Captain and the Judge, The

The Captain and the Judge is an interesting and important story about Natalie Wilson—the Captain—who established Camp Carry-On in the Ozarks for girls and young women from 1917 to 1942 and who later directed the Girl Scout camp at Knob Noster State Park from 1949 to 1952. The book also details the life of Judge Max Prussing, who married Wilson in 1935 and who later served as a county official in Camden County and, more importantly, as the engineer who oversaw the construction of Fort Leonard Wood. The book makes an important contribution to the existing literature on how the Ozarks became a destination point for outdoor recreation in the first half of the twentieth century and how the Ozarks continued to develop as a recreational destination point.

I sat down and read the whole book in one sitting.  Loved it!   The stories of the generations that preceded us help us understand who we are. Kudos to Lisa and Natalie for sharing the stories and images of Max and Nat and their commitment to hard work and making the world a better place.

Natalie Halpin’s The Captain and the Judge offers a fascinating trek through the period in which her parents worked in widely divergent ways to enhance Missouri lives.  The creation of the Bagnall Dam, the town of Camdenton, and Fort Leonard Wood come into play in the skillful hands of Max Prussing; likewise, Natalie Wilson (later Prussing) fashioned a more healthful and multi-faceted life for the many young women who flocked to her camps in the woods.  Over decades the Prussings fostered community and individual betterment without fanfare or plaudits.  Read all about it.