Download or read book Ozark Pioneers written by Vickie Layton Cobb and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2001-06-06 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the early 1800s, rugged and self-sufficient pioneers left their native homelands to tame the wild Ozark territory. These early settlers left their mark on history, as they settled Taney County, and became Missouri's first families. With family stories and photographs passed down from generation to generation, Ozark Pioneers shares the experiences of the first residents of the area. Family names such as Allen, Coggburn, Smith, Whorton, Layton, Bollinger, Brittain, and Rittenhouse appear throughout the history of Taney County, demonstrating the roots and growth of the wild Ozark territory. From the bloody days of battle in the Civil War, to the continuous fight against the outlaws in the Bald Knobber era, these pages detail the courage, hardships, and strength of theses founding families in an untamed land.

Download or read book The Shepherd of the Hills written by Harold Bell Wright and published by . This book was released on 1907 with total page 398 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Shepherd of the Hills is the classic story of the stranger who takes the Old Trail deep into the Ozark Mountains, many miles from civilization. His appearance signals intellect and culture, yet his countenance is marked by grief and disappointment. What is his purpose in taking on the lowly work of tending local sheep? And how is it that he befriends these simple hill folk, despite his coming from the world beyond the ridges? Mystery and romance envelop this gentle yet compelling story as the identity and purpose of the stranger-turned-shepherd is gradually unveiled.

Download or read book Holy Hills of the Ozarks written by Aaron K. Ketchell and published by Johns Hopkins University Press+ORM. This book was released on 2007-09-20 with total page 532 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Confronts readers with the implications of a popular tourist destination founded on the values and sentiments of American evangelical Protestantism.” —Thomas S. Bremer, Journal of the American Academy of Religion Over the past century, Branson, Missouri, has attracted tens of millions of tourists. Nestled in the heart of the Ozark Mountains, it offers a rare and refreshing combination of natural beauty and family-friendly recreation—from scenic lakes and rolling hills to theme parks and variety shows. It has boasted of big-name celebrities, like Wayne Newton, Andy Williams, and Petula Clark, as well as family entertainers like Mickey Gilley, the Shanghai Magic Troupe, Jim Stafford, and Yakov Smirnoff. But there is more to Branson’s fame than just recreation. As Aaron K. Ketchell discovers, a popular variant of Christianity underscores all Branson’s tourist attractions and fortifies every consumer success. In this lively and engaging study, Ketchell explores Branson’s unique blend of religion and recreation. He explains how the city became a mecca of conservative Christianity—a place for a “spiritual vacation”—and how, through conscious effort, its residents and businesses continuously reinforce its inextricable connection with the divine. Ketchell combines the study of lived religion, popular culture, evangelicalism, and contemporary American history to present an accurate and honest account of a distinctly American phenomenon. “As Ketchell brilliantly argues, Branson entrepreneurs wove Christian sentiment ‘into a fabric of nostalgia, premodern longing, and whitewashed rusticity.’” —Matthew Avery Sutton, The Christian Century “At a time when Jim Wallis and other observers have forecast the end of the prominence of right-wing-religion on the U.S. political stage, this book will cause many readers to question that prediction.” —David Stricklin, The Journal of Southern History

Download or read book Ghost of the Ozarks written by Brooks Blevins and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 2012-03-15 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1929, in a remote county of the Arkansas Ozarks, the gruesome murder of harmonica-playing drifter Connie Franklin and the brutal rape of his teenaged fiancée captured the attention of a nation on the cusp of the Great Depression. National press from coast to coast ran stories of the sensational exploits of night-riding moonshiners, powerful "Barons of the Hills," and a world of feudal oppression in the isolation of the rugged Ozarks. The ensuing arrest of five local men for both crimes and the confusion and superstition surrounding the trial and conviction gave Stone County a dubious and short-lived notoriety. Closely examining how the story and its regional setting were interpreted by the media, Brooks Blevins recounts the gripping events of the murder investigation and trial, where a man claiming to be the murder victim--the "Ghost" of the Ozarks--appeared to testify. Local conditions in Stone County, which had no electricity and only one long-distance telephone line, frustrated the dozen or more reporters who found their way to the rural Ozarks, and the developments following the arrests often prompted reporters' caricatures of the region: accusations of imposture and insanity, revelations of hidden pasts and assumed names, and threats of widespread violence. Locating the past squarely within the major currents of American history, Ghost of the Ozarks: Murder and Memory in the Upland South paints a convincing backdrop to a story that, more than 80 years later, remains riddled with mystery.

Download or read book Singing Family of the Cumberlands written by Jean Ritchie and published by New York : Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1955 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Autobiography of an American folk-singer, who grew up in the Cumberland mountains. With the words and music of many songs.

