Real photo postcard. Penciled on back: “Fairfield Mill in July 1910”
There was a mill and a small manufacturing complex at the hamlet of Fairfield, Missouri on the Pomme de Terre River built, it is said, by Judge George Alexander. He – or rather, his numerous slaves – built a long covered bridge at this spot. Before the Kaysinger Bluff Dam and Reservoir project got underway, the bridge had fallen in, but the stone piers remained. They’re now under the murky waters of Truman Reservoir.
When crossing Truman Reservoir on the Highway 83 bridge, south of Warsaw, look northwest. The town of Fairfield was just up the river from today’s bridge. .
The history of bridging the Osage River and its tributaries is covered in the new book, DAMMING THE OSAGE by Leland and Crystal Payton, available December 1.
Every week we will post an unpublished image that relates to the Osage River, its ecology, history and development. None of these have been used in Damming the Osage, but they relate to the themes of the book. A brief caption identifies the location and our thoughts on its significance and meaning. Feel free to use these images for personal use if you credit “Collection of Leland and Crystal Payton.” For commercial use, email us for details and a modest fee for a higher resolution image. We have thousands of historic photographs and brochures as well as our own contemporary photos.
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I have a screen capture from Humminbird Side Imaging Sonar I captured today of the current state of the mill and bridge foundation it’s still there and now home to alot of fish swimming around it. If you’d like to see I can email a copy. Your image confirms what I found and looks exactly like it just missing all the wood. Link to Image: http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e6/imonem/S00031-3.png
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I’ve been deployed to New York by FEMA for the Hurricane Sandy response. We’ve looked at the image and find it rather enigmatic … please educate us on what we’re looking at!
I AM 68 AND I REMEMBER A RESORT IN FAIRFIELD. IT HAD LOG CABINS AND YOU COULD ALSO STAY IN THE OLD MILL. MY GRANDFATHER WOULD RENT THE CABIN FOR THE SUMMER. NO RUNNING WATER BUT DID HAVE A SHOWER HOUSE. THERE WAS ALSO 2 SMALL STORES ACROSS THE STREET BUT I CAN’T REMEMBER THE NAME. RIGHT OUT OF LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE. THAT WAS ABOUT 1960 I WOULD LOVE TO SEE SOME PICS
DAN ROBERTS
Sorry to say we not only do not have any pictures of the resort, but this is the first we’ve heard of it. Sounds like an idyllic summer vacation. If you think of the name or find a photo, feel free to email us! (lensandpen@yahoo.com)
My grandparents had a farm around Fairfield I remember going down the road getting in a boat and going to church in Fairfield. There name was willy williams , my grand parents on my dad’s side lived in Warsaw he was the postmaster, and a good friend of Harry Truman, they used to hunt quail togeather. Fond memories. Jerry Blanchard.