Newspaper and magazine articles help to only fuel the fire of the romance and adventure of the float trip.
St. Louis Globe-Democrate - “A Travelog of Christian, Taney, Stone, and Douglas Counties”
Kansas City Star article - “The Famous Float” 25 Oct. 1925
Joplin Globe – “Through the Ozarks in a Boat” 16 June 1926
In 1919 visitors to the Galena area were estimated at 50,000. In 1925 summer visitors totaled 500,000 and this was still only the beginning.
Probably the most famous of all the boat lines/outfitters was Jim Owen who started the, ‘Jim Owen Boat Line’ in 1935 with 6 boats, 6 guides and a big truck. Jim didn’t know everything about the river. What he did know was promotion! He brought in writers and editors as his guest. Giving them free float trips, steak and wine dinners and all the comforts one could muster up on an Ozark gravel bar. In turn, they gave him all the exposure needed and soon, the Jim Owen Boat line was being plugged in the pages of Life, Look, Outdoor Life, and Sports Afield, plus dozens of large newspapers.