Gascozark Service Station

Richland, Missouri

Frank Jones settled in the area of the Gasconade River, named in deference to the Gascony region of France, in the early 1920s. To capitalize on the flow of traffic on Route 66 he established a cafe and service station in 1931. He combined Gasco for the river and Ozark for the mountains to form the name of the complex. The building was expanded and sold in 1935. In 1939 the restaurant was faced using local stone. Beginning just before WWII it became an official stop on the Greyhound bus line. Other businesses were built adjacent in the 1940s. In the 1960s it was converted into a private residence.