Download or read book A Living History of the Ozarks written by Phyllis Rossiter and published by Pelican Publishing. This book was released on 1992 with total page 487 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Describes the Ozark Mountains region in Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, discusses the history and culture of the region, and identifies points of interest in each area

Download or read book Hillbilly written by Anthony Harkins and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2004 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This text argues that the hillbilly - in his various guises - has been viewed by mainstream Americans simultaneously as a violent degenerate who threatens the modern order and as a keeper of traditional values and thus symbolic of a nostalgic past free of the problems of contemporary life.

Download or read book Queen of the Hillbillies written by Patti McCord and published by University of Arkansas Press. This book was released on 2022-04-08 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Includes bibliographical references and index.

Download or read book Yonder Mountain written by Anthony Priest and published by University of Arkansas Press. This book was released on 2013-05-01 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More than thirty years have passed since poet Miller Williams compiled his anthology Ozark, Ozark: A Hillside Reader, but time has not whittled away the talent of writers living in or native to the Ozarks. Yonder Mountain, inspired by Williams’s collection, remains rooted in the literary legacy of the Ozarks while reflecting the diversity and change of the region. Readers will find fresh, creative, honest voices profoundly influenced by the landscape and culture of the Ozark Mountains. Poets, novelists, columnists, and historians are represented—Donald Harington, Sara Burge, Marcus Cafagna, Art Homer, Pattiann Rogers, Miller Williams, Roy Reed, Dan Woodrell, and more.

Download or read book A History of the Ozarks Volume 1 written by Brooks Blevins and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 2018-06-28 with total page 475 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the Missouri History Book Award, from the State Historical Society of Missouri Winner of the Arkansiana Award, from the Arkansas Library Association Geologic forces raised the Ozarks. Myth enshrouds these hills. Human beings shaped them and were shaped by them. The Ozarks reflect the epic tableau of the American people—the native Osage and would-be colonial conquerors, the determined settlers and on-the-make speculators, the endless labors of hardscrabble farmers and capitalism of visionary entrepreneurs. The Old Ozarks is the first volume of a monumental three-part history of the region and its inhabitants. Brooks Blevins begins in deep prehistory, charting how these highlands of granite, dolomite, and limestone came to exist. From there he turns to the political and economic motivations behind the eagerness of many peoples to possess the Ozarks. Blevins places these early proto-Ozarkers within the context of larger American history and the economic, social, and political forces that drove it forward. But he also tells the varied and colorful human stories that fill the region's storied past—and contribute to the powerful myths and misunderstandings that even today distort our views of the Ozarks' places and people. A sweeping history in the grand tradition, A History of the Ozarks, Volume 1: The Old Ozarks is essential reading for anyone who cares about the highland heart of America.

Download or read book Haunted Graveyards of the Ozarks written by David E. Harkins and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2013-07-23 with total page 151 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A terrifying tour of cemeteries where ghosts of Civil War soldiers, criminals, and others wander the grounds . . . includes photos! From the neatly tended urban necropolis to the long-forgotten family plot at the end of a winding gravel road, these “quiet cities” of the Ozarks have the power to send chills up and down the spine of the most hardened skeptic. Be it the restless Civil War soldiers of Greenbrier, the mass murderer who stalks Peace Church, or the red eyes that persecute visitors to Robinson, tales of ghostly activity abound in every burial ground carved out of the ancient Ozark hills. Follow Dave Harkins as he explores the fascinating history and unsettling lore clinging to these haunted graveyards.

Download or read book Arkansas Arkansaw written by Brooks Blevins and published by University of Arkansas Press. This book was released on 2009-09-01 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What do Scott Joplin, John Grisham, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Maya Angelou, Brooks Robinson, Helen Gurley Brown, Johnny Cash, Alan Ladd, and Sonny Boy Williamson have in common? They’re all Arkansans. What do hillbillies, rednecks, slow trains, bare feet, moonshine, and double-wides have in common? For many in America these represent Arkansas more than any Arkansas success stories do. In 1931 H. L. Mencken described AR (not AK, folks) as the “apex of moronia.” While, in 1942 a Time magazine article said Arkansas had “developed a mass inferiority complex unique in American history.” Arkansas/Arkansaw is the first book to explain how Arkansas’s image began and how the popular culture stereotypes have been perpetuated and altered through succeeding generations. Brooks Blevins argues that the image has not always been a bad one. He discusses travel accounts, literature, radio programs, movies, and television shows that give a very positive image of the Natural State. From territorial accounts of the Creole inhabitants of the Mississippi River Valley to national derision of the state’s triple-wide governor’s mansion to Li’l Abner, the Beverly Hillbillies, and Slingblade, Blevins leads readers on an entertaining and insightful tour through more than two centuries of the idea of Arkansas. One discovers along the way how one state becomes simultaneously a punch line and a source of admiration for progressives and social critics alike. Winner, 2011 Ragsdale Award

