Articles > Columns

Traveling in Bingham’s Footsteps

The King of the Road traces the trail of Missouri’s fighting artist By John Robinson   The fire consumed almost everything, including Henry Clay, Andrew Jackson, and the Father of our Country.      Jefferson City was basking in an unusually warm 76-degree temperature on February 5, 1911, when an evening thunderstorm churned across town, sending lightning bolts into the capitol dome, the city’s centerpiece. F…... Read more >

The Lodges of the Meramec

Historic retreats still beckon today with food, fun, and floating By John Robinson   I settled in my lawn chair for the show. Silhouetted by a spectacular sunset over a picture-postcard valley, five musicians launched into vocal harmonies punctuated by fine fiddlin’ and pickin’. Their stage was a concrete poolside tarmac. The crowd sat in lawn chairs and on blankets in this natural amphitheater, a gentle slope softened by t…... Read more >

The Real Ozarks

By John Robinson

Similarly crooked, the streams and the highways intersect in random fashion. These two conduits, one natural, the other paved, greet each other awkwardly, then meander off in separate directions.

This scenic braid sets the table for a visit back in time. The roads reveal historic gathering spots that give us a peek at our past.

Those gathering spots are the gristmills that flourish in the folds of Ozark County…... Read more >

Thanks To Teachers

There are about sixty-three thousand public school teachers, kindergarten through twelfth grade, in our state, according to the Department of Education. Every one of them, plus private school teachers, teacher’s aides, and all of our schools’ staffs deserves a great big thank you.

I’m thinking about school because I’m looking forward to it starting again soon. In spring, I eagerly anticipate summer vacation from school, and the more r…... Read more >