| Ozarks | |
|---|---|
| Ozark Highlands; Ozark Mountains; Ozark Plateaus | |
 View of the Ozarks from the Buffalo National River,Newton County, Arkansas | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Wahzhazhe Summit (formerly known as Buffalo Lookout) 781 m (2,561 feet) |
| Coordinates | 37°10′N92°30′W / 37.167°N 92.500°W /37.167; -92.500 |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Country | United States |
| States | |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | Paleozoic toProterozoic |
TheOzarks, also known as theOzark Mountains,Ozark Highlands orOzark Plateau, is aphysiographic region in theU.S. states ofMissouri,Arkansas, andOklahoma, as well as a small area in the southeastern corner ofKansas.[1] The Ozarks cover a significant portion of northern Arkansas and most of the southern half of Missouri, extending fromInterstate 40 in central Arkansas toInterstate 70 in central Missouri.
There are two mountain ranges in the Ozarks: theBoston Mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma, as well as theSt. Francois Mountains of Missouri. Wahzhazhe Summit (formerly known as Buffalo Lookout), is the highest point in the Ozarks at 2,561 feet (781 m), and is located in the Boston Mountains, in the westernmost part ofNewton County, Arkansas, 6.2 miles (10.0 km) east ofBoston, Madison County, Arkansas. Geologically, the area is a broaddome with the exposed core in the ancient St. Francois Mountains. The Ozarks cover nearly 47,000 square miles (120,000 km2), making it the most extensivehighland region between theAppalachians andRockies. Together with theOuachita Mountains, the area is known as theU.S. Interior Highlands.
The Salem Plateau, named afterSalem, Missouri, makes up the largest geologic area of the Ozarks. The second largest is the Springfield Plateau, named afterSpringfield, Missouri, nicknamed the "Queen City of the Ozarks". On the northern Ozark border are the cities ofSt. Louis andColumbia, Missouri. Significant Ozark cities in Arkansas includeFayetteville,Bentonville,Springdale,Eureka Springs, andFort Smith.Branson, just north of the Arkansas–Missouri border, is a tourist destination where Ozark culture is popularized.
ThetoponymOzarks may derive from anEnglish-language adaptation of theFrench abbreviationaux Arcs (short forFrench:aux Arcansas, meaning "of/at/tothe Arkansas (Quapaw) [plural]").[2][3] In the decades prior to theFrench and Indian War of 1754 to 1763,aux Arkansas referred toFrance'strading post atArkansas Post, located in the woodedArkansas Delta lowland area above the confluence of theArkansas River with theMississippi River.[4][5][6]
Another possible etymological origin might be the French phraseaux arcs, meaning "[land] of the arches",[7] in reference to the dozens ofnatural bridges formed by erosion and collapsed caves in the Ozark region. These include Clifty Hollow Natural Bridge (actually a series of arches) in Missouri,[8] and Alum Cove in theOzark–St. Francis National Forest.
By the early 20th century, the term "Ozarks" had entered common parlance.[9][10][need quotation to verify]
The Ozarks consist of five physiographic subregions: theBoston Mountains of north Arkansas andCookson Hills of east Oklahoma; theSpringfield Plateau of southwest Missouri, northeast Oklahoma, and northwest Arkansas and includingSpringfield,Joplin andMonett/Aurora in Missouri,Tahlequah in Oklahoma, andFayetteville andHarrison in Arkansas; the White River Hills along the White River, includingBranson andMountain Home toBatesville; the Salem Plateau or Central Plateau, which includes a broad band across south central Missouri and north central Arkansas including theLebanon,Salem andWest Plains areas; theCourtois Hills of southeastern Missouri; the Osage-Gasconade Hills around theLake of the Ozarks; theSaint Francois Mountains; and the Missouri River and Mississippi River border areas along the eastern and northeastern flanks.
