C&T Publications 50 States of Art - 2015 | Page 52

Deena Stoddard - Missouri
Cross the meadow and the stream and listen as the peaceful water brings peace upon
your soul. ~ Maximillian Degenerez

Deena Stoddard is a photographer who was born and raised in the Midwest, currently
residing in southwest Missouri. She and her husband have four grown boys, and their
first grandchild is due in December.

I am a self-taught photographer who was born and raised in the Midwest, currently residing in Missouri. I truly have been living life
through the lens, as I continue to discover more beauty and wonder in nature than ever before!

Website:
http://1-deena-stoddard.artistwebsites.com

Here is my piece. It is called Pedelo Falls.
Pictured is "Pedelo Falls" at Pedelo Creek in autumn, just one of the many streams which winds its way through rural Christian
County in Rogersville.
When the first European trappers and hunters entered the Southwest Missouri region in the early 1800s, the Christian County area
was occupied by the Osage Indians. The region passed from the control of the Osage to the Spanish and French until it became a
territory of the United States through the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. Henry Rowe Schoolcraft explored the region in 1819 and the
first permanent settlers arrived within two years. The area's rivers served as the avenues for exploration and focal point for the
development of the first permanent communities, such as the City of Ozark, which developed along the banks of Finley Creek.
Quick Notes:
The name Pedelo Creek is most likely another spelling for Petelo Creek. The origins of the name Petelo seem to be in dispute. Some
claimed that it was the name of an Osage chief, who was known for the drums and other musical instruments he handcrafted.
Others claim that Petelo is an Osage word meaning “shot pouch.”
John L. White was the first white settler at Petelo. According to his personal accounts told to family that only Indians lived in the
area when he arrived. It is also an account of White's that states Petelo was named for an Osage chief.
Finley Creek was named for a trapper by that name, who was in search of beaver pelts.
Before the arrival of Europeans the area now known as Christian County had been in the possession of the native tribes for roughly
15,000 years.

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