Hill Country Heritage
by Diana Lambdin Meyer
Under a canopy of walnut and maple trees in southern Missouri’s Ozarks, wild turkey and deer travel silently along a path known only to them. Amid such peaceful surroundings, the spirit of the Shepherd of the Hills seems as vivid today as when Harold Bell Wright first wrote of these wood-fringed hills 100 years ago.
The unlikely author came to the region at the turn of the last century, a stressed-out and over-worked minister from Kansas City, seeking peace and solitude for his mental and physical health. Wright found the cure he needed in the remote scenery and by expressing himself with pen and paper. With the release of Shepherd of the Hills in 1907, he became one of the first American authors to sell more than a million copies, and in so doing, forever changed national awareness of Branson and the southern Ozarks.
Long before there were paved roads in this part of the world, travelers came here in search of the beauty, the peace and the unassuming lifestyle that Wright’s book brought to life. The writer’s own experience was not so far removed from that of his leading character, Dan Howitt, a Chicago minister who had come to the hills in an attempt to resolve a personal conflict in his life.
Today, the story of The Shepherd of the Hills still unfolds before a live audience 140 nights a year. In a simple outdoor theater, surrounded by trees filled at nightfall with singing cicadas, the story of Young Matt, Sammy Lane and the orphaned Little Pete fill the hearts of those who have come to Branson. The saga of atonement, forgiveness, reconciliation and redemption continues to inspire after more than a century.
“Of course, the spirit of The Shepherd of the Hills is still alive in Branson,” said Keith Thurman, director of the outdoor production, who began as a cast member more than 40 years ago.
“It’s a little harder to find than when I was a boy, but the good thing is that I can still load you up in my truck and drive five miles and find everything that Harold Bell Wright wrote about,” he said. Thurman’s family first settled in the Ozarks in the 1830s; his children are a proud eighth generation to make the region their home.
It’s a setting that still attracts craft artisans and others inspired by the abundant natural landscape that Wright described exquisitely. Tom Hess, a potter, and his wife Lory Brown, a pine needle basket maker, are among those who chose to build their studio and their lives in the timeless richness of the hills and hollows of the Ozarks.
The narrow, winding two lanes of Highway 413 bring a small amount of traffic past the couple’s door. Their days are spent mostly surrounded by the abundance of the Ozarks, practicing crafts that are as much a part of the region as are the legends of Mutton Hollow recorded in The Shepherd of the Hills.
“It’s quiet here and our days are a lot less hectic than those of people who live in other parts of the country,” Brown said.
A more active pace, for those who want it, can be found less than 20 miles away on Highway 76, the infamous Branson strip where music shows, flashing lights, miniature golf courses, all-you-can-eat buffet restaurants and a bounty of other attractions lure in excess of seven million tourists each year. Old-timers such as Thurman reflect on the community’s popularity and remember the date December 8, 1991, with mixed emotions. That’s when the CBS News program 60 Minutes declared Branson the “live music capital of the entire universe.” At that time there were 22 theaters on the strip. Today, Branson is home to more than 100 shows in 52 theaters; the strip has more than doubled in length.
The official Branson population is about 7,000, but on most days more than 70,000 people revel in the entertainment, eat at restaurants, shop at an array of stores and stay in the town’s 207 hotels.
“A lot has changed in recent years, but an honest-to-goodness local person will treat you like they’ve known you all of their lives,” Thurman said.
Gloria Warnock moved to Branson in 1982 as a featured crafts person at Silver Dollar City, the theme park built upon authentic craft and music shows. She was quickly “enchanted” by the people of the Ozarks, the lakes and the focus on old-fashioned crafts. Today, she throws pots in the Engler Bloch, a barn-like building in the middle of the strip that features wood turners, glass blowers and dulcimer makers creating handiworks for visitors to enjoy.
“There’s not as much of the old-timey stuff today, but we surely appreciate the people who appreciate what we do,” she said. Gloria lives in a log cabin in the hills surrounding Branson and recommends that visitors looking for the heritage of these mountains visit the campus and museum of the College of the Ozarks. Located two miles south of Branson, this 100-year-old college does not charge tuition but requires students to work their way through their education. The museum includes many fascinating items from around the world but focuses on the history of the region.
Visitors can catch up on the local happenings at the Branson Café, 120 Main Street. A place where regulars have a personalized coffee cups waiting for them, the down-home establishment has been serving “everything-made-from-scratch” meals since 1910. This great place for breakfast and gossip, is best known for its pies.
The downtown Main Street area is especially active this year on Sunday, December 2. A day of caroling and other events leads up to the 5:30 p.m. start of the Adoration Parade. This non-commercial event focuses on a long-standing Christmas tradition—the lighting of the giant nativity scene on Mount Branson. For almost 60 years—beginning long before Branson became a major holiday destination—the manger and requisite Bible characters have presided over the season. Now it greets thousands of visitors who come to Branson during the holidays. They come to take in a roster of special presentations. Among them is a fabulous show at Silver Dollar City. Gloria Warnock said it is a celebration not to be missed. Annually, the city square is decorated according to a theme. This year’s décor includes a five-story, special-effects Christmas tree as the centerpiece.
Because The Shepherd of the Hills is performed in an outdoor theater, evening productions end mid-October. But the 160-acre Old Matt’s Homestead extends a holiday welcome to visitors with a chuck wagon supper that includes a three-bean chili and old-fashioned caroling accompanied by a dulcimer choir. Visitors are then invited to load up for a two-and-a-half-mile ride along a trail of lights, finishing at Inspiration Tower for a cup of hot cocoa. Looking out at the Ozarks from the top of the 230-foot-tall tower, billed as the region’s largest Christmas Tree, the view is inspiring and satisfying at all times of the year. With the crispness in the air that accompanies a mild early winter evening in southern Missouri and the essence of the holidays reflected in joyful faces, the spirit of The Shepherd of the Hills is more present, more magical and more meaningful than ever in these Ozark Hills.