HISTORICAL POSTCARDS OF SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI
James River Hunting and Fishing Club
The postcard depicts the white clubhouse of the James River Fishing and Hunting Club on the bank of the James River near Gates Ford, where Lake Springfield is now. It was located in Greene County outside the Springfield city limits.
An August 22, 1954, Springfield News-Leader article tells of an enlargement of the clubhouse in August 1904. There is no way of knowing whether the photograph in the postcard is from before or after the enlargment, although there is a white section to the left of the clubhouse which could be an addition. The article describes it as one of the most attractive places near Springfield. People drove out to the clubhouse to eat supper, to fish or go boating and would often return home by moonlight.
In 1931 the owners changed the name to the "James River Club." In 1948 the existing members, including such well known Springfieldians as Jack Cooper, J.H. Fulbright, Jewell Windle and Lester E. Cox, decided to dissolve the James River Club for the reason that "the James River Club no longer owns or controls a clubhouse or any meeting place."
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