Casa de Loco Winery

Open: Year-round

History:

It starts in the late 1920's and after you've heard it, not only will you understand why we called it 'Casa de Loco', you'll want to come see this place for yourself! We interviewed several local residents, checked the old newspapers and searched through the Camden County Museum to get the most complete history that we could. Casa de Loco has been nominated to the National Register of Historic Sites, and after you've read all about how the property went from an exclusive fishing resort to the "house of the crazy", you'll see why!

In August of 1929, the Ozarks region underwent a dramatic change with the addition of the Bagnell Dam. The damming of the Osage River and creation of The Lake of the Ozarks turned the area into a popular vacation spot. The location of the Ozarks in central Missouri made it a prime place to visit for business people in Kansas City and St. Louis who enjoyed hunting, fishing, boating and camping. One of these business men was a 62-year old industrialist named Hugo Urbauer.

In 1930, Urbauer and his wife Ina decided that rather than rent a vacation spot, they would create their own private getaway. On a 4.9 acre parcel just west of Camdenton they began construction on the bluff rising on the north bank of the Niangua River. Over a two year period the Urbauers constructed first a ring of retaining walls around the property and then a set of concrete stairs leading hundreds of feet down to the river. Once this preparation was complete a sandstone quarry was tapped on site and other material was brought in for the construction of four buildings: a large lodge building, a small cottage, a second cottage for servant's quarters and a garage to accommodate several cars. Invitations were extended to close friends and soon several well-to-do St. Louis residents were spending time at the place they called "The Millionaire's Club."

In 1948, Hugo Urbauer passed away. The property was sold and its next recognized existence is as The Mozark Club. Facilities were used in much the same fashion, but now the main lodge included a restaurant remembered by local residents who have relatives that were employed there. A fire, believed to have been sometime in the mid-50's, was reason for the club to close.The property changed hands several times and eventually reopened as The Mozark Health Care Facility. Those in its care at this time were either elderly or mentally ill patients. The health care facility was closed in the late 1970's, and the property fell into disrepair. Information from interviews with local residents, the Camden County Library and the Camden County Museum has been used to put together the pieces and come up with this history.