CCC- ROARING RIVER DAM - Civilian Conservation Corps on Waymarking.com

Hatchery history and the role of the rainbow trout at Roaring River.

Roaring River has had an association with trout for a very long time. Goodspeed's History of Barry County, published in 1888, noted that "Roaring River was a favorite haunt of delicious fish, speckled trout 12 inches long." Although it is not known when the first rainbow trout appeared, it was likely around the same time. These particular fish most likely came from the Neosho Federal Hatchery.

Roland Bruner built the first on-site hatchery in 1910 and stocking began on a regular basis sometime that year. The fee was $1.00 to fish and 25,000 trout were stocked each year. The resort became a very popular spot for fishermen during the Bruner years. After Bruner's resort fell on hard times, it was sold at the Courthouse steps to Thomas Sayman in 1928. It was rumored that the trout in the hatchery were mortgaged and that this was not revealed to Sayman before the sale. It was also speculated that this was one of the reasons that he gave the property to the State of Missouri for a park.

Roaring River became a state hatchery when it was acquired by the Game and Fish department in 1929. By 1932 trout production began, and the park was officially opened to fishermen that same year. The old hatchery building and pools were getting into bad shape and prone to floods. But the Great Depression set into motion a series of events that would enable Roaring River to get a new hatchery. In June of 1933, Company 1713 of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) arrived at the park. Along the many planned park improvements were a new trout hatchery and a set of concrete raceways capped with natural stone. Plans were also made to dam the stream and create a lake in the lower area of the park. By 1939, work on the hatchery was complete and just in time. A major flood destroyed the old building and released 60,000 rainbow trout. The flood also destroyed the upper Bruner Dam.

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