Hewing out a Homestead:
Hewing out a Homestead:The early settlers in the Ozarks had moved westward from Tennessee, Kentucky, and the Carolinas. To a large extent, these farmers traced their ancestry to England, Ireland, and Scotland. They brought the language and lore of their old world ancestry, and the rugged landscape and geographical isolation of the region helped preserve those cultural practices well into the twentieth century. The isolation also helped create an Ozarkian personality of its own: independent-minded, ruggedly practical, and suspicious of outsiders.
Farming in the thin, rocky soil of much of the area was difficult, though some river bottoms offered rich support for crops, especially cotton and tobacco--two of the area's important cash crops. While the steep hillsides and ravines made tending livestock a challenge, some settlers were able to raise cattle and hogs. timber abounded, however, and offered the first sustained economic venture for the area. Hewing and transporting cross ties for the railroad became a main source of income for many families. Gradually, tomato and strawberry farming were possible, after some of the area was cleared of timber. Another peculiar, but short-lived, industry was pearling in the creeks and rivers. Later, tourism became the dominant industry for Taney County.
Of course, economic opportunities came late in the 1800s. Prior to that time, economic hardships were exacerbated by the lawlessness of the frontier. During the Civil War, both the Union and Confederate armies maintained ongoing border violence. Bushwhackers and army deserters used the chaos of the war to mask their terrorizing the area. Towns were burned, homes destroyed, and possessions confiscated by armies and outlaws. The Taney County area became known as a no-man's land--families fleeing south and north to protect themselves. Among the outlaws most notorious in the region were Quantrill's raiders, Frank and Jesse James, the Younger brothers, and Alf Bolin. After the turn of the century, the area would again hide renegades and gangsters, including Bonnie and Clyde and Jake Fleagle.
Works Consulted
Image of log cabin from http://www.arttoday.com, member page, 25 June 1999.
Ingenthron, Elmo. The Land of Taney: A History of an Ozark Commonwealth. Ozark Regional History Series, Book II. Point Lookout, MO: School of the Ozarks Press, 1974.
Photograph of shingle maker from Vance Randolph Collection, Lyons Memorial Library, College of the Ozarks
<www.branson.com/branson/general> (25 May 1999)
