Introduction

Tourism is a very important aspect of southwest Missouri. One of the first introductions people had to the area was through the book The Shepherd of the Hills. Harold Bell Wright published this book, which is set in the Ozarks, in 1907. Immediately people began to come to the area to see the land and people Wright had so vividly brought to life. All of the characters in The Shepherd of the Hills are based, at least in part, on real people. Through his study of the natives of the Ozarks, Wright was able to capture the diversity of the people while creating an interesting, but fictitious, tale. Today, Wright's book is kept alive in an outdoor drama featuring ninety actors, over thirty live animals, wagons, an antique car, a fire, a fight, a shoot out, and a square dance the audience is welcomed to join. It is the longest running outdoor drama in the United States.