Ha Ha Tonka State Park

May 26, 2021

Camden County, Missouri

“Ha Ha Tonka State Park is a public recreation area encompassing over 3,700 acres on the Niangua arm of the Lake of the Ozarks, about five miles south of Camdenton, Missouri, in the United States.” Wikipedia

I found this state park by chance and I’m glad I did. Ha Ha Tonka was a small rural town in the late 1890s. In 1904, Robert Snyder, a Kansas City businessman liked the area so much that he purchased 5000 acres of land, including the town. In 1905, Snyder began construction on his dream—a magnificent European-style mansion, which was dubbed, “the castle.” Unfortunately, Snyder died in an automobile accident in 1906, so construction of the castle was completed by his three sons. Along with the castle, a stable/carriage house and water tower were built. In the ‘20s, the brothers fought a losing battle against the building of the Bagnell Dam, and Lake of the Ozarks eventually divided the property. In the late 1930s, the castle was used as a hotel, however, in 1942 a fire destroyed the castle and the carriage house. Vandals burned the interior of the Water Tower in 1976, it was stabilized and reroofed in 1999.

The state of Missouri purchased the castle and grounds in 1978, adapting them for use as a state park and opening them to the public. I wish I would have had more time to explore the many trails in the park.

A view of the castle from a lookout across a valley.

Part of the remains of the carriage house which housed the estate caretakers, 100 horses and 30 cars in its day.

The Water Tower. The first four floors were living quarters for estate caretaker's family.

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