BEEN THINKIN’ ABOUT… THE LONG LAST DAY. The orange sun slips behind the western mountain ridges. Summer solstice ends, even as the evening news begins its frantic reporting of the Iran bombings by US stealth bombers flying from Whiteman Air Force Base near Knob Noster, Missouri. Historic times for sure. War perhaps averted by war.…
BEEN THINKIN’ ABOUT… AMERICAN FRONTIERS. The caravel’s sails billowed and orchestral music swelled. I was glued to the TV that early summer of 1992, watching a PBS documentary on Columbus and the New World. Shot on location in the Caribbean as well as Spain, the documentary included panoramic scenes of warm Floridian skies, the dark…
BEEN THINKIN’ ABOUT… CAKE, ICE, FOG. It was so foggy the black night I drove home across bleak Illinois prairies and into dark Illinois woods. The thick fog obscured red tail lights, white snow-packed ice, even stop signs. West central Illinois is a different sort of place, a place where the folklore of a lost…
The Blacksmith. BY JOSHUA HESTON Unique. There is something unique about our perception of blacksmithing. As Buddy Ebsen noted (below), the blacksmith was “one of the most essential of all the pioneer craftsmen.” Perhaps that is why it figures so predominately in American culture of the 19th century. And while the art was ubiquitous in…
Joe Benjamin by Joshua Heston Pen and ink artist, Joe Benjamin, is not only extraordinarily talented, but also one of the nicest of folks you’ll ever hope to meet. Five of Joe Benjamin’s 17 Silver Dollar City craftsmanship awards. Photo credit: J. Heston He and his wife, Janice, moved to Branson from the Quincy, Illinois,…
Mural in Silver Dollar City BY JOSHUA HESTON On the west wall of the unpretentious visitors’ exit of Silver Dollar City, a beautiful Kieffer mural celebrating the Ozarks in autumn can be found. Equally unpretentious in style, this work of George Kieffer is passed by tens of thousands of guests, often without a second thought.…
Moody’s Ozark’s Travelers Welcome to the history and present-day of these beautiful Ozarks! For me, the Ozarks are the only place that has felt like home. By day I’m a humble tech support provider but by night I become The Ozark’s Traveler! My goal is to introduce you to the wonders of the Ozarks. Dividing…
PLATE 1. Vintage murals celebrate Silver Dollar City’s unique heritage. Celebrating Silver Dollar City by Jim Barrett (written spring 2000 in conjunction with Silver Dollar City’s 40th anniversary) I got to seriously thinking about the history of Silver Dollar City and a goodly number of old memories began flooding back. I remembered going over to…