Condensed from the files of the Taney County Times

Branson has been one of the centers of development in the Ozark foothills for well over a century. Even before there was a Branson, our area was known as one of the nicest places in the country to visit. For many years, there were no music shows, lakes, theme parks, or museums to attract guests. Instead, what originally brought acclaim to this area was nothing more than its natural beauty. 

In the early 1900's, what is known today as "Ozark Mountain Country" was called the Upper White River Valley. This stretch of land from Springfield south into Arkansas had gained acclaim amongst the more adventurous travelers of the day as a place of unspoiled wilderness and rejuvenation. The many freshwater springs fed rivers and creeks all through the area, and by 1904 those with the means could arrange week long guided fishing tours down 125 miles of the White River. The local railroad touted the White River Valley as "The Land of a Million Smiles," as it still lives up to today. The story of Ozark Mountain Country is also a story of a people and their culture and values. To a great extent, the area was once defined by it's isolation. It comes as no surprise then that the folklore and traditional music of the region has it's origins deep in antiquity. 

The Ozark hills were settled by yeoman farmers who moved into the area from the mountains of the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Kentucky - individuals who were themselves descendants of farmers from Scotland, England, and Ireland. These hill people brought with them stories and tales from their ancient homelands. 

To the early settlers of the Ozark Mountains, life was hard. As the growing population depleted the once abundant game, residents were forced to exact a subsistence living from their small farms. When row crops like corn were planted on the steep hillsides, the region's soils, never rich or deep except on the regularly inundated flood plains, were scoured by gully washing rains. By the last decades of the nineteenth century, the economic history of the region became a story of various attempts of the local population to supplement their meager incomes. 

Various industries were tried with little or no success; two examples are lead mining and the collection of mussel shells from the area rivers for the button industry. The first sustained boom to the area's economy resulted from the harvesting of local timber when the nation's expanding rail system created demand for a seemingly endless supply of cross ties. After the forests were cleared of their virgin timber, the revenue vacuum was filled by the development of the tomato and strawberry industries. The production of moonshine was sometimes used by the remote hill people for supplementary income.