Many moons ago when I was just getting my feet wet in the Jefferson County journalism business, another young whippersnapper was creating a name for himself on a much larger scale.
Six years my senior, Jeremiah “Jay” Nixon had the audacity to take on the county’s political establishment. State Sen. Clifford “Jack” Gannon was retiring, so Sheriff “Buck” Buerger and County Commissioner Ralph Krodinger were in line to ascend to the prime post. If you know any local government history, those men were giants.
But 30-year-old Nixon ran all over the county in 1986 asking people to elect him and promising to bring home “Our Fair Share.” The young De Soto attorney prevailed. He may not have found enough support in a two-way race, but with the electorate split fairly evenly among the three candidates, a new career was launched. Nixon’s time in Jefferson City saw major progress on projects like new Hwy. 21 and new Hwy. M, and expansion of I-55 and Hwy. 30.
I remember a cartoon by the late, great Judy Dixon that showed Jay leading his then-newlywed wife Georgeanne up a mountain. I do not recall if the White House was at the top of that summit, but the clear message was that he was set to conquer some lofty political heights.
He never made it to Washington, D.C., but he did serve 16 years as state Attorney General, and in 2008 he was elected the 55th governor of Missouri. The last Democrat elected to that job, he served for two terms until 2017. Ironically, one of the things he was noted for was cutting government spending. That’s something we still hear about these days but rarely see.
Another area where Nixon established an affinity was the environment, parks and recreation. He worked to bring several new public properties into state control, providing outdoor places for everyone to use and enjoy. His reputation was such that the state Department of Natural Resources sought to name one of those tracts for the former governor.
That acknowledgment was not popular with the Republican-controlled legislature, so in the spirit of partisanship Proffitt Mountain State Park was offered as an alternative name. As a long-time Jefferson County resident, I like the property being named for a local who earned the recognition through his service and commitment to public recreation access.
Those who don’t like the name and anyone else who wants to provide input about the 1,230-acre property are invited to an upcoming annual informational meeting at 9 a.m. Nov. 9 at Taum Sauk State Park. The open house will share long range plans for Jay Nixon Backcountry and Taum Sauk state parks.
These annual meetings ask for comments from the public, and for those who cannot attend, an online survey also will be available for 30 days beginning Nov. 9. Jay Nixon Backcountry is not open to the public yet as the agency continues to plan its development, but the state is offering an opportunity for a limited number of people to explore the property.
As part of the annual meeting, a guided hike and overnight camping experience is planned. Participants will hike nearly nine miles with all their gear, spend the night in the backcountry and then hike the nine miles back the next day. While that may have seemed an exciting opportunity to me when Jay and I were younger, I’m going to leave an open spot for the governor or someone else.
More my speed these days is a chance to hike Mini Sauk Falls Trail at 10:30 a.m. in conjunction with the public meeting. The 3.5-mile loop is a strenuous trek, but the payoff is a visit to the top of Taum Sauk Mountain, the highest peak in Missouri, and a view from the top of Mini Sauk Falls, the largest waterfall in the state.
To find out more about the conceptual development plans for Taum Sauk State Park and Jay Nixon Backcountry, call 573-522-0571. Information on all of Missouri’s state parks and historic sites is available at mostateparks.com.
John Winkelman has been writing about outdoors news and issues in Jefferson County for more than 30 years and was the Associate Editor for Outdoor Guide Magazine. If you have story ideas for the Leader outdoor news page, e-mail ogmjohnw@aol.com, and you can find more outdoor news and updates at johnjwink.com.