Alley Mill, Missouri

After leaving Klepzig Mill, we drove over to the campground at Alley Mill and set up camp. Early the next morning, before sunrise, we got up and then headed over to Alley Mill. The mill sits right next to Alley Spring, and is considered to be one of the most photographed places in Missouri (the St. Louis Arch is probably the most photographed place in Missouri, but no one was keeping track when we were there).

It is a beautiful spot. The three story mill was built in 1894 and has a commanding presence next to the waters of the spring.



Alley Spring has a daily discharge of 81 million gallons, making it the seventh largest spring in Missouri. The spring gushes out from the base of a bluff, where it rushes past the Mill and then eventually flows into the Jacks Fork River.





Another view of the Mill, which continued to operate until 1925. That year, the Mill and surrounding property became a State Park. In 1972, Alley Spring was acquired by the National Park Service and became part of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways.



The sun was about to clear the hills, so we took a few more pictures before starting the long four hour drive back to Arkansas. This last shot is of the tall bluff that surrounds the deep blue waters of Alley Spring.