Although most people come to the Lake of the Ozarks for the beautiful scenery and a generous dose lot of peace and quiet, there’s a tumultuous history that most people don’t know about. So, history buffs, pay attention. This is for you!

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently penned a review about a book by Leland and Crystal Peyton, called “Damming the Osage: The Conflicted Story of Lake of the Ozarks and Truman Reservoir”.

Here’s an excerpt from the review:

The tangled story of the building of Bagnell Dam and the creation of the Lake of the Ozarks — which takes up about 60 pages in the book’s center — is likely to be of greatest interest to most readers, as it tells a story that many lake boosters would just as soon forget or obscure.

The tale of drowned villages, fudged numbers, and over-optimistic developers (one of whom ended up in prison) should serve as a cautionary reminder of what happens when those with “pull” find a quasi-scientific justification for a project.

If you’re interested in the book, visit DammingtheOsage.com.

The video below also tells more about the Peyton’s book.