Local News – Wednesday, May 9th, 2018

Local schools and young children are invited to Montauk State Park to get a sneak peek of the park’s Old Mill Days celebration starting at 9:00 in the morning until 4:00 in the afternoon this Friday before the celebration opens up to the public Saturday. Student participants will have the opportunity to explore hands-on historical skills and other activities. On Saturday from 9:00 in the morning until 4:00 in the afternoon, the general public is invited to step back in time and explore some of the lost historical skills and traditions from a time many have forgotten. The annual celebration will bring the valley to life with historical re-enactors, traditional artisans and other local Ozark crafters to celebrate the historic mill and the region’s rich Ozark heritage. Montauk State Park is located at 345 county road 6670 in Dent County. For more information about the event, call the park at 573-548-2225.

Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows that turkey hunters checked 34,055 birds during Missouri’s 2018 regular spring turkey season April 16th through May 6th. Top harvest counties were Franklin with 760 birds checked, Texas with 732, and Laclede with 657. Young turkey hunters harvested 1,729 birds during the 2018 spring youth season, April 7th and 8th, bringing the overall 2018 spring turkey harvest to 35,784. In Dent County, there were 468 birds checked, Phelps County reported 546 turkeys checked, Shannon County had 391 birds checked and Crawford County reported 383 turkeys checked. Both Reynolds and Iron counties reported less than 300 birds checked during the Spring season. This year’s harvest total is down 17% from last year’s overall spring turkey harvest of 43,339 birds.

The historic Welch Lodge, located north of Akers Ferry on the upper Current River, was destroyed in a wildfire that ignited on April 12th, during warm, windy, and dry weather conditions. Despite valiant efforts by several local fire departments and wildland firefighters from Ozark National Scenic Riverways, the Welch Lodge was a total loss as a result of the blaze. The Missouri State Fire Marshall and wildfire investigators from the National Park Service jointly investigated the wildfire and loss of the structure. The investigators determined the origin of the wildfire was a downed power line resulting from a tree that fell across the line a short distance from the lodge. The fire was first spotted around 2:00 p.m. by park visitors who had been fishing at the river landing nearby, as they were returning to their vehicle. They immediately drove to Akers Ferry Canoe Rental to report the fire. Firefighters from Timber Community Fire Protection District were the first to arrive at Welch, observing that the wildfire had already reached the structure and was spreading quickly through the attic space. They began fire suppression efforts for both the Welch Lodge and rapidly spreading wildfire, and requested additional assistance from Jadwin Volunteer Fire Department and National Park Service wildland firefighters. Because of the rugged terrain and extreme wildfire conditions, firefighters conducted a burnout operation along nearby roads, so that a secure containment perimeter could be established. Crews worked late into the evening to contain the blaze. In total, the fire burned 148 acres. Welch Lodge and the nearby unoccupied caretaker’s house, which was saved through the efforts of the local volunteer firefighters, were built about 1953 by the Welch Cave Ranch Company. The facilities were operated as a fishing lodge prior to the establishment of Ozark National Scenic Riverways. The Welch Cave Ranch Company, a commercial enterprise of a group of St. Louis businessmen, catered to trout fisherman and stocked trout in the nearby man-made spillway from Welch Spring. The success of the enterprise is unknown, but the property was sold to the government in 1967 to become part of the national riverways. The lodge included 23 rooms, with two wings of dormitory bedrooms as well as a large kitchen, dining room, lounge area, and screened porch. Over the years it had served a variety of purposes, as a home for a Youth Conservation Corps camp through the early 1980s and then as housing for park employees. Plans to develop the lodge into a training center and educational youth camp were proposed and initiated in the early 2000s, but had been put on hold due to lack of funds. The National Park Service appreciates the response of both the Timber Community Fire Protection District and the Jadwin Volunteer Fire Department and their quick work to protect the caretaker’s house while slowing the initial spread of the wildfire.

The US Postal service is having their “Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive” again this year as your postal carrier will pick up bags or boxes of
healthy non-perishable food items placed by your mailbox this Saturday, May 12th. Here are some suggested items that can be boxed or bagged up such as plastic jars of peanut butter; boxes of pasta, cereal and oatmeal; or cans of tuna, fruit, vegetables, soup or sauces. Please do NOT include any glass jars as they could break! The food collected stays in the Salem community to be sent to the local food pantries to help feed families in need. For more information, talk with postal carrier, check out Facebook.com/StampOutHunger or go online at stampouthungerfooddrive.us.