The cultural history of the Ha Ha Tonka area
is as spectacular as its natural features. The wooded hillsides
and abundant wildlife first attracted many American Indians.
According to local folklore, Ha Ha Tonka is an Osage Indian
word for . . . — — Map (db m162208) HM
At the beginning of the 1900s, Robert
McClure Snyder, a Kansas City businessman,
visited the area. He bought over 5,000 acres and
began construction of his dream-a magnificent
European-style mansion or "castle.” Material
for the . . . — — Map (db m162205) HM
Snyder’s Legacy
At the beginning of the 1900s, Robert McClure
Snyder, a Kansas City businessman, bought
over 5,000 acres and began construction of
use
his dream-a magnificent European-style
mansion or "castle."
Stone masons from . . . — — Map (db m162200) HM
Gravity-Fed Water
A tank at the top of this 80-foot structure provided
gravity-fed water to the mansion. Employees of the
estate and their families were housed in quarters
beneath the tank. The water tower escaped damage
from the 1942 . . . — — Map (db m162211) HM
Ha Ha Tonka is a classic example of what geologists
call karst topography
This cutaway shows how ground water dissolved a large cave
System in dolomite bedrock millions of years ago.
After regional uplift, lowering of the water . . . — — Map (db m162209) HM
The historic Osage River, impounded here by Bagnell Dam, flows east and north some 82 miles to join the Missouri. At the river's mouth, the 1804 Lewis and Clark Expedition camped several days and in 1806 Zebulon M. Pike's Southwest Expedition . . . — — Map (db m78759) HM
