Ten Must-Have Christmas Gifts for Pulaski Countians

Compiled by Laura Huffman for Pulaski County Tourism Bureau
Updated 12/10/2018

Do you have a Pulaski Countian on your Christmas list? No matter where they are on the planet you can give them the gift of “home” this year! Stop by the Visitors Center (137 St. Robert Blvd., Saint Robert) between 8-5 p.m., Monday through Friday or shop anytime at our online store!

A portion of the proceeds from selected items will go towards funding Saint Robert’s Route 66 Neon Park!

*A Tour on Route 66 in Pulaski County DVD: Travel the 33 miles of the Mother Road in Pulaski County, Missouri, for a detailed look at the construction of Hooker Cut and scenic Devils Elbow. More than 260 vintage images of roadside architecture and attractions. (Big Piney Productions 2007) $10

Tales From The Blue Adventures In Law Enforcement: Written by JB King, 157 page paperback book about his adventures in law enforcement wile working in Pulaski County, Missouri. A collection of true short stories of his adventures while on the beat during the 70’s and 80’s (James B. King Jr. 2018) $10

TIP—Mr. King’s other books are also available! 

The First Hundred Years of Crocker: Published for Crocker’s centennial anniversary, Nellie (Stites) Wills takes on the task of detailing 100 years of living in the hills in and around the railroad town. Almost 50 years later her remembrances and storytelling is still a page turner! LIMITED SUPPLY (Nellie Wills 1968) $16.67

The First Hundred Years of Crocker by Nellie (Stites) Wills, 1968

*Old Pulaski in Pictures: Uses more than 250 images to present some of the rich history of Pulaski County, Missouri. Seminal events and life-ways of two centuries of development are covered in four topics: Rivers, Rails, Roads, and Recreation. The vintage photographs and postcards are accompanied by text passages and captions that expand the content and meaning. They range from Daniel Boone’s saltpeter mining and trapping activities, through the founding of the railroad towns, to Route 66 and the construction of Fort Leonard Wood. Vintage photographs visit many of the more than 30 resorts that once dotted the banks of Pulaski County’s clear Ozark streams. (John Bradbury & Terry Primas 2012) LIMITED SUPPLY $24.99

TIP—Also available is Mr. Primas’ newest release “Route 66 in Pulaski County, Missouri a local history“ (Terry Primas 2017). $24.99

Old Pulaski in Pictures by Bradbury and Primas

*A Kid Growing Up On Route 66: Bill Wheeler had the distinct pleasure of growing up with Route 66 in his front yard. As a young person he got to experience the heyday and the final demise of Route 66. He witnessed the beginning of Interstate 44, an event that made a lasting memory for him. Growing up in Waynesville, Missouri and in the shadow of Fort Leonard Wood was an adventure to say the least. Bill left Waynesville after high school to attend college and serve in the military but the memories of Route 66 were fondly etched in his personal history. A Kid Growing Up On Route 66 is a firsthand account of Bill’s experiences. (Bill Wheeler 2015) $11.25

A Kid Growing Up on Route 66 by Bill Wheeler

*The Roaring Roubidoux: Dan Slais is a retired middle school earth science teacher from the Waynesville R-VI school system. His somewhat organized thoughts on the Roubidoux Creek are a cross between textbook information and storytelling from his experiences on the creek. His wife Bobbie, son Tim, and daughter Leslie, are shown throughout the book in the pictures and tales. Currently, Dan is leading tours of Onondaga Cave and duck hunting. He is a founding member of Roubidoux Grotto. (Dan Slais) $15

The Roaring Roubidoux by Dan Slais

*Pulaski County, Missouri Inspirations: Pulaski County, Missouri is a special place. Treasured by residents, cave divers, soldiers, historians, and writers, the area is a crossroads where people meet to share stories of good times and bad.

In the fall of 2016, the Military Writers Society of America gathered in St. Robert for a “History Crawl,” a tour of Pulaski County with speakers who shared their special insights of the area. The attendees ranged from novices to experienced novelists, from historians to true crime researchers, from veterans who tell their tales with equal parts of affection and sorrow to quilters who interpret events with graphic narratives in cloth and thread.

This anthology represents the collective literary efforts of the writers who shared a long weekend exploring the extraordinary communities that make up Pulaski County. Their work includes short fiction, true crime tales, ghostly narratives, historical pieces, and a travelogue or two. All reflect the hospitality of the citizens and comradery of the visitors.

Authors include: Micki Voelkel, JB King, Gary Best, Bob Hathaway, Laura (Abernathy) Huffman, Denise Seevers, Luke, Pat McGrath Avery, Dawnmarie and Raymond Cecora, Beth Wiles, Christopher Avery, Joe Campolo Jr, Sherry Hathaway, and Joyce Faulkner.   (2017) $16.95

History Pulaski County Missouri Volume I: The first history book of Pulaski County! This volume includes historical news items, histories of selected Pulaski County organizations & churches, listings of office holders, and submitted family histories. A must have for anyone with family roots in Pulaski County, Missouri. (Pulaski County Museum & Historical Society 1982) $30

History Pulaski County Missouri Volume I, Pulaski County Museum and Historical Society

Tombstone Inscriptions of Pulaski County: In the early 1980’s Pulaski County Historical Society volunteers visited all known cemeteries in Pulaski County and painstakingly recorded the tombstone inscriptions. Their research was published in two volumes in 1984 and 1985. Ten years later, in 1995, editor Leonard Fetterhoff combined the editions, along with a surname index. This book is invaluable to researchers, genealogists, and historians. Many of the stones documented in the 1980’s are no longer legible today. (Pulaski County Museum & Historical Society 1995) $22.00

Tombstone Inscriptions of Pulaski County, Pulaski County Museum & Historical Society, 1995

*Details and information courtesy of the authors.