Karst features such assprings,[11]losing streams,sinkholes andcaves are common in thelimestones of the Springfield Plateau and abundant in thedolomite bedrock of the Salem Plateau and Boston Mountains.[12] Missouri is known as "The Cave State" with over 7,300 recorded caves, second in number only to Tennessee. The majority of these caves are found in the Ozark counties.[12][13] The Ozark Plateaus aquifer system affects groundwater movement in all areas except the igneous core of the St. Francois Mountains.[14][15][16][17] Geographic features include limestone and dolomiteglades, which are rocky, desert-like areas on hilltops. Kept open by periodic fires that limit growth ofgrasses andforbs in shallow soil, glades are home to collared lizards, tarantulas, scorpions, cacti and other species more typical of theDesert Southwest.[18][19]
The Boston Mountains contain the highest elevations of the Ozarks, with peaks over 2,500 feet (760 m), and form some of the greatest relief of any formation between the Appalachians and Rocky Mountains. TheOuachita Mountains to the south rise a few hundred feet higher, but are not geographically associated with the Ozarks. The Boston Mountains portion of the Ozarks extends north of the Arkansas River Valley 20 to 35 miles (32 to 56 km), is approximately 200 miles (320 km) long,[20] and is bordered by the Springfield and Salem Plateau to the north of theWhite River. Summits can reach elevations of just over 2,560 feet (780 m), with valleys 500 to 1,550 feet (150 to 470 m) deep. Turner Ward Knob is the highest named peak. Found in westernNewton County, Arkansas, its elevation is 2,463 feet (751 m). Nearby, five unnamed peaks have elevations at or slightly above 2,560 feet (780 m). Drainage is primarily to the White River, with the exception of theIllinois River, although there also is considerable drainage from the south slopes of the Boston Mountains to the Arkansas River. Major streams of this type include Lee Creek, Frog Bayou, Mulberry River, Spadra Creek, Big Piney Creek, Little Piney Creek, Illinois Bayou, Point Remove Creek, and Cadron Creek. Many Ozark waterways have their headwaters in the uplands of the Boston formation, including theBuffalo,Kings,Mulberry,Little Red and White rivers.[21]
Topography is mostly gently rolling in the Springfield and Salem plateaus, whereas theSaint Francois Mountains are more rugged. Although the Springfield formation's surface is primarilyMississippian limestone andchert, the Salem Plateau is made of olderOrdovician dolomites, limestones, and sandstones.[22] Both are rife with karst topography and form long, flat plains. The formations are separated by steep escarpments that dramatically interrupt the rolling hills. Although much of the Springfield Plateau has beendenuded of the surface layers of the Boston Mountains, large remnants of these younger layers are present throughout the southern end of the formation, possibly suggesting apeneplain process.[23] The Springfield Plateau drains through wide, mature streams ultimately feeding the White River.[24]
TheSt. Francois Mountains in the northeastern Ozarks are the eroded remnants of an ancient range which form the geological core of the highland dome. Theigneous andvolcanic rocks of the St. Francois Mountains are the exposed remains of aProterozoic mountain range hundreds of millions of years old. The remaining hills are the exposed portion of an extensiveterrane (theSpavinaw terrane in part) ofgranitic andrhyolitic rocks dating from 1485 to 1350mya that stretches fromOhio to western Oklahoma.[25] The core of the range existed as an island in thePaleozoic seas.Reef complexes occur in the sedimentary layers surrounding this ancient island. These flanking reefs were points of concentration for laterore-bearing fluids which formed the richlead-zinc ores that have been and continue to be mined in the area. The igneous and volcanic rocks extend at depth under the relatively thin veneer of Paleozoicsedimentary rocks and form the basal crust of the entire region.[26]
A majorunconformity in the region attests that the Ozarks were above sea level for several hundred million years from the time of the volcanism in the Precambrian until the mid-Cambrian with an erosionally produced relief of up to 1,500 feet (460 m).[26] The seas encroached during the late Cambrian producing theLamotte Sandstone, 200 to 300 feet (61 to 91 m) thick, followed bycarbonate sedimentation.Coral reefs formed around the granite and rhyolite islands in this Cambrian sea. This carbonate formation, theBonneterre, now mostlydolomite, is exposed around the St. Francis Mountains, but extends in the subsurface throughout the Ozarks and reaches a thickness of 400 to 1,500 feet (120 to 460 m).[26] The Bonneterre is overlain by 500 to 600 feet (150 to 180 m) of dolomite, often sandy, silty or cherty, forming theElvins Group and thePotosi andEminence formations. Withdrawal of the seas resulted in another unconformity during the latest Cambrian and earlyOrdovician periods.Hydrothermal mineralizing fluids formed the rich lead ore deposits of theLead Belt during this time.[26]
Sedimentation resumed in the Ordovician with the deposition of the Gunter sandstone, theGasconade dolomite and the prominentRoubidoux sandstone and dolomite. The sandstone of the Roubidoux forms prominent bluffs along the streams eroding into the southern part of the Salem Plateau. The Roubidoux and Gunter sandstones serve as significantaquifers when present in the subsurface. The source of the sands is considered to be the emergingWisconsin Dome to the northeast.[26] The Ozark region remained as a subsiding shallow carbonate shelf environment with a significant thickness of cherty dolomites such as theJefferson City,Cotter andPowell formations.[26]
Portions of the Ozark Plateau, the Springfield Plateau of southwest Missouri and northern Arkansas, are underlain byMississippian cherty limestones locally referred to as "Boone chert", consisting of limestone and chert layers. These are eroded and form steep hills, valleys and bluffs.
