A People's History of Kansas City

Making the Lake of the Ozarks

By Suzanne Hogan,

Published July 27, 2023 at 3:00 AM CDT

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A group of vacationers enjoying the sandy beaches at the Lake of the Ozarks.

With more shoreline than the coast of California, the Lake of the Ozarks in mid-central Missouri is a popular tourist destination for land-locked Midwesterners. For decades, it's provided financial opportunities for locals and outside interests alike — but at what cost? The story of how this man-made body of water came to be involves corruption, jail time, communities torn apart, and displaced families.

This episode of A People's History of Kansas City was reported, produced and mixed by Suzanne Hogan with help from interns Noah Zahn and Gabriella Lacey and editing by Madeline Fox and Mackenzie Martin.

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Suzanne Hogan

As managing podcast producer for KCUR Studios and a host of A People’s History of Kansas City, I want to feed your curious mind, offer historical context so you understand why things are the way they are, and introduce you to the people working to make a difference behind the scenes. Reach me at hogansm@kcur.org.

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Noah Zahn

Noah Zahn is the summer 2023 news intern for KCUR and the Missouri Business Alert. He's a recent graduate of the University of Missouri. Email him at noahzahn@kcur.org.

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Gabriella Lacey

Gabriella "Gabby" Lacey is a freelance producer for Up to Date and Sportsbeat KC, she was a previous KCUR Studios Intern in summer of 2023.

See stories by Gabriella Lacey