Things to Do Right Here at Koinania
Winter,
Spring, Summer or Fall there are recreational
opportunities within minutes of Koinania Cottage.
See the scenic views and enjoy historic tours.
Take a day and experience a Black river float
trip in canoes or rafts, go horseback riding or
visit the many state parks and historical sites
near by. We host Fun and Educational Family
Vacations any time of the year. Whether it's
camping, floating, fishing, horseback riding,
bird watching or plain old swimming, if you enjoy
the outdoors, then you would enjoy what is
offered here at Koinania.
SWIMMING at the private river frontage is number one with the families who visit Koinania.
FISHING in our small lake stocked with bluegill, crappie, bass and a couple of grass carp plus frogs and minnows and turtles.
FISHING at the private river frontage provides the best of Old fashioned creek fishing and catching impressive small mouth bass.
NATURE EXPLORATION in viewing God's incredible creation up close. Take advantage of breath taking beauty and great photo opportunities.
FLOAT the Black River a crystal-clear, spring- fed river teeming with fish, with wide gravel and sand beaches, deep pools and steep lime stone bluffs. Floating outfits offer canoes, inner tubes, kayaks and rafts, with floats varying in length of miles on this Level 1 floating river (even for beginners).
HIKE our own forest area surrounding Koinania or step out onto the Ozark trail.
BIRD WATCHING One ornithologist said he has counted 120 species of birds in our area. Bird enthusiasts enjoy the varieties of birds while relaxing on the deck or porch.
This could be your family's best vacation
ever!
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Wiltberger,
My whole family agrees that this week at
Koinania was the BEST vacation we have ever
had. I loved waking up in the morning and
looking out my window to see your 2
beautiful horses, Stretch and Lady. I went
with my dad almost every morning to go
fishing. We loved the cats which my younger
sister named Pepper (all black) and
Sprinkles (black with white paws) we also
enjoyed going to the creek and Council
Bluff Lake. And we couldn't have asked for
better weather. My favorite thing to do
(other then just hanging out at Koinania)
was going horseback riding. After dinner
almost every night we all dressed up and
turned on music and danced until we were
laughing SO hard we had to sit down. If I
had to describe this weekend just 1 word,
AMAZING, would come close, but this week
was WAY more then amazing. I hope we can
come back! Thanks so much for everything.
Sabrina, Age 12
NEARBY
ATTRACTIONS!
- Johnson Shut Ins
- Elephant Rocks
- Fort Davidson Historic Site
- Taum Sauk (tallest point in MO)
- Dillard Mill Historic Site
- Council Bluff Lake and Recreation Area
- Bell Mountain Wilderness
- Sutton’s Bluff ATV Trails (5 minutes to county and forest road ATV fun)
- Onadonga Cave
- Historic Downtown Caledonia
- Lesterville Black River Floating
- Missouri Mines State Historic Site
- Ozark Trail
- Bonne Terre Mines
Here is a brief summary of some of the nearby
attractions:
HIKING
In 1977 a group of public land managers, trail
users and private landowners met to discuss the
concept of a long-distance trail that would
traverse the Missouri Ozarks. The concept was met
with great enthusiasm and resulted in a
commitment of those involved to work toward the
development of such a trail and the establishment
of the Ozark Trail
Council. At the same time, a
similar movement was taking place in Arkansas
for the development of a trail through the
Ozark Mountains of northwest Arkansas to be
known as the Ozark Highlands Trail. The goal
of both states is to eventually connect the
two trails, providing about 700 miles of trail
through some of the most scenic country in the
United States. Today, approximately 300 miles
of the trail have been completed in Missouri
and are open to the public. The following is a
brief listing of those trails completed or
being constructed in and around Iron County:
Marble Creek Section
Crane Lake Section
The Crane Lake Trail is a five-mile double loop trail for hiking, horse back and mountain bike. The north portion circles Crane Lake and is about three miles long. This loop can be walked in two to two and a half hours. A second loop continues on south of the dam and passes through a series of glades, shut-ins, fields and oak-hickory forest. Take Iron County Road 131 to reach this section.
Johnson's Shut-Ins Section The Shut-Ins Trail is a 2.5-mile loop trail that provides access to the park's namesake. The trail begins with a gentle one-fourth- mile walkway that leads to an observation deck over looking the scenic upper pothole shut-ins. Continuing past the shut-ins, this trail loops through the East Fork Wildlife Area at Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park, located off Highway N in Reynolds County.
Taum Sauk Mountain State Park, located about five miles south of Arcadia, was designated a state park in 1992 under the guidance of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. The 6,508-acre park offers opportunities for hiking, backpacking, picnicking and camping in a wilderness setting. At an elevation of 1,772 feet, the park is the highest point in the state of Missouri.
A trail head at the top of the mountain leads to the Ozark Trail, a native red-granite plaque designating the park the highest point and Mina Sauk Falls.
But whether fact or fiction, Mina Sauk Falls and Taum Sauk Mountain State Park offer beautiful vistas and fantastic scenery. A scenic over look at the park allows you to view several mountain peaks, and an information queue provides the visitor with additional information. There is an original fire observation tower on a small piece of property owned by the Missouri Department of Conservation that visitors can still climb.
It was first constructed in the 1850s, was named for its builder, Francis Wisdom. The original mill eventually ended up in the hands of Andrew Jackson Mincher, and it was during his ownership that the mill burned in 1895.
On December 4, 1900, Emil Mischke, an emigrant from Walde, Poland, who settled in Missouri in 1893 with his sister, Mary, bought the mill property. Using some of the timbers salvaged from the Wisdom fire, Mischke installed steel roller mills instead of buhr grinding stones, plus he introduced modern turbine power to the mill. Mischke ground the wheat and corn of nearby farmers and neighbors for years before selling the property to Lester E. Kiemme in 1930. Kiemme's age and a shift in the local economy to mining from farming caused the shutdown of the mill in 1956.
Tours of Dillard Mill are offered from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays, and from 11 am to 6 pm on summer Sundays. For more information, call 573-244-3120.
Sutton Bluff is a rugged and picturesque bluff named after R.G. Sutton, who settled in the Valley along the West Fork of the Black River in 1888. R.G. and his family worked their farm for 80 years. Sutton Bluff Recreation Area, is operated by the U.S. Forest Service in the Salem Ranger District. Boating, fishing, swimming and tubing are popular pastimes on the West Fork of the Black River.
The Einstein Silver Mining Company began mining here in 1877. Two years later, the St. Francis River was dammed to drive a turbine wheel. A smelting furnace was built, and machinery was installed.
A town site was laid out on the hills a half mile southwest of the mine. The company's offices, a large hotel and dwellings were erected. A post office, school, black smith shop and several stores followed. At the height of activity, the population of 900 was made up mostly of miners and their families. The mine ceased to operate in few years after producing 50 tons of lead and 3,000 ounces of silver. Gold traces had been found, and the mine reopened in 1916 and small amounts of tungsten were produced intermittently until 1946.
