Name: Hahatonka Spring
Location: Camden County, Mo.
Rank: 11
Average Flow:
Million gallons per day: 49
Cubic feet per second: 77
Recharge Area:
Dry uplands and valleys to the south and east. The spring flows into the Niangua arm of Lake of the Ozarks.
Interesting Information:
Hahatonka Spring is the highlight of an intensely karst area featuring caves, natural bridges, tunnels, and sinks. Formerly known as Gunter Spring or Springs, Hahatonka
was purchased in 1884 by Col. R. G. Scott, who renamed it, under the mistaken impression that the name meant "laughing waters".
Hahatonka Spring and nearby River Cave are connected, according to divers who investigated during the late 1980's.
Brief History:
The spring was first used around 1830 by a man named Garland, who established a gristmill on the branch. After purchasing the property in 1903, Mr. R. M. Snyder began building his country estate at Hahatonka in 1905, importing 20 stonemasons from Scotland to work on his "castle" which overlooks the spring branch from a 200 foot bluff. Snyder was killed in an auto accident in Kansas City in 1906. The castle was eventually completed in 1922 by his three sons, but the castle was relatively short lived, as it burned in 1942 as the result of a chimney fire. Although promoted as a potential national park area since the 19th century, the spring, castle ruins, and surrounding area were purchased in 1978 as a Missouri State Park.Ownership and Access:
Owned by Missouri Division of State Parks. Steep hiking trail to the!
spring; easy walking to castle area. No camping, or charge for entry to view the spring.