Beneath
The Message Tree
A
letter from the editor.
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In our March 2002
issue, ( see; http://www.geocities.com/themessagetree/march2002.htm
) Paul Johns shared with us the history of
the Riverdale area and the old steel
bridge that currently spans the
picturesque Fenley river, and The Message
Tree has followed the developing story of
how the bridge is to be soon razed in the
name of progress.
In a
recent posting to one of the genealogy
related e-mail based discussion groups we
monitor, Jim Cochran from Nixa
shared the following with us;
Riverdale
Reunion Scheduled before Historic Bridge
is Torn Down
One of the oldest standing iron
bridges in Christian County is to be
disassembled before the end of the year.
Built in 1906 as the first
bridge spanning the Finley River
southwest of Ozark, it will be replaced by
a safer new one, the Christian County
Commissioners have announced.
Located just east of Highway 160 on
Pawnee Road about 4 miles south of Nixa,
the bridge was the center of the old
Riverdale community. Family picnics,
swimming, baseball games, square dances,
baptisms, fishing and "courting" were only
a few of the numerous traditional events
that made Riverdale and its connecting
bridge a significant part of Ozarks
Americana.
On Sunday afternoon, September 14th
from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m., the gates to the
old Riverdale Park will be opened one more
time for an
old-fashioned reunion of Riverdale
residents, past and present. This special
day will give anyone with pleasant
memories one last chance to have their
picture taken at Riverdale with old
friends, including the soon-to-be-departed
bridge!!!
Once again it is to be demonstrated
how sharp the two sides of the proverbial
two edged sword of progress is, when we
gain a new bridge in a rapidly developing
area of Christian County but in the
process lose an historic landmark that is
the last reminder of a time gone by.
While we would add our voice to those pleading for the
preservation of the treasure as a foot
bridge, that prospect is held as an
impracticality by the commissioners. Now is the time to
venture off of the super highway that
follows the general route of the Old
Wilderness Road and say good-bye to an old
friend.
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Shrouded in fog,
the historic bridge at Riverdale
will soon be but a fading
memory.
Photo by Paul
Johns
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Mr. Cochran was also so nice as to give us permission to
reprint an article he submitted to the
MOSTONE genealogy list on the history of
the Bushwackers during the infamous border
wars of mid nineteenth century Missouri. While The Message Tree
has featured articles by Jim Barrett on
this subject in the past, it is always
nice to read another’s view on such
an historically important topic. Out thanks to both Jim
C. and Jim B for their research into our
colorful heritage
This month in Our Home Town series, Jim Barrett brings the
story of Ponce de Leon or
“Poncie” as many of know the
town.
Reno, Eau de Vie, and “Poncie” were all bustling
health spa towns in the 1890’s,
newspaper reports indicate that Poncie
boasted over a thousand residents.
Today the community is just another survivor of another
industry that came and went, but unlike
Reno and Eau di Vie, Poncie’s
residents would not abandon their
community and it remains while the other
resort towns are but a rapidly fading
memory.
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Water flowing from
a spring near Poncie
File
photo The Message
Tree
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And for those of you interested in the unexplained, we have an
article about serious researchers that
examine the many reports of the strange
and unknown lights in the skies over the
Ozarks.
The Museum of The Unexplained in Reeds Spring is a very
interesting facility that by conventional
wisdom one would not expect to find
nestled in these old Ozark hills.
For years there have been sightings of phenomena that defies
science, even right here, over the hills
no body know how old. It is interesting to
note that although there are many legends
of the strange and unusual, many of the
“old people of the mountains”
simply would not talk about that which
defied explanation, a topic we hope to
explore in more depth in future articles.
What
is really exciting is that the folks at
the Museum of the Unexplained are
sponsoring a convention this November with
speakers and exhibits that many of have
seen featured in books and television
specials, a rare opportunity to meet and
hear those who have devoted so much time
to such an elusive subject.
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