Gosling on the Rocks
by Mary Lynn Giacomini
Title
Gosling on the Rocks
Artist
Mary Lynn Giacomini
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Photography By Mary Lynn Giacomini
Photographed Big Cedar Lodge, Ridgedale, Missouri
Tucked away in the heart of the Ozark Mountains, Big Cedar Lodge was occupied by Native Americans for over a century. Shortly after the turn of the twentieth century, railroads expanded through the area, transforming this everyday world into a vacation paradise.
In the 1920s, two Missouri natives, business entrepreneur Jude Simmons and Frisco Railroad executive Harry Worman, acquired 300 acres of forest and built lavish country resort homes on the land known as Big Cedar Hollow along the White River.
Simmons created a log mansion, while Worman constructed a Tudor-style retreat made of stone and stucco. Both homes were built with native materials, which are still on display at Devil’s Pool Restaurant and The Worman House.
Travel became more difficult during the Great Depression, and the Simmons and Worman families spent less time in their wilderness retreats, eventually selling the property to a logging firm. In 1947, Dan Norris, a real estate executive and hotel operator purchased the property. Norris added a lodge, swimming pool and stable, creating Devil’s Pool Guest Ranch. In 1958, the White River was dammed to form Table Rock Lake, setting the stage for the premier wilderness resort in the Ozarks, Big Cedar Lodge.
Bass Pro Shops’ founder, Johnny Morris, purchased the property in 1987, restored the Simmons and Worman buildings to their original prominence and began to build a larger wilderness resort.
Today, Big Cedar Lodge is spread over 4,600 acres in its own wooded hollow. It overlooks the 43,000-acre Table Rock Lake.
Uploaded
March 11th, 2023
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