Roadside Attractions - Max Allen’s Zoological Gardens a once popular reptilian zoo near Eldon

Founded by I.J. Nickerson as Ozark Reptile Gardens near Eldon in 1951, this reptilian zoo became a popular roadside attraction for those traveling to the Lake of the Ozarks. It was later taken over by Nickerson’s son, Max Allen, and eventually renamed Max Allen’s Zoological Gardens. Max Allen hosted a regional television show called “Zoo World” and moved the business in 1978 to the interchange of Highways 52 and 54 near Eldon after his zoo was bypassed when Highway 54 expanded to four lanes. The zoo was closed in 1986 due to declining visitor numbers and increasing interest rates on loan payments. Courtesy of Jeremy P. Ämick

“The greatest legacy we can leave our children is happy memories,” wrote American author Og Mandino.

In decades past, when automobile travel afforded families exciting opportunities to travel on the major highways, roadside attractions sprang up along the way. Many of these forgotten businesses survive through memories and are shared in pleasant reflections of those able to experience them.  

A short distance from the city of Eldon, there once was a zoological garden that not only offered the passersby the opportunity to get out of their cars and stretch their legs, but a forum through which one individual shared his passion for the reptile world.

“Mystery and tall tales surrounding Miller County’s alligator have been solved,” declared the Eldon Advertiser on November 13, 1952. “He wasn’t 17 feet long; he wasn’t two alligators; he wasn’t loose in the Osage River.” The newspaper added, “The true story began the night of September 13 when an alligator, a baby as alligators go, escaped on the eve of the opening of the Ozark Reptile Garden south of Eldon on Highway 54. It ended almost seven weeks later when the reptile’s body was found ….”

The reptile perished from the colder temperatures brought on by the first cold weather of fall. However, it became an interesting beginning to a roadside reptile zoo established by the late I.J. Nickerson.

Nickerson was a successful businessman who, among other endeavors, operated a sign company, furniture stores, chains of the once popular Stuckey’s stores and was president and CEO of Nickerson Farms. His son, Max Allen Nickerson, revealed an interest in herpetology (study of amphibians and reptiles) at a young age. Never intimidated by the creatures he studied, it once resulted in a frightening experience for Max Allen.

“The condition of Max Allen Nickerson was reported as ‘satisfactory’ on Wednesday morning after he was bitten on the forefinger of his right hand by a cottonmouth moccasin … while handling snakes at the Ozark Reptile Gardens,” reported The Eldon Advertiser on April 29, 1954. The article further reported that he “was rushed to the office of Dr. Robert E. Murrell in Eldon where he received anti-venom and was placed in an oxygen tent.”

Quickly recovering from the incident, Max Allen had made a name for himself as a student of the reptilian world while still in high school.  Beginning in 1955, Max Allen hosted a television show that became “Zoo World” and was distributed to several regional television stations.

Located along the two-lane Highway 54, the reptile zoo was later named Max Allen’s Zoological Gardens and was a popular roadside destination for people vacationing at the Lake of the Ozarks. It was situated next to Animal World, a roadside zoo boasting different species of deer, monkeys and parrots.

Max Allen’s was also next to Nickerson Farms (owned by his father) while the attractions of Stark Caverns and El Rancho Resort were only a short distance away. It was during the late 1960s that Bob Krager, a college student living in Knob Noster, became familiar with Max Allen’s and was hired as a tour guide there.

“It was located in a rock-sided building, and I worked there in the summers between 1967 and 1969 while I was enrolled in college in Warrensburg,” Krager explained. “Max and I got to know each other well. I was later working as an assistant manager for a new Hardees in Sedalia in late summer 1974, when he called and asked if I wanted to become the curator for the zoo.” Krager continued, “I accepted the offer and lived in a little apartment built on the backside of the zoo. I basically did everything there except for running the gift shop, which his mother Ruby did.”

A couple of years before he returned to Max Allen’s Zoological Gardens in a full-time capacity, Krager noted that U.S. Highway 54 expanded to four lanes and bypassed the zoo and several other local roadside attractions. By the late 1970s, recognizing the survival of the zoo was linked to highway visibility, plans were made to relocate.

“After three years of planning and two seasons of building, a new facility was opened in October 1978,” shared The Miller County Autogram-Sentinel on July 26, 1979. “It has 8,200 square feet of floor space, plus 52 acres of land.”

Located on the northwest corner of Highways 52 and 54, the new Max Allen’s boasted “265 animals, including 102 varieties.” Over the years, Max had pursued his interest in zoology, earning his Ph.D. and traveling abroad to conduct research and acquire animals for the zoo.

Despite all hopes for success at the new location, it had been financed through a variable interest SBA loan. As Krager recalls, the interest rate quickly increased and it became no longer financially viable to keep the doors open, resulting in the closure of the zoo in 1986. While Max Allen went on to spend many years in the field of education, Krager utilized his own degree in zoology during his career with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

The first Max Allen’s still stands along the old Highway 54, forgotten by time and nearly consumed by overgrowth. Their second location continues to stand and is still being used as a business.

Gone are the heyday of the roadside attractions drawing large numbers of eager travelers, but the memories of the experiences they offered live on in mirthful reflection.

“Max Allen’s drew a lot of people into the Eldon area, and it was part of what made the Lake of the Ozarks area an interesting place,” said Krager. “It provided income for a lot of people, and it was entertaining for those who visited.” He added, “Back then, your roadside zoos where very common and were a place where people could pull of the highway and take time to relax. At Max Allen’s, we were proud to be both educational and family friendly.”
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Jeremy P. Ämick is author of the historical compilation “Beyond the Moreau.”