70 Traits. Acad. Sri. of St. Louis 



REMIXISCEXCES OF A VISIT TO HHANSON AND WHITE RIVEK 

 IN TANEY COUNTY. MO., IN THE STUING OF 1906. 



When the naturalist visits a new locality ho is full of 

 oap'ornoss to Icani what is in store f<»r him in cronpral 

 and in his favorite liohhy in particiilai*. 



it was therefore with irreat expectations that Mrs. 

 W'idinann and 1 hei^an our ornitliolojiical reconnaissance 

 of i^ranson, the new town so iiai>i)ily situated where the 

 new branch of the Iron Mountain liailroad, the so-called 

 White River Division, crosses the White River on a lonp: 

 and high bridge. To call Branson a new place would not 

 be correct, since the post office l^ranson has been on the 

 nia]> for perhaps fifty years, but what we saw of the town 

 in 1900 was all now and everything built on a large scale, 

 the hotels, drug stores, general and furniture stores, liv- 

 ery, bams, post office building and ;i bright new bank. 

 There seemed to be no doubt that Uianson woidd in 

 course of time become an important jdace for tiu' distri- 

 bution of everything people need for comfort and luxury. 

 But this ])ush and boom is not what the nature lover 

 admires most; it is the surroundings of the town, 

 especially the magnificent curves of the beautiful White 

 River walled in by steep cliffs and high bluffs. 



A short walk over an excellent road through a t'orest 

 leads to Branson ITeight and Tjible Rock, ])oints com- 

 manding extensive views up and down the river for sev- 

 eral miles from tin' new railroad bridge on the left to far 

 beyond the new Maine Club House on tiie right. The 

 foreground comprised the newly plowed lields in the bot- 

 tom land on the o))])osite side of the curve with men and 

 teams still working, and "200 feet below us the swift 

 stream carrying at this moment a long raft of cedar ]>oles 

 guided by two men to its d(>stination, the loading incline 

 at the foot of the bridge, where a truck and wire rope 

 were busy lifting the poles fi'oiii the water onto the cars. 

 A little stream with the promising name Turkey Creek 

 opens its romantic valley just opposite Branson, and on 



