Ha Ha Tonka State Park at Lake Ozarks, Missouri

Haha Tonka Mansion, Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, 1930s.

Ha Ha Tonka Mansion, Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, 1930s.

“Here I will spend my leisure, secure from the worries of business and the excitement of city life. I will fish and loaf and explore the caves of these hills, with no fear of intrusion.”
— Robert McClure Snyder, owner of the Ha Ha Tonka Castle

Long before Robert Snyder built his famous stone castle high among the bluffs of the Ozarks, the area was home to the Osage, Cherokee, and other Native American tribes. Many early explorers traveled through the area, including Daniel Boone and his son Nathan. Later, Zebulon Pike passed nearby on his way to explore the West.

Niangua Arm of Lake of the Ozarks, from the Haha Tonka Mansion by Kathy Alexander.

Niangua Arm of Lake of the Ozarks is from the Ha Ha Tonka Mansion by Kathy Alexander.

When pioneers began to settle here, a man named Robert G. Scott surveyed the property as a possible railroad route in the early 1890s. Though this idea was not feasible, Scott was attracted by the scenic beauty, high bluffs, caves, and natural springs. Returning to his native Iowa in 1894, he convinced a partner named Kellogg to purchase a large tract of land, built a small settlement, and named it Gunter Springs, after an early resident of the area. Approximately three miles southwest of present-day Camdenton, Gunter Springs quickly sprouted several new buildings. However, Scott wanted to change the settlement’s name to something more romantic and indicative of the distinctive landscape and beauty of the area. Finally, he settled upon the Osage Indian phrase “Ha Ha Tonka,” meaning “Laughing Spirit” in reference to the gushing springs. In 1895, the post office was changed from Gunter Springs to Ha Ha Tonka.

In 1903, Robert McClure Snyder, a wealthy businessman from Kansas City, Missouri, first visited. He was so impressed that he eventually purchased some 2,500 acres, envisioning a private retreat for his family. His initial purchase from Robert Scott included the settlement of Ha Ha Tonka and Ha Ha Tonka Lake and Spring, which made Scott a large profit.

Robert Snyder and his four sons

Robert Snyder and his four sons

Scott, however, retained some tracts along the Niangua River, and in later years, he operated Camp Neongwah, a rustic retreat and campground near the banks of what was about to become the Lake of the Ozarks.

Snyder, one of seven children born to John and Sarah Pence Snyder in Columbus, Indiana, in 1852, came from humble beginnings. His father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were millers by trade, owning mills and grocery stores in Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Missouri.

In 1876, Snyder moved to St. Louis, Missouri, and worked in the wholesale grocery business, and in 1880, he moved again to Kansas City, where he continued to work in the industry. However, the innovative young man later began speculating in real estate, banking, and utilities, eventually amassing a fortune. By 1905, his assets included land holdings, real estate, oil and natural gas wells, herds of cattle, banking interests, and other investments across the nation.

Ha Ha Tonka Castle in the early 1900s

Ha Ha Tonka Castle in the early 1900s

When Snyder purchased the property from Scott in 1904, he immediately made extensive improvements. Envisioning a European-style castle with a center atrium rising three and one-half stories to a skylight, nine greenhouses, a carriage house, and an 80-foot private water tower, construction on the mansion began in 1905. Utilizing stonemasons from Scotland, they quarried stone and timber from the immediate area, and as a European supervisor, they managed every step of the construction.

The three-and-a-half story masterpiece was designed by Kansas City architect Adrian Van Brunt and included a central hallway that rose the entire building height, as well as a stone carriage house. Snyder said of the retreat, “Here I will spend my leisure, secure from the worries of business and the excitement of city life. I will fish and loaf and explore the caves of these hills with no fear of intrusion.”

Ha Ha Tonka Water Tower by Kathy Alexander.

Ha Ha Tonka Water Tower by Kathy Alexander.

However, for Snyder, Ha Ha Tonka remained only a dream. In 1906, he was killed in an automobile accident on Independence Boulevard in Kansas City – one of the state’s first automobile accidents. His obituary in the Kansas City Journal on October 29, 1906, said, “He was a man who understood big things and made them win by keeping up the fight when other men might have been ready to give it up.” His tragic death brought an end to the rise of a powerful businessman and a stop to the building of his mansion at Ha Ha Tonka.

For 16 years, the castle remained unfinished. Though Snyder’s sons Robert Jr., Leroy, and Kenneth continued the work, the pace was slow and not nearly as elaborate as the original plans. In 1922, the interior and upper floors were finally completed. During this time, Robert Snyder, Jr. lived in the castle. Plagued by health problems, he cultivated an interest in local and regional history, collecting every book on the subject that he could get his hands on. Amassing a collection of over a thousand volumes, the collection of Missouri and regional history, literature, and folklore was kept at the castle until his death in 1937. Today, the massive collection is housed at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Ha Ha Tonka Natural Spring by Graci Nobo, granddaughter-in-training.

Ha Ha Tonka Natural Spring by Graci Nobo, granddaughter-in-training.

However, by the time the castle was finally complete, the family businesses had begun to decline, and troubles with the property were just beginning. The family faced years of adversity trying to keep the castle in the family when a long legal battle against Union Electric ensued over the waters of the Ozarks that were encroaching upon the natural spring-fed lake at the foot of Ha Ha Tonka Cliff. The family was forced to sell Snyder’s natural gas supply business to eastern interests to finance the long legal battle. By 1937, at the time of Robert Snyder, Jr’s death, the Great Depression and the court litigation had depleted the family fortune, and the surviving brothers were forced to take other financial steps with the mansion. Leasing the building to a woman named Mrs. Ellis; she operated the historic building as a hotel for the next several years.

In 1942, tragedy struck the castle again when sparks from one of its many fireplaces ignited the roof. Within hours, the mansion was gutted as well as the nearby carriage house. All that was left were the stark, devastated outside walls of the mansion and the nearby water tower. Again, the mansion was abandoned, sitting silently upon the cliff overlooking Ha Ha Tonka Spring and the Lake of the Ozarks for the next 36 years.

Ha Ha Tonka Mansion today by Kathy Alexander.

Ha Ha Tonka Mansion today by Kathy Alexander.

Unfortunately, in 1976, vandals torched the water tower, and only the castle’s ruins remained. Today, the old water tower has been restored to its original state. In 1978, the State of Missouri purchased the estate and opened it to the public as a State Park.

Comprising approximately 3,000 acres on the Niangua Arm of the Lake of the Ozarks, the park offers an array of geographic formations, caves, streams, natural bridges, and the ruins of the Ha Ha Tonka Castle.

Trails and boardwalks provide easy access for visitors to experience the park’s many tunnels, caverns, springs, and sinkholes. More than 400 species of plants have been recorded at the park, with wildflower displays changing throughout the summer.

A short self-guiding nature trail, as well as a seven-mile backpack trail, allows visitors to experience the rich landscape. A visitor center features a large relief map of the park carved from stone. The State Park on the Niangua Arm of the Lake of the Ozarks is five miles southwest of Camdenton, Missouri.

Ha Ha Tonka Park Map

Ha Ha Tonka Park Map

Natural Bridge at Ha Ha Tonka State Park, Missouri by Kathy Alexander.

Natural Bridge at Ha Ha Tonka State Park, Missouri by Kathy Alexander.

© Kathy Weiser/Legends of America, updated January 2024.

Also See:

Missouri – The Show Me State

Missouri Photo Galleries

Haunted Missouri

Historic People of Missouri