A Crooked Rocky Tryst

Crooked River Conservation Area NW Parking Lot

Tryst Falls to Rocky Hollow and on to Crooked River

Space in the schedule enabled another wandering nearby, and discovery of a couple of interesting little spots to get away from the hum of population. The first stop was somewhat planned. The following were more incidental.

A few miles east of Kearney, just below a 1920 two-span 50 meter arch bridge, a quaint little picnic park in a shaded hollow hosts one of the few natural waterfalls in this part of the world.

Tryst Falls, flowing out of Williams Creek, was little more than trickle over the 2–3 meter drop to the pool below. It is likely more impressive after a heavy rain, or long periods of rain.

The limestone formation over which the water falls is intriguing and offered interesting scenery to explore. Long parallel ruts carved about 20 cm into the fractured stone surface suggest some sort of repeated mechanical use.

1913 postcard of Tryst Falls - Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library

Indeed, according to a postcard summary from the Missouri Valley Special Collections at the Kansas City Public Library, a water mill operated at the falls during the mid-1800s.

The shady little hollow next to the falls provides a quiet space for a picnic, and was once a meeting spot for young couples. Hence the name of the park.

It also has a place in the history of slavery. Until the 1990s, a memorial plaque identified this as the location a mother once drowned her five children with a mind of sparing them a lifetime of subjugation. The marker has since been muted to only state “Clay County Historical Society Historical Landmark.”

Another Clay County Park caught my eye 2 km back the way I had come. Thinking I would just catch it another time, proximity insisted I return now.

Rocky Hollow Park proved intriguing on this first visit. The quiet little fishing lake hosts a fabulous scene of wildflowers halfway along the entrance road, and another of sunflowers a little further down. The lake appears mostly inaccessible, without mucking about in the surrounding wetlands.

Blue Jay Trail Access

Holding a bit of time in my hands, a quick and random search around the map produced Blue Jay Trail Access. A few kilometers later, I found a mostly overgrown trail that suggested I come back better prepared for a deep dive.

There was still time for another quick glance at the map, and I found Crooked River Conservation Area only a short hop down the road. As with the last stop, some things are just better planned in advance.

Crooked River Conservation Area

The parking lot in the northwest corner of the conservation area overlooks wide open fields of densely packed weeds. A wide path leads into the area, but is restricted to authorized vehicles. The map of the area available from a little wooden box suggested other access points might yield more interesting results, and I made a mental note to attempt a future, more researched visit.

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Further Reading

Tryst Falls - Missouri Valley Special Collections
Kansas City Public Library

Slavery and Crime in Missouri, 1773-1865 by Harriet C. Frazier
Google Books

Crooked River Conservation Area
Missouri Department of Conservation