Lost Stories of Central Missouri — Ha Ha Tonka, the Bank of Nianga and Arrowhead Lodge
314-580-3455 (TEXT MESSAGES ONLY) | Lost Stories of Central Missouri | Ha Ha Tonka, the Bank of Nianga and Arrowhead Lodge
People, Places, History and Legacies From the Lake of the Ozarks and the Ozarks
Lost Stories of Central Missouri is a 7-page special edition from DealMaker that gathers a set of Central Missouri places, businesses and mysteries into one publication. It carries the theme People, Places, History and Legacies.
The free digital issue brings together stories of Ha Ha Tonka, the Bank of Nianga, Arrowhead Lodge, the Bank of Russellville and Community Point Bank, and Bethel Cemetery at Hickory Hill. It includes historical accounts, timelines, community features and material the publication presents as local legend or as an account requiring further verification.
Inside This Issue
The edition has a table of contents and a publisher page. Its features cover Lost Stories of Central Missouri; the Ha Ha Tonka castle and its history; the Ha Ha Tonka connection story; the Camden County counterfeit money story; the Bank of Nianga and the Ha Ha Tonka counterfeit money story; the Bank of Russellville history; Arrowhead Lodge and the Lake of the Ozarks; Bethel Cemetery at Hickory Hill in Cole County; and local places and more Ozarks history.
The publication also includes a reader support page inviting readers to help keep local history alive through the AmeriShop website or by post. A separate true-or-false page presents ten historical facts about places featured in the issue. The edition asks readers to share these stories and help keep local history alive.
Ha Ha Tonka Castle: The Millionaire, His Missouri Dream and the Fire of 1942
The publication recounts the story of Robert McClure Snyder, identified in its account as vice president and general manager of the Kansas City Railway. The text says Snyder was born in 1854, died in Kansas City in 1906, and purchased 5,000 acres at Ha Ha Tonka in 1904.
From 1905 onward, he built estate structures that included a 60-foot-wide and 60-foot-tall water tower, a carriage house, greenhouses and a stable. The publication says he was the first person to bring electricity to Camden County. Construction of the castle began in 1905. The main house is described as a 30-room European-style mansion, rising three storeys, with a stone tower and exterior stone walls three feet thick.
The account says Robert and his wife had eight children, two of whom died in childhood. His sons took over the estate and completed final construction in 1922. The castle was used as a hotel for many years. The west wing burned in 1931, before the castle itself was destroyed on October 21, 1942. The ruins are now preserved as part of Ha Ha Tonka State Park.
The printed timeline gives these dates: 1852, born; 1876, moved to Kansas City; 1880s, business and civic career; 1904, five thousand acres purchased; 1905, construction begins; 1906, dies in Kansas City; 1922, final construction completed; 1931, the west wing burned; 1942, the castle destroyed; and 1978, the estate ruins preserved as a state park. The issue’s narrative gives Snyder’s birth year as 1854, while its timeline prints 1852. This page preserves that difference rather than trying to resolve it.
[Image: Ha Ha Tonka Castle page from the Lost Stories of Central Missouri publication, showing the millionaire, his Missouri dream and the fire of 1942.]
Ha Ha Tonka Castle: the millionaire, his Missouri dream and the fire of 1942, as printed in the issue.
The Bank of Nianga: The Camden County Counterfeit Money Mystery
The publication features the Bank of Nianga and notes that local accounts have described the building as an “original” bank, while also raising the possibility that it was a 1930s replica of an earlier bank. It describes the bank as having established itself near Ha Ha Tonka and says that, according to a 1930s-era source, a prominent area businessman and banker constructed the old location.
The issue makes an important qualification: according to a Missouri State Parks report, an examination of the bank was never completed. Claims about the building’s authenticity therefore remain unverified and subject to debate.
The publication also recounts a rumor from the 1930s that the area was a notable counterfeit money operation. It describes a “counterfeit bank” as a legitimate operation on the surface that served as a front for counterfeit money and other illegal operations. The story is presented as an account and a mystery; this listing does not claim that counterfeit money was produced at the site.
The section’s closing note refers to 1930s research describing the building as an exact replica of the old Bank of Nianga and characterizes the location as a former riverfront forger of counterfeit money. That statement is also part of the publication’s account, not a verified finding. The issue’s own caution about the incomplete examination remains essential context.
[Image: Bank of Nianga page from the Lost Stories of Central Missouri publication, showing the Camden County counterfeit money mystery and the timeline of events.]
The Bank of Nianga and the Camden County counterfeit money mystery, as printed in the issue.
The Bank of Russellville and Community Point Bank
The publication traces the Bank of Russellville’s history back to 1895 and describes its continued commitment to serving customers. It presents Community Point Bank as continuing the work of the same institution today.
The bank feature includes a history-of-growth timeline alongside branch locations. A separate community feature on the same page covers Bethel Cemetery at Hickory Hill in Cole County. The issue combines an institutional history with a place-based story about the families remembered at the cemetery.
[Image: From Bank of Russellville to Community Point Bank page from the Lost Stories of Central Missouri publication, with the bank history and the Bethel Cemetery feature.]
From the Bank of Russellville to Community Point Bank, with the Bethel Cemetery feature, as printed in the issue.
Arrowhead Lodge and the Lake of the Ozarks
The issue describes Arrowhead Lodge as a popular Lake of the Ozarks resort before it closed. The lodge offered visitors relaxation and entertainment from 1965 to the early 1970s. The publication identifies the late 1960s to early 1970s as its heyday.
The feature says the historic lodge permanently closed in 2005. An inspection in 2006 found the buildings unsafe, and the lodge buildings were demolished. The publication also describes the buildings as eventually auctioned and neglected. Today, it says, the site is a quiet spot with no trace of the original resort.
A separate panel follows Eddie Jordan, using the phrase “from the historic lodge to a new chapter.” The page presents this as its own related feature without turning it into a claim about the lodge’s present condition.
[Image: The Rise and Fall of Arrowhead Lodge page from the Lost Stories of Central Missouri publication, showing the resort on the Lake of the Ozarks and its final years.]
The rise and fall of Arrowhead Lodge, a Lake of the Ozarks landmark, as printed in the issue.
Bethel Cemetery and Local Places
The publication features Bethel Cemetery at Hickory Hill in Cole County and describes families remembered there. The cemetery page names Robert Scott and William Mayberry Bond. It includes brief notes about them and indicates that further historical details require research and verification.
The issue also carries a local places feature and more Ozarks history. These sections add community context to the publication’s accounts of historic sites, businesses and regional stories.
The Counterfeit Money Story and Reader Support
The counterfeit money material appears as part of the issue’s broader set of Central Missouri stories. The publication presents the account alongside a caution about what remains unverified. Its reader support page invites people to help keep local history alive through the AmeriShop website or by post, and asks readers to share the publication with others.
An Important Note on What This Issue Contains
This is a free digital e-reader publication. It mixes documented history with local legend and 1930s-era accounts. Where the publication itself flags a claim as unverified, this page does too. Readers who want details behind any story should read the edition itself and check the sources the publication credits.
Some historic buildings and sites referenced in the issue no longer exist or have changed. Verify access and current conditions before traveling.
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