The legacy of Samuel Helms isn’t quite as mysterious. His descendant, Larry Helms — owner of BSC Outdoors — can pinpoint not only when the elder Helms came to Pulaski County, but what exactly brought him to the Ozarks.

“My great-great-great grandpa, Samuel Helms, was born in Kentucky in 1800, and he actually migrated to Pulaski County in the 1820s,” Larry said. “One of the things we found in reviewing the records, they actually paddled down the Big Piney into the Gasconade, coming down to this area here where Boiling Spring is, and settled here for a few weeks.”

Samuel Helms was one of the original tie rafters of the early 1800s, Larry explained. In those days, railroad ties weren’t loaded on boats, but instead lashed together to form makeshift rafts, then floated downstream with the pilots perched atop — a much more arduous journey than today’s float trips.

“It was a great adventure coming here,” Larry explained, adding that the region lured the Helms family in with its abundant natural resources. “They were looking for a place to settle, especially where you could have hardwoods like white oaks and post oak. And they wanted to be in a place where there was abundant wildlife, so they could have a reliable food supply. Clear water was certainly something as well.”

Indeed, Boiling Spring was an ideal spot to settle. The 14th-largest natural spring in Missouri, this second-magnitude spring pumps roughly 42-50 million gallons of pure, crystal-clear water into the Gasconade River every day. Though bearing the ominous appearance of a rolling boil on the surface, the waters are actually nice and cool, making it a popular spot for kayakers and canoers, floaters, swimmers, and anglers. With so many natural resources within reach, the Helms family saw fit to make a home here, with subsequent generations working in the same industry that brought Samuel to Pulaski County.

“They all worked in timber; specifically, they were starting a business that would hew out railroad ties, raft those down the rivers, and sell them to the railroads, which would buy those ties to expand the railroad west,” Larry said. “So, with that, Dad continued in the timber business until 1964, when he retired. We have a lineage of being in the timber business here in the county for all those years.”

This deep, generational connection to the river stirred a deep appreciation in Larry, who resolved not only to share the love of these waters with locals and visitors but also to purchase land near the spot where Samuel first settled. So, when a small farm near Boiling Spring went up for sale in 1988, Helms jumped at the opportunity to establish a brand-new campground, beginning with a couple of campsites and a boat ramp.

Over the years, BSC Outdoors has expanded to about 60 campsites with a fleet of 100 canoes, 100 kayaks, and 50 rafts available for visitors to rent and experience the river the same way he did as a youngster. Primitive tent sites invite campers to reconnect with nature under a night sky dotted with countless stars, while RV pull-throughs and rustic cabins provide that same connection along with modern amenities. The campground’s office serves as an event center that’s perfect for gathering friends and family in the heart of the Ozarks. Anglers will find one of the best fishing spots in the country with clean waters teeming with trophy smallmouth bass. And floaters will discover the spectacular Ozark waterways like Samuel Helms did — albeit aboard much less perilous vessels.

“Grandpa, my dad, and I were on the river every weekend. When I was growing up, from the time I was a little boy all the way up till when I went in the Navy, we were on the river every weekend,” Helms said. “We fished, we camped, and there was just a kind of connection between me and the river. It’s something I still hold today. It’s such a fantastic thing to be able to be down on the river and be part of that history of over 200 years of our family.”