Camp Zoe, a historic 330-acre campground in Shannon County recently home to weekend music festivals, is now state property, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources announced Monday.
The property was once a youth camp and more recently home to a popular annual music festival until 2010, when federal agents raided the property after allegations that an open-air drug market was allowed at the festival.
James Tebeau, 46, who was the lead singer for a Grateful Dead tribute band called the Schwag, went to federal prison this spring to begin serving a 30-month sentence in the case.
Prosecutors said Tebeau’s festivals, which started in 1998, featured 100 to 200 dealers who sold $500,000 in marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms, Ecstasy, cocaine, LSD, opium, moonshine and hash brownies and cookies.
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Tebeau pleaded guilty to a charge of maintaining a drug-involved premises.
Tebeau’s festivals, called Schwagstock or Spookstock, drew an average of 5,000 people for a hippie-friendly, Woodstock-style environment.
Tebeau agreed to forfeit the property to the government, which seized $188,000 from his bank account when he was indicted. Tebeau later got the money back as part of his plea deal.
Bill Bryan, state parks director, said the state won an online auction a few weeks ago with a winning bid of $640,000. The state closed on the property Friday.
The state had wanted to acquire the land for years.
Plans to redevelop the mostly wooded land are in early stages but could include camping and lodging for visitors, Bryan said.
“This is a very special location, and when we’re done, we hope to have a very special experience for Missourians,†he said.
Camp Zoe opened in 1929 as a summer youth camp. It closed in 1986. The property has some hiking trails, barns, a stable and a house. Sinking Creek runs through the property.
“It’s the quintessential Ozark stream,†Bryan said. “It has some very spectacular bluffs and a really nice valley. It’s very picturesque.â€