Download or read book Hill Folks written by Brooks Blevins and published by Univ of North Carolina Press. This book was released on 2003-04-03 with total page 357 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Ozark region, located in northern Arkansas and southern Missouri, has long been the domain of the folklorist and the travel writer--a circumstance that has helped shroud its history in stereotype and misunderstanding. With Hill Folks, Brooks Blevins offers the first in-depth historical treatment of the Arkansas Ozarks. He traces the region's history from the early nineteenth century through the end of the twentieth century and, in the process, examines the creation and perpetuation of conflicting images of the area, mostly by non-Ozarkers. Covering a wide range of Ozark social life, Blevins examines the development of agriculture, the rise and fall of extractive industries, the settlement of the countryside and the decline of rural communities, in- and out-migration, and the emergence of the tourist industry in the region. His richly textured account demonstrates that the Arkansas Ozark region has never been as monolithic or homogenous as its chroniclers have suggested. From the earliest days of white settlement, Blevins says, distinct subregions within the area have followed their own unique patterns of historical and socioeconomic development. Hill Folks sketches a portrait of a place far more nuanced than the timeless arcadia pictured on travel brochures or the backward and deliberately unprogressive region depicted in stereotype.

Download or read book The Musical Leader written by and published by . This book was released on 1926 with total page 632 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Sunrise Over the Pumpkin Patch written by Karlyle Tomms and published by Fresh Ink Group. This book was released on 2024-09-03 with total page 603 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It’s 1967, and promiscuous small-town girl Lovella can’t wait to get away from her controlling mother to make her own life. She hooks up with Earl, an ugly hippie rebelling against his rich father. At a time of severe racial tensions and the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement, Earl whisks her off to San Francisco to experience The Summer of Love. Acid trips, a gay love affair, and deep betrayal eventually lead to Lovella’s pregnancy with a bi-racial child that Earl will accept, but which will be rejected by Earl’s father. Lovella quickly discovers there is more to her mother’s control than she ever could have imagined. Sunrise Over the Pumpkin Patch is a rich family saga by Karlyle Tomms, author of The Calling Dream and Edge of Smoke.

Download or read book Back Yonder written by Charles Wayman Hogue and published by University of Arkansas Press. This book was released on 2016-02-15 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Wayman Hogue’s stories of growing up in the Ozarks, according to a 1932 review in the New York Times, “brilliantly illuminate mountain life to its very heart and in its most profound aspects.” A standout among the Ozarks literature that was popular during the Great Depression, this memoir of life in rural Arkansas in the decades following the Civil War has since been forgotten by all but a few students of Arkansas history and folklore. Back Yonder is a special book. Hogue, like his contemporary Laura Ingalls Wilder, weaves a narrative of a family making its way in rugged, impoverished, and sometimes violent places. From one-room schoolhouses to moonshiners, the details in this story capture the essence of a particular time and place, even as the characters reflect a universal quality that will endear them to modern readers. Historian Brooks Blevins’s new introduction explores the life of Charles Wayman Hogue, analyzes the people and events that inspired the book, and places the volume in the context of America’s discovery of the Ozarks in the years between the World Wars. The University of Arkansas Press is proud to reissue Back Yonder as the first book in the Chronicles of the Ozarks series, making this Arkansas classic available again, ready to be discovered and rediscovered by readers sure to find the book as interesting and entertaining as ever.

Download or read book Forces of Nature written by Barry A. Vann and published by Prometheus Books. This book was released on 2012-03-20 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As long as the human species has existed, men and women have had to contend with the unpredictable forces of nature. Geographer Barry A. Vann brings a unique perspective to this age-old struggle in this illuminating overview of human population shifts and their precarious relationship with climate change and geography. Vann takes us on a journey along the migration routes of the earliest modern humans and tells why our ancestors chose to settle down in places that can be best described as natural utopias. In the religiously oriented worldview of ancient peoples, such places took on a sacred aura of divine favor. Similarly, destructive events such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes were interpreted as expressions of divine wrath. Vann shows how the ancient texts of the Bible and the Qur’an offer glimpses of past climates that were distinctly different from the climate of our time. He also discusses the rise of technology as a means of controlling the threatening features of the natural world. Though technology has enabled humanity to cope with hostile climates, it has also created a false sense of security. Vann notes that population clusters are increasing in dangerous areas and that no technology can protect vulnerable groups from major-category hurricanes, tornadoes, or earthquakes. Finally, he considers our current anxieties regarding global warming, pointing out that this focus has obscured a good deal of historical and geological evidence for a return of another ice age. The Forces of Nature offers a challenging perspective on the precarious balance between fragile human communities and their often-threatening environments.