Climax Springs Map
Climax Springs is a village in Camden County, Missouri, United States. The population was 80 at the 2000 census.
A large spring flowing out of the hillside was discovered when A.R. Jackson & W.W. Hockman were traveling from the then county seat of Linn Creek to Edwards, MO. In 1880, Mr. Hockman was quoted as saying, “This caps the climax”. When the town was formed and other springs were found, this quote inspired the name “Climax Springs”. In 1882 he first house built in the village. The first store and a log hotel were also built that year. A group of men formed the Climax Association in 1883 based on the possibilities of the “health benefits” of the waters from the main spring and seven others located nearby. In 1883, to take advantage of the springs, they built the large white frame hotel that still stands. Later on the town had a drug store, a blacksmith shop, a shoemaker, and a school with 20 pupils. Not long after, part of the Climax Springs school burned down and was rebuilt shortly thereafter. The town had one church, United Brethren, and three doctors. Climax Springs was a thriving small town until the mid-1980s when it started to enter a gradual decline. Currently the old section of the town is mostly abandoned. Today most of the town's businesses are located at the south end on Missouri Route 7. These businesses included a realty office, bank, concrete company, garage, small restaurant, a US post office, a small grocery/general store, and a building materials center. There is also a community center that serves as a meeting place for a variety of community groups. The Veteran's of Foreign Wars has a chapter also. Today, as you enter Climax Springs, you notice that it still remains a small community with a population of 80. The town is part of the Climax Springs R-4 School District and has a Pre-K-12 school. The school has been improving greatly in recent years and is now being recognized as a leader in technology integration. In 2009 a new, modern library and a convenience store were built. There is a local legend that the entire town of Climax Springs is formed over an underwater cave. This has been talked about for years but these rumors have never been substantiated.
Climax Springs is located at 38°6?13?N 93°3?5?W / 38.10361°N 93.05139°W / 38.10361; -93.05139 (38.103626, -93.051339). According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.3 square miles (0.7 km²), all of it land. The town is located on a ridge-like landform in the northern Ozarks. It is about six miles south of the Lake of the Ozarks, and about 3.5 miles north of the Little Niangua River. The area just southeast of Climax Springs is called Kolb Hollow with the Kolb Creek running through it.
Nearby cities include Macks Creek, Cross Timbers, Laurie, Preston, Sunrise Beach.