Here you will find some information about the history of Branson and the surrounding area. There are several towns that have survived down through the years while others have disappeared and no longer exists. Some of the trails included in our book will take you to some of those old towns and places that, except for the remnants, exist only through history and imagination.
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History of Branson and
Surrounding Area.
** Branson (and what helped it grow): Branson is located in Taney county which was formed in 1837 with Forsyth as the county seat. Branson is named for Rueben Branson, who in 1882, opened a general store that included the new Post Office which was named Branson, Missouri.
In 1889 William Henry Lynch purchased Marble Cave (It was thought to contain marble) and one square mile of land around it for $10,000. He began sightseeing tours of the cave in 1894 and the name was changed to Marvel Cave when it was determined that there was no marble in the cave. In 1927 William Lynch passed away and the ownership of the cave was given to his daughters. The Lynch family continued to operated the cave until Hugo Herschend, a vacuum cleaner salesman from Chicago, leased the cave and land for 99 years in 1950. For more history and pictures click here:
Marvel Cave
Hugo passed away in 1955, his wife Mary and her two sons Jack and Peter began to make improvements to cave with electricity, stairs down into the cave and a train to bring people up out of the cave. To entertain those waiting to tour the cave they built an 1880's town above the entrance which consisted of five buildings. On May 1, 1960 Silver Dollar City officially opened, and the rest, as they say, is history!
In 1907 Harold Bell Wright published his famous book, "Shepherd of the Hills" and it became one of the first million selling books and brought many visitors to Branson to see first hand the places mentioned in the book. On August 6, 1960 Mark Trimble along with Jim Collie and Lloyd "Shad" Heller, under the Ozark stars, opened the outdoor production of the story found in the book "Shepherd of the Hills"and remains a popular tourist destination. To see pictures of old post cards click here: Shepherd of the Hills
On April 1, 1912 the town of Branson incorporated with 1200 residents.
In 1913 the first dam, Powersite, was built on the White River and it brought changes to the Branson area. Electricity was generated and became available to the local area and whit it Lake Taneycomo was formed.
1959 saw Branson's first music show that preformed in downtown Branson along Lake Taneycomo. The Mabe family began to entertain the many visitors coming to Branson and became known as the Baldknobbers Hillbilly Jamboree Show. Baldknobbers Show
1959, June 19 was the official dedication to the newly completed Dam on the White River, Table Rock Dam.
1967 the Presley family opened up their music show way out of town on Hwy. 76, now known as "The Strip." Presley's Music Show
1968 the Baldknobbers move their show out on "The Strip."
1983 Roy Clark opens the Roy Clark Celebrity Theater (The Lodge of the Ozarks) on "The Strip" and brings in many Country Music Artists. Some of those who preformed
at Roy' theater stayed and built their own theaters.
1990's see's a big boom in construction and visitors to Branson.
2009 Branson gets its own commercial airport South of town at Branson Creek. With flights going to several cities around the country it is bringing in many new visitors to the Branson area.
Click here to read more about Branson History.
** Forsyth: Forsyth is the county seat of Taney County and is located East of Branson on top of the hill from Powersite Dam. The city was originally located a couple miles South of the current location of the city along the bank of the White River at the mouth of Swan Creek. The area is now part of Shadow Rock Park which is beside what is now called Bull Shoals Lake.
During the Civil War Forsyth was in the middle of conflicts between the North and the South. From 1861-1863 the control of the city would change hands several time. On April 22, 1863 as the Union forces left Forsyth they burned the city so it would not fall into the hands of the Rebel's. The court house and city buildings were soon rebuilt only to be destroyed again in 1885 by the vigilante group, the Baldknobbers!
Again, the court house and city were rebuilt and the village of Forsyth was officially incorporated on December 15, 1890.
In 1912 a new two story jail was constructed at the cost of $4,225.00 and the building is still standing today and is the home of the White River Valley Historical Society.
