Fifty years ago, Missouri Life made its first impression on readers with a photo essay entitled “Quiet Places.” Those captivating pictures of woods and water, farm fields and lonesome roads were a mission statement. This magazine was going to be something different: thoughtful, reflective, and beautiful. The technology behind producing both photographs and magazines has advanced over the past five decades. Photographer David Sterling’s 1973 photos were lovely, but Notley Hawkins 2023 offerings are dazzling. Through his lens, we reveal the contrasting landscapes and splendid beauty of our state. And that’s been Missouri Life’s mission from the start.
A lone figure paddles into the sunset on the Missouri River.From top to bottom: Spring water flows over stones and through shut-ins at the Lon Spring Canyon Conservation Area near Piedmont. Time’s passage is etched into stone bluffs at The Pinnacles north of Columbia. The burden of neglect weighs down an abandoned house near Prairie Home. Some of Missouri’s most productive crop land, like this field intersected by a drainage stream, sits in Saline County. The Joseph M. LaBarge paddle boat makes port at Cooper’s Landing on the Missouri River.From top: A subterranean stream cut away at the stone over eons to carve this natural bridge at Camdenton’s Ha Ha Tonka State Park. St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, located several country miles from Slater, remains an active house of worship. The tranquil waters of the Black River in Wayne County reflect the lush green surroundings. From Top: Round hay bales form impeccable rows next to Judy School Road in Boone County. A crystalline spring, one of six that flow into a pond in the Markham Springs Recreational Area near Ellsinore, sustains a grove of tall, water-loving trees. Beneath the Missouri River Bridge in Jefferson City, winter makes a last stand against the changing seasons.
