Sheila Cook is one of those who saw Pulaski County through the lens of an outsider and fell in love. After retiring from their jobs in California, Cook and her husband, James, purchased Gasconade Hills Resort in January 2022 and had never even visited Pulaski County until touring the campground for the first time in October 2021.

“We’d never been to Missouri or the Ozarks. It was just stunningly beautiful,” Cook said, adding she and James had done about six months of research prior to the purchase and kept coming back to Gasconade Hills. Flying into St. Louis, the couple then drove to the Pulaski County Tourism Bureau Visitors Center in Saint Robert before proceeding to more natural environs. “When we first came to the campground, we were able to drive through some of the areas of the county. The natural beauty was astounding to us, and we fell in love at first sight.”

Of course, Gasconade Hills Resort was an institution in Pulaski County long before the Cooks first laid eyes on the breathtaking spectacle. The campground was established in the 1930s by Frank Jones, whose descendants still live in the area, Cook said. Birthed around the same time as another Pulaski County landmark, Route 66, and just more than a mile away from the famed highway, the campground’s location blessed it with the ability to draw in travelers from the Mother Road — a trait it maintains to this day.

“We get guests from all over the world,” Cook explained. “We’ve had some from Germany, the Middle East, India, and we get them all locally from the United States as well.”

The natural grandeur that first captivated the Cooks is the main draw at Gasconade Hills Resort. The resort offers primitive campsites as well as RV sites, glamping rentals, and cabins. Also included is one of the most popular outdoor pastimes in Pulaski County: float trips. Gasconade Hills Resort offers trips ranging from 4- to 20-mile trips with single and tandem kayaks, canoes, and rafts that can accommodate four, six, or eight people at a time. An on-site store also offers camping essentials like firewood, drinks, snacks, and even toys for younger campers.

“Our appreciation for the outdoors in Pulaski County is integrated into everything we do, from offering floating services to camping services and partnering with other outdoors folks such as fishing groups and Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts,” Cook said. “You can hike, float, fish, and hunt. There are so many things, and they’re all within a short distance of one another.”

While the float experience sells itself, Cook said, the wild splendor of the Ozarks, paired with the historic sites nearby, ensures visitors explore Pulaski County and support local businesses. This includes the campground itself. The Gasconade Hills canoe launch roughly aligns with historic Stark’s Crossing, where detachments of Cherokee refugees on the Trail of Tears Northern Route crossed the Gasconade River — the first led by B.B. Cannon in 1837 and the second by W.I.I. Morrow in 1839. Today, Stark’s Crossing at Gasconade Hills is officially recognized by the National Park Service as a Trail of Tears access point, meeting the criteria for a partnership site certification.

“The more people I can bring in, the more people I’m supporting in my local community,” Cook explained. “They’re going to shop at our gas stations and grocery stores. They’re going to visit the bait shop down the road. They’re going to purchase firewood from my local guy. I’m helping promote my community, which is really important to us as well.”

Even more important is seeing others falling in love with Pulaski County just as she did years ago, Cook said. “When I think about how I feel when I’m seeing a family on the resort and joining us for the weekend for a family reunion, a float trip, or just camping at their campsite, it’s a special feeling that you get inside knowing you helped a family make these wonderful memories that they can pass on and carry with them,” Cook said. “We have many generations of family members who come to our resort, and I often see children as they grow up — what we call growing up with GHR, because they have been coming here since they were a child or baby, and their parents were here as well.”