Construction began in 1905 only to be halted a year later with the untimely death of Snyder in one of the state's first automobile accidents. Snyder's sons finished building their father's dream, though not quite as elaborately as originally planned. Eventually, the property was leased for use as a hotel, until tragedy struck in 1942. The entire interior was gutted by fire when sparks from a chimney ignited the roof. The carriage house burned the same day and in 1976 the water tower was burned by vandals.
Today only ruins remain.
Ha Tonka State Park also contains one of Missouri's best examples of a savanna landscape. Savannas are areas neither totally forest nor totally prairie, where prairie grasses such as little bluestem and Indian grass flourish in open forests of post oak, blackjack oak and white oak. More than 400 species of plants have been recorded here, with wildflower displays changing throughout the summer. A large section is protected as the Ha Ha Tonka Savanna Natural Area. Several large glades can also be found at the park.