If you haven’t visited Echo Bluff State Park in Shannon County, Missouri, in the Ozarks, I suggest you add it to your travel itinerary. Sure, it’s out of the way, located on Highway 19 with enough twists and turns to make you seasick, however, it’s worth the effort.
It’s very much a modern-day resort, 476 acres with all the amenities. For Susan, however, it was a step back in time. This state park began its life as a summer camp for kids back in 1929. Right, almost 100 years ago. Back then it was known as Camp Zoe. She and her sisters attended the camp more than 70 years ago. I’ve listened to stories about the camp for nearly a quarter century and was excited to finally get a look.
Naturally, a lot has changed in the past 70-plus years so our days were spent hiking the grounds looking at old, some might call, derelict buildings and sites where now only ghosts and memories linger. Places where kids swam and rivers where they canoed have changed, somewhat. But the stream, Sinking Creek, and the bluff that protects it are still in place. A new lodge has replaced cabins and tents, cement has replaced gravel.
If you’re quiet, you can stand by the edge of the creek and hear conversations from far away echoing off the curved bluff. Maybe even conversations from 70 years ago.
Witt’s End 