So What's Lake of the Ozarks?

The Lake of the Ozarks is the largest man-made non flood control Lake in the United States with 55000 acres of surface area and a total length including all major tributaries and long coves, of approximately 180 miles. There is about 1100 miles of shoreline which, to put in perspective is longer than the Pacific Coastline of California.

Bagnell Dam with open floodgates
Bagnell Dam With Floodgates Open July 2007		 The construction of Bagnell Dam started on August 6, 1929, and was completed in April, 1931 at a total cost of $30M . It was created to impound the Osage, Glaize, Big Niangua and Little Niangua rivers as a source of hydro electric power. The 2543 foot long dam was built during the great depression and created jobs for more than 20000 people with pay starting at $0.35 per hour.
The area which had previously been home to farmers and small businesses serving the agricultural community began to be a tourist destination as visitors wanted to see the newly constructed Bagnell Dam. Since then the area has grown to be a popular vacation destination for Mid Westerners with a range of attractions such as more than 200 restaurants, 15 area golf courses, water parks, amusements and of course everything to do on, in and even under the water.
As interesting as the water might be, there is another place to discover below ground. Centuries ago Osage Indians discovered what lies beneath Thunder Mountain. Local legends say Indian wedding ceremonies were held in the cave and today this cavern is called Bridal Cave where nearly 3,000 couples from around the world have exchanged wedding vows. The chapel can be reserved if a wedding is in your travel plans.The Lake area now attracts over four million visitors per year who stay either in their vacation homes numbering over 35000 or in one of the 6961 temporary lodging rooms. This does not include the countless number of homes and condos made available as vacation lodging. To cope with this huge growth the local commercial developments have been considerable with major retailers such as Lowe's, Home Depot and Target building significant retail spaces.
Lake Ozarks Aerial View
The Lake From Space

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The local infrastructure has also been improved with the completion of the Community Bridge in 1998 at a cost of almost $26M . This half mile toll bridge connects Horseshoe Bend and U.S. Business Route 54 on the developed east shore to Shawnee Bend and the less developed west shore. Additionally, the completion of the highway 54 expressway in 2011 at a total cost of $158M will allow travellers to cross the Osage Beach area at 65 mph on a new four lane highway. The existing road will be renamed business 54 and will be accessed through one of six interchanges being constructed from the new expressway. This improvement is designed to handle an increase in traffic from today's 43000 vehicles per day to an anticipated 72000 vehicles per day by 2028.

Community Bridge Aerial Photo
The Community Toll Bridge

So What's Kapilana?
A Short History of Kapilana Resort

Kapilana was built in the 1950s and has always been a family owned and operated Resort. It originally consisted of 28 rock cabins laid out over several acres of Lake shoreline. The original owner became Mayor of Osage Beach and in fact the city was incorporated at a meeting held at the Resort in 1964. In 1980, the owners realized the growth in condominium sales could bring a new life to Kapilana and began replacing the cabins with condo buildings. The resort was closed for 10 years until the majority of the project was complete but then, two Resort buildings, the Beach House and Poolside, were sold with the express wish that they should be operated as a Resort. Since that time, the condominium and Resort have shared the common amenities of the property but are operated entirely independently. A few of the condo owners take advantage of the marketing and management resources of the Resort by offering their units for vacation rental.
This history is another unique feature of Kapilana Resort which makes us a great holiday destination. Ask us about our 1957 brochure which shows that we were an all inclusive resort with bed and 3 meals for $7 a day. We had to change that when we took over too!!

 

 

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