City of Branson

The men who founded the town of Branson in 1903 were planning an industrial center in the Ozarks that would generate trainload after trainload of logs, lumber, and manufactured products for the outside world, thereby generating steady income for area residents. Today, as country music theaters, motels, and restaurants mushroom across the surrounding hills, an [...]

Villians & Vigilantes

For over a century the lawlessness of the frontier has been an integral part of America’s “western” literature. Normally, we think of such violence as taking place in the untamed cattle towns of the high prairies or the gold camps of the Rocky Mountains. But much of the violence associated with the frontier originated right [...]

Settlers in the Ozarks

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 [...]

Branson History

The history of Branson is as rich as it’s Ozark Mountain culture. The following is an overview of the history of Branson, from the Westward Expansion to the Showbiz Boom and everything in between.