Doniphan could soon become the destination for travelers all over the country, particularly any one seeking to visit a place which offers crystal, clean waters and rich history, along with southern hospitality.
Tourists and vacationers will learn about Doniphan’s attractions by following the Missouri Humanities’ Small Town Showcase.
The special project promotes five select small towns in Missouri, and Doniphan is one of those “Featured Five,” as nominated and voted on by Missouri citizens.
Part of the project, an hour-long podcast taped during a roundtable discussion with Jake Netherland and Randy Maness, is now airing on the Missouri Humanities website.
The podcast is one of four different phases of the Small Town Showcase project which also includes a short video, a story in the organization’s biannual publication MoHumanities, and a highlight reel featuring all five communities, which was shown during Missouri Humanities’ annual gala last September.
As the choices were announced several months ago, Ashley Beard-Fosnow, executive director of the Missouri Humanities, said, “This year’s ‘Featured Five’ boast all the characteristics that we look for in charming small towns: a slower pace of life, family oriented events, rich histories, proximity to nature and an authenticity that you just don’t find anywhere else.
“These Missouri towns have small populations with big personalities that we cannot wait to highlight.”
Those highlights were discussed when Caitlin Yager, Director of Heritage Programs, visited Doniphan last February to meet with a panel including several local business owners, clergy and civic leaders.
“We are not a fly-over state. We are the heart of America,” said Yager.
Because of its purity, rich history and recreational opportunities, Current River was identified as one of the things that makes Doniphan unique when compared to other small towns.
Also mentioned were the town’s natural attractions, its parks, walking trails and its annual events, including FreedomFest, the city-wide yard sales, Farmer’s Market, the Ripley County Fair and Heritage Days, to name a few.
A podcast was scheduled, and Yager returned to Doniphan in August with a recorder and cinematographer for a two-day stay.
At that time Maness and Netherland spoke of their roots in Doniphan and about the city’s attributes in greater detail.
As she introduced Doniphan in the podcast, Yager said, “Welcome to where the past meets the current...the Current River, that is. Here, the river is Doniphan’s life’s blood. The history of the town is rooted in it, it’s an invaluable tourist attraction and also a symbol for preserving natural history and resources.”
Maness talked about his commitment to preserving the area’s rich history and keeping the river in its pristine state. Netherland spoke of coming back to Doniphan to work and raise his family.
Maness said, “Both Jake and I represent two different generations of people who acquired a commitment to stay and build on what we have here. Too many people have gone to school and when they couldn’t find a job they liked here, have gone away.”
Yager agreed that was the trend of similar small towns “for such a long time,” causing its people to ask, “What will happen to this town if the next generation doesn’t come back?”
Yager said in her travels for Small Town Showcase, there is a greater awareness of what it will take to preserve the charm and simplicity of small towns.
“I am finding that there are people who are putting forth the effort to make sure the next generation feels involved, that they have a sense of pride in their community.”
She said, “A lot of people have remarked that they are passionate about carrying on with the things that are in danger of being forgotten.
That is especially true in Doniphan, a community which has literally risen from the ashes, said Maness.
He pointed out that Doniphan was founded on and prospered because of the river, which helped restore the town after the devastation of the Civil War. The town was caught in the crossfire between both sides of the conflict, and was ultimately burned, he said.
“It took a very long time to recover from that,” said Maness.
Doniphan exists today because of the commitment of its survivors and the Current River, which he said once made this the “(rairoad) tie capital of the world. Even when that phase ended, it has been the river which has rejuvenated the community.”
The local culture is being preserved through various means. The Heritage Homestead stands as a reminder of days past, with its slab cabin, one-room schoolhouse, barn and operational blacksmith shop. There, living history blacksmithing demonstrations take place most Saturdays, sometimes including authentic gigmaking (which points to an alternative to fishing, and a traditional Current River pastime).
During the annual Heritage Days other “lost arts” are brought to life as well, with displays such as the making of lye soap, candles, corn husk dolls, hominy and other such staple items commonly used in the past.
In addition, the annual Farmer’s Market still showcases homespun products, and the area also has an active organization of quilters, who annually host a quilt show.
During the height of summer tourism season, several local annual events provide additional incentive to visit Doniphan.
One of those is the Ripley County Fair, which takes place each August.
Also the Chamber of Commerce hosts a night of pageantry, music and family fun on a summer Saturday to celebrate Independence Day.
Netherland commented, “Our past is the big reason as to why we are where we are now. Current River has always generated business here. It still does, but in a different way.”
That being said, “It’s important to remember how we got here and where we came from,” said Netherland, “especially with a generation which is glued to technology.
“But I think our heritage is one of the reasons people want to come to Doniphan,” said Netherland.
Those who want to hear the complete podcast can do so by going online to https://mohumanities.org/small-town-showcase.