Linn Creek, Missouri

I've mentioned Linn Creek a few times over the years in my posts on this blog, but I don't believe I've ever devoted an entire post to the town. Today, I will.

When Camden County was formed in 1841, it was originally named Kinderhook County, and the village of Oregon, located where Linn Creek (the stream) emptied into the Osage River, was named the county seat. When the name of the county was changed to Camden in 1843, Oregon also changed its name to Erie. In 1855, because a cholera epidemic had killed much of Erie's population the previous year and because Erie's location was prone to flooding, the county seat was moved up Linn Creek about half a mile, and the new town took the name of the creek.

Because of its strategic location near the confluence of two fairly major waterways (i.e. the Osage and Niangua rivers), Linn Creek, like its predecessor, was an important shipping point during the pre-Civil War days, supplying goods to places throughout southwest Missouri.  

In 1870, Linn Creek had a population of about 130. By 1912, when the town was profiled in the Springfield Leader, the population had grown to about 430. To reach Linn Creek, the reporter who wrote the profile took the stagecoach from Lebanon. He said the whole territory through which he passed was new to him. He thought the surrounding land looked promising for crop farming, dairy farming, and raising poultry. Unimproved land was relatively cheap, selling from $5-$10 an acre, depending on the quality of the soil and the proximity to markets

In 1912, Linn Creek had a high school, three churches and several fraternal organizations. Among its businesses were two banks, a newspaper, and a hotel. 

In 1929, Linn Creek was destroyed during construction of Bagnell Dam and the Lake of the Ozarks, and the town was covered with water when the lake was filled. A new town called Linn Creek, or New Linn Creek, was built on higher ground a short distance away from the lake. However, a rival town, Camdenton, also sprang up nearby, and it became the new county seat. With Camdenton emerging as the principal town in Camden County, Linn Creek diminished in importance during the first decade after construction of Bagnell Dam, and its population plummeted from about 550 to about 200. Its population since 1940, however, has remained fairly steady at approximately 200.