Slick rock walls are adorned with hanging gardens of columbine and lush ferns. These fragile yet hardy beauties thrive in small pockets of soil amid the cracks and crevices of limestone rock. Mink, muskrat, and banded water snakes may also be seen swimming in the spring. Swallows nest among the bluffs in the warmer months and eagles may be seen soaring during the winter. You can help protect Missouri's springs.
Springs are small areas that are sensitive to disturbances.
Springs are home to many unique species that are not commonly found in rivers and need special protection to survive. A Gathering Place Alley was home, farm, and school for people who lived here a century ago. Dances, baseball games, and rollerskating were all part of Alley's busier days. John Knotts purchased the 80 acre site in 1902 and diversified the enterprises to include a well-stocked store and blacksmith shop. The milling operation was expanded to include corn meal production as well as flour.