Waltrus Watkins and his wife, Mary Ann, bought 600 acres of Missouri prairie land in 1839. Over the next 41 years their holdings grew to 3,660 acres where they raised cattle, mules, sheep, horses, and swine. They grew corn, oats, hay, fruit, and vegetables. A gristmill built to grind the farm’s grain also served the other farmers in the area. The bricks for the woolen mill and the house were made on site. The mill produced cloth, blankets, yarn, and batting. At full production, 40 people were employed and the goods were sold in every town within a 60 mile radius. This was a busy place!
The site has a free visitor center with a short film. A walking tour map is available. Guided tours of the mill and the house are given several times a day - $4.00 for both. The visitor center is accessible. The walking tour and the building tours have many accessibility problems but some of it may be done with help. The paths are loose gravel or grass and hilly. The buildings are multilevel with staircases. The first floors have high thresholds or steps. The floor of the mill is very uneven brick. The website has very detailed information about the accessibility of the entire park.
The campground has five really nice accessible sites, three electric and two basic. We stayed in a basic site, very close to the restrooms and shower house. The accessible campsites have large parking pads and pavement under the table and around the fire ring. The tables have long overhangs. Missouri is one of the few states that gives a discount to out of state visitors who are 65 or older or who are disabled. It’s just a $2.00 discount but with it our site was only $11.00 a night. An added bonus is fast, free WiFi but I’m not sure how good the coverage is over the entire campground.
A paved 3.75-mile trail circles the lake. The access point closest to the campground has a steep slope. The trail has gentle up and down slopes with a few steep areas. The asphalt is rough and bumpy for about half of the distance. Most wheelchair users will need to have help to complete the loop.
Many sites are large enough for any RV but I didn’t see any pull throughs. Information and photographs for each site are available here. A road goes from the campground to the mill site. There’s a 12’ 6” underpass but it’s possible to use the Watkins Road entrance to the mill if your RV is too high. The visitor center has long RV spaces. Mill Campground
39.41066, -94.25864
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