beer around. Come out and sit a spell. We have seating on the patio so you can wach the Bagnell Dam activity, or plenty of seats indoors where you can watch the game. Our biggest improvement this year is that we've become non-smoking. We listened to our customers and have been glad to oblige. Stop by and see us next time you're at the Bagnell Dam Strip!
Casablanca - the best bar & grill and the best pizza under one roof!
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