Knob Noster State Park History Camp Bobwhite and Camp Shawnee

Curated by Missouri State Parks and the History Program at the University of Central Missouri

The tour describes the history surrounding the founding of Monseratt Recreational Demonstration Area that later came to known as Knob Noster State Park in 1946 and discusses the importance of Camp Bobwhite and Camp Shawnee as part of the recreational demonstration area.

Knob Noster State Park History and Significance

Since 1946, Knob Noster State Park has welcomed visitors to its forests, waters, cabins, and camps. The park's history begins, however, not after World War II, but in the depths of the Great Depression. During the 1930s, President Franklin…

Knob Noster State Park Camp Activities

One of the primary objectives of the creation of the Monteserrat Recreational Demonstration area that later became Knob Noster State Park in 1946 was to get individuals to engage with recreation and the outdoors. The campers who stayed at either…

Knob Noster State Park Camp Bob White

Originally, the National Park Service (NPS) planned five organized group camps at Knob Noster State Park; however, over the course of the park's planning and development period, the NPS and Works Progress Administration (WPA) workers created two…

Knob Noster State Park Camp Bobwhite Director's Cabin

The Works Progress Administration constructed the original Camp Bobwhite Director's Cabin in the late 1930s. Its exterior has changed little over the past several decades. As you can see from the earliest image, the park's road ended at a…

Knob Noster State Park Camp Bobwhite Recreation Building

Camp Bobwhite's Recreation Hall was not part of the original construction of the camp, which was completed on October 10, 1946. Other than the dining hall, the camp had no larger structure for groups to gather. In January of 1956 the director…

Knob Noster State Park Camp Bobwhite Dining Hall

The dining hall at Camp Bobwhite resembles one of the many rustic buildings that the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built as part of the Montserrat Recreation Demonstration Area during the 1930s, which was later given to the Missouri State Parks…

Knob Noster State Park Camp Bobwhite Historic and New Pool

Camp Bobwhite has offered a swimming pool since the camp opened to the public in the 1940s. Long before the use of air conditioning, swimming pools offered a fun place to cool off during the summer months and campers looked forward to pool time.…

Knob Noster State Park Camp Shawnee

The National Park Service added the Shawnee Organized Group Camp to the National Register of Historic Places as a Historic District in 1985. The Works Progress Administration constructed the camp as part an effort to create recreational opportunities…

Knob Noster State Park Camp Shawnee Cabins

A number of religious and civic organizations utilized the campgrounds since the opening of the park. When the park opened in the 1930s as part of the Montserrat Demonstration Area, the Camp that became Camp Shawnee was originally named Camp…

Knob Noster State Park WPA Bridge on Entrance Road

The National Park Service placed the Montserrat Recreation Demonstration Bridge, or Knob Noster State Park Bridge on Entrance Road, in the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The Works Progress Administration and the National Park Service…