Most People Have No Idea There’s An Underwater Ghost Town Hiding In Missouri
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Stephanie Zeilenga
Author
Sure, the Lake of the Ozarks is a happening spot for boating, swimming and fishing, but do you ever think about what’s underneath those murky waters? At mile marker 31 in Linn Creek Cove, it’s not just mud (and more mud) underneath you – there’s actually an underwater ghost town.
Old Linn Creek was supposedly the only complete town to be covered by water when the Osage River was dammed in the 1920s.
It's not often you think about all the homes and communities that were impacted when the major lake was created.
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The town was founded in 1841. It prospered in the mid 1850s during the days of steamboating.
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Linn Creek was considered a head of navigation on the Osage River, and it became a major hub for transporting goods and people across southwestern Missouri.
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By the 1920s, steamboats had of course become a thing of the past, but Linn Creek was connected to the outside world through state route 5 and Highway 54.
At this time, there were nearly two dozen commercial buildings in Linn Creek and dozens of homes.
When Linn Creek residents learned of the project to dam up the Osage River in 1929 and, even worse, that their entire town would be underwater, they were not happy. (Who would be?)
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Over the next two years, Linn Creek’s buildings were knocked down or burned.
Today, all that remains of Old Linn Creek on dry ground is the town’s cemetery.
For more on the history of Linn Creek, check out this video:
Creepy, right? For more eerie Missouri tidbits, check out this grim drone footage and these 9 famous Missouri homicides.
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