In 1951 Bulls Shoals Lake was formed when a new dam on the White River was built in Bull Shoals, Arkansas. This forced the city to seek higher ground because it now was located in the flood plain of the new lake. The city moved to it present location on top of the bluff overlooking Powersite Dam, Lake Taneycomo and Bulls Shoals Lake. The court house that was built after the fire of 1885 was disassembled and the stones were sold to the the School of the Ozarks, now College of the Ozarks at Point Lookout, Missouri.
Picture of Forsyth Courthouse and a picture of the new Justice Center located South of the Court House.
Click here for more History of Forsyth.
During the Civil War Forsyth was in the middle of conflicts between the North and the South. From 1861-1863 the control of the city would change hands several time. On April 22, 1863 as the Union forces left Forsyth they burned the city so it would not fall into the hands of the Rebel's. The court house and city buildings were soon rebuilt only to be destroyed again in 1885 by the vigilante group, the Baldknobbers!
Again, the court house and city were rebuilt and the village of Forsyth was officially incorporated on December 15, 1890.
In 1912 a new two story jail was constructed at the cost of $4,225.00 and the building is still standing today and is the home of the White River Valley Historical Society.
In 1951 Bulls Shoals Lake was formed when a new dam on the White River was built in Bull Shoals, Arkansas. This forced the city to seek higher ground because it now was located in the flood plain of the new lake. The city moved to it present location on top of the bluff overlooking Powersite Dam, Lake Taneycomo and Bulls Shoals Lake. The court house that was built after the fire of 1885 was disassembled and the stones were sold to the the School of the Ozarks, now College of the Ozarks at Point Lookout, Missouri.
Picture of Forsyth Courthouse and a picture of the new Justice Center located South of the Court House.
Click here for more History of Forsyth.
** Hollister: The town of Hollister was first settled around 1835 along the banks of Turkey Creek which flowed into the White River across from Branson. In 1904 Reuben Kirkham opened a general store and Post Office. When he applied for the Post Office he chose the name Hollister after the birthplace of his daughter, Hollister, California.
With the coming of the railroad Hollister was a fast growing community and the center of commerce for the area. W. H. Johnson and Professor J. W. Blankenship developed the English style village which now lines Downing St.
In 1910 Hollister was incorporated and in 1912 the son of J. W. Johnson built the historic Ye English Inn to help accommodate the many visitors that were coming to the area. (Back in 1970-1971, back before the new Highway 65 bypass, my family lived in the Ye English Inn and and we ran the Inn and restaurant - Bob)
Hollister is noted as having the first steel bridge in Taney County which crossed Turkey Creek, the first paved road, first movie house, first registered pharmacist and the first modern steam heated hotel. Things were going well for Hollister until the passenger trains stopped coming to town. For awhile Hollister began to decline. But today, it is a fast growing community with new businesses, easy access off of the new interchange on Highway 65, an industrial park and an excellent school system, Hollister has a bright future ahead!
Hollister celebated it 100th anniversary in May 2010. To read more: Hollister History
With the coming of the railroad Hollister was a fast growing community and the center of commerce for the area. W. H. Johnson and Professor J. W. Blankenship developed the English style village which now lines Downing St.
In 1910 Hollister was incorporated and in 1912 the son of J. W. Johnson built the historic Ye English Inn to help accommodate the many visitors that were coming to the area. (Back in 1970-1971, back before the new Highway 65 bypass, my family lived in the Ye English Inn and and we ran the Inn and restaurant - Bob)
Hollister is noted as having the first steel bridge in Taney County which crossed Turkey Creek, the first paved road, first movie house, first registered pharmacist and the first modern steam heated hotel. Things were going well for Hollister until the passenger trains stopped coming to town. For awhile Hollister began to decline. But today, it is a fast growing community with new businesses, easy access off of the new interchange on Highway 65, an industrial park and an excellent school system, Hollister has a bright future ahead!
Hollister celebated it 100th anniversary in May 2010. To read more: Hollister History
** Garber: The town of Garber no longer exist but you can see the remnants of it as you hike along the Homesteader's Trail described in our book. Garber is the town where Old Matt ran the Post Office when Harold Bell Wright came to the area in 1907. Click here for more Garber History.