SHSMO Springfield Research Center

Basketville Host and archivist Haley Frizzle-Green continues our historic tour along Route 66, with a look at a cottage industry that took off along the Mother Road in Missouri.

New Route 66 Webinar!
Necessity to Novelty: Ozarks Handicrafts and Roadside Souvenirs
by Haley Frizzle-Green
Senior Archivist, Springfield Research Center
Thursday, September 10, 11:00 a.m.-noon (central time)
Online and free; registration is required: https://tinyurl.com/RT66-Handicrafts
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Novelty shops along Route 66 offered regional, one-of-a-kind gifts for newcomers. In the Ozarks, residents began making crafts not just for the practical needs of everyday life, but for the influx of tourists exploring their hills and hollers. Haley Frizzle-Green will examine how Ozarkers met this new demand for their products while still expressing their regional identity and cultural heritage.
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Meramec Caverns Host and archivist Haley Frizzle-Green brings us the story of an iconic Missouri tourist cave.

The Central Ozark Association published this map of the Central Ozarks region of Missouri in the 1940s. The activities it promotes include golfing, float fishing, motoring, and more. What's your favorite place in the Ozarks?
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"Central Ozarks Region of Missouri Map," Robert L. Elgin Travel & Tourism Collection (R0623-03-01). To see more maps, photos and postcards regarding tourism and travel in Missouri, click here: https://tinyurl.com/SHSMOTravel
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Stony Dell Host and archivist Haley Frizzle-Green shares the story of a unique resort from the bygone heyday of Route 66.

Join SHSMO archivist Ashley Weaver, along with host Kathleen Seale, as we learn about Stony Dell Resort, the Prewett family, who expanded their enterprise to include a park with a picnic area, a rock garden, and a zoo looking to stand out from other roadside stops. Register online, https://shsmo.org/events/2026/asphalt-archives-telling-missouri-route-66-story-disneyland-ozarks-stony-dell-swimming.

On Stony Dell’s opening day, the Rolla Herald reported that the pool in Arlington, Mo., attracted over 1,000 visitors; it quickly became a popular entertainment spot for locals, travelers along Route 66, construction workers, and military personnel at nearby Fort Leonard Wood during the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s. the amenities at the Stony Dell complex included a spring-fed swimming pool with a slide and diving board, a stone bathhouse, a restaurant, rustic cabins, a souvenir shop, a filling station, and a park with a picnic area. Stony Dell like many of its Route 66 counterparts, continuously looked for ways to appeal to travelers.