Ha Ha Tonka Castle Ruins

Now the central attraction of a Missouri state park, the ruins of Ha Ha Tonka Castle are all that remains of a grand castle built by a Kansas City businessman and his family over nearly two decades in the early 20th century. The state park also offers a variety of trails where visitors and residents can enjoy the Lake of the Ozarks as they explore springs, caves, and other geological attractions, sinkholes, and a natural stone bridge. The park also offers an overview of the castle ruins.

Businessman Robert McClure Snyder created a vast fortune in banking and real estate in Kansas City. Snyder arrived in Kansas City in 1880 and established several influential businesses, including Mechanics Bank and the Kansas City Life Insurance Company. By 1900, he was a millionaire, and when he traveled to this area in 1903, he believed he had found the perfect setting for his dream of building a European-styled castle in America. Snyder bought over 5,000 acres and began construction in 1905, sparing no expense in the project, bringing masons from Europe in hopes of matching every architectural detail. Snyder also hired specialized craftsmen who built a tool house, telephone system, water tower, and a railroad to transport the stones. Work proceeded in building what its owner referred to as "Hahatonka" even after Snyder's untimely death when he was involved in one of Missouri's first car crashes in 1906. The crash happened when Snyder's chauffeur swerved to miss a boy causing Robert to be jettisoned from the vehicle.

Snyder's three sons took up the task of completing the castle for the next decade and a half. By the early 1920s, the work was complete, and Snyder's heirs enjoyed the castle as a weekend getaway and summer home that was a short distance from their homes in Kansas City. However, the cost of construction paired with lawsuits related to land rights and the economic collapse of the Great Depression reduced the family fortune to the point that the family sold the property to a developer in the early 1930s. The property was converted into a hotel that operated until 1942, when a fire destroyed all but the thick masonry walls.

The ruins of the former Missouri castle were a popular local attraction in the following decades. In 1978. the state of Missouri purchased the property as the centerpiece of Ha Ha Tonka State Park.

Oberg, Suzee. The Far Reaching Legacy of Kansas City's Robert McClure Snyder, Jackson County Historical Society Journal. March 1st 2015. Accessed November 28th 2021. https://kchistory.org/index/far-reaching-legacy-kansas-citys-robert-mcclure-snyder?solr_nav%5Bid%5D=0e1928f5f5ea11c12695&solr_nav%5Bpage%5D=0&solr_nav%5Boffset%5D=5.

Ha Ha Tonka - One Man's Dream, World History. July 22nd, 2017. Accessed November 13th, 2021. https://worldhistory.us/american-history/ha-ha-tonka-one-mans-dream.php.

Ha Ha Tonka Castle Ruins, Atlas Obscura. September 13th, 2019. Accessed November 13th, 2021. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ha-ha-tonka-castle-ruins.

Butler, Stephanie. The Hidden Ha Ha Tonka Castle Inside This Missouri State Park, Only In Your State. February 10th, 2016. Accessed November 13th, 2021. https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/missouri/hahatonka-castle-mo/.