Shepherd of the Hills Country (1913-1960) by J. Thomas and Joshua Heston As Shepherd of the Hills became a bestselling novel, fans of the book began flocking to the Branson area. The visitors hoped to experience Shepherd of the Hills country for themselves. Locals latched onto the notion of making a living from this newfound…
Eastern Ozarks Rendezvous, Glen Allen, MO by Clint Lacy, March 16, 2019 Remarkably I had not been able to attend the first and second Eastern Ozarks Rendezvous event at Barks Plantation in Glen Allen, Missouri, so this year I decided to pay them a visit. The first person I interviewed was “Billy” from Cape Girardeau,…
PLATE 1. A Victorian mansion with neighborly — albeit rickety — bridge as seen on Eureka Spring’s West Mountain, framed by the Ozarks’ setting sun. A Eureka Springtime by Joshua Heston It is Thursday and I am on story assignment — this time at the Ozark Mountain UFO Conference. If there’s one thing I’ve learned…
PLATE 1. Winding roads among the rocks and cedars lead to the Bonniebrook Estate five miles north of present-day Branson, Missouri. The Roads to Bonniebrook by Joshua Heston On an early morning in January, 1947, the little Ozark cove and cedar break with a tiny stream leading down to Bear Creek was bleak and barren.…
Down By the River Side by Joshua Heston and Dale Grubaugh Ozarkers of Christian County, Missouri, lost an old friend last December. On December 12, 2009, the Riverside Inn (on the banks of the Finley River just north of Ozark) closed for the last time, a victim of misplaced FEMA money and too many summer…
Goin’ Giggin’ by Dale Grubaugh It’s comin’ on to dark and time to load the boat into the back of the pickup. Let’s make sure we have everything else; light shields, 300 watt lamps, gig, and don’t forget the paddle. It’s a clear, cold November evening. There’s been just enough rain to keep the creek…
Osage History by Joshua Heston A summer rain is coming. Clouds gathering over dusty streets, the old brick buildings of downtown and the white Moorish spires and porticos of the Coleman Theatre — a lavish movie palace built by mining dollars back in 1929. The wind dies and main street is still, save for the…
Artwork above courtesy of Raine Clotfelter, Branson, Missouri US Navy Swift Boat PCF 43 by Joshua Heston The mission was code-named Silver Mace II. The day was April 12, 1969, and the United States was at war in the mangrove swamps and rice paddies of Vietnam. Songs like Hey Jude by The Beatles and Mrs.…
Turkey Creek Art by T. Adkins The Meeting by T. Adkins Lawlessness prevailed after the Civil War with no legal protection for the settlers of the area. This need for law and order brought the citizens together to form a vigilante group to drive the criminal element from the area. This group of law-abiding men…
Memories of Bloody Hill by R’vyn Grega-Szabo “Quiet!” whispered a Union soldier as one of his brothers stepped on a stick. The cracking sound had echoed through the woods. The Union soldiers moved quietly through the dense forests of the Ozarks. The surprise attack was almost perfect until they had a run-in with opposing troops,…