The Boston Mountains are a high and deeply dissected plateau. The rocks of the region are essentially little disturbed, flat-lying sedimentary layers of Paleozoic age. The highest ridges and peaks are capped by Pennsylvanian sandstone such as the basal Atoka and the "Middle Bloyd".[27] The deeply eroded valleys are cut into Mississippian limestone and below that layer Ordovician dolomite.
During thePennsylvanian period, the Ozark Plateau was uplifted as a result of theOuachita orogeny. During the late Paleozoic, the deep ocean basin that existed in central and southern Arkansas was lifted when South America collided with North America, creating the folded Ouachita Mountains and uplifting the Ozark plateau to the north.
Formal conservation in the region began when theOzark National Forest was created by proclamation of PresidentTheodore Roosevelt in 1908 to preserve 917,944 acres (3,714.79 km2) across five Arkansas counties. Another 608,537 acres (2,462.66 km2) were added the following year. The initial forest included area as far south asMount Magazine and as far east asSylamore.[28]
In 1939, Congress establishedMark Twain National Forest at nine sites in Missouri. Wildlife management areas were founded in the 1920s and '30s to restore populations to viable numbers. In the 1930s and 1940sAldo Leopold,Arthur Carhart andBob Marshall developed a "wilderness" policy for the Forest Service. Their efforts bore fruit withThe Wilderness Act of 1964 which designated wilderness areas "where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by men, where man himself is a visitor and does not remain", though this includedsecond growth public forests like the Mark Twain National Forest.[29]
Land was also added to Ozark National Forest during this period, with over 544,000 acres (2,200 km2) in total additions. Some land was reclaimed by the government through theResettlement Administration during theGreat Depression.[28] In 1976, Congress established theHercules Glades Wilderness, the first of 13 designated wilderness areas in the Ozarks. In 1986, Congress established theOzark Plateau National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Oklahoma. Protected areas ensure the recovery of endangered and threatened species of animals and plants, including thered wolf,Ozark big-eared bat,Indiana bat,eastern small-footed bat, southeastern bat, southeasternbig-eared bat;longnose darter,Ozark cavefish, Ozark cavecrayfish, Bowman's caveamphipod, Ozark cave amphipod, bat caveisopod; and Ozarkchinquapin. It is a habitat of migratory birds and contains geological, archeological, historical, and paleontological resources.
Commercial farms and processing operations are known to raise levels of chemical and biological contaminants in Ozark streams, threatening water supplies, recreational use and endangered native species.[30][31][32][33][34]
Many of the rivers and streams in the Ozarks have been dammed. Most of the dams in the region were initially built for the dual purpose offlood control andhydropower generation but have also become major economic drivers through recreational use in places such as Branson, Missouri, and Mountain Home, Arkansas.
TheArmy Corps of Engineers among others, operates multiple dams in the Ozarks region. Some of the largest lakes created by these dams are on theWhite River. Beginning in 1911 with the construction of Powersite Dam on the White River near Branson, Missouri and the impoundment ofLake Taneycomo the Ozarks rivers have been harnessed for electrical power, recreation, and flood control. After PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt signed the Flood Control Act of 1938, six large flood control dams were constructed on the White River and its tributaries.
Multiple smaller lakes have been created by dams in the White River basin from 1911 through 1960. These smaller lakes include Lake Sequoyah,[35] a small recreational fishing lake east ofFayetteville, Arkansas, formed in 1961; Sequoyah is the uppermost impoundment on the White River. Below Sequoyah (northeast of Fayetteville) isBeaver Lake, formed in 1960. The White River continues northeasterly intoTable Rock Lake (1958) in Missouri, which feeds directly into Lake Taneycomo, where the river zigzags southeasterly into Arkansas formingBull Shoals Lake along the Arkansas-Missouri line. Completed in 1952, Bull Shoals is the furthest downstream lake on the White River proper.Norfork Lake was formed by damming theNorth Fork River, a tributary of the White River, in 1941.
Additional large lakes in the Ozarks region includeLake of the Ozarks,Pomme de Terre Lake, andTruman Lake in the northern Ozarks. These three lakes were formed by impounding theOsage River and its tributary thePomme de Terre River in 1931, 1961 and 1979 respectively.
Grand Lake o' the Cherokee in northeast Oklahoma, on the western portion of the Ozark Plateau, was created in 1940 with the damming of the Grand River.Stockton Lake was formed in 1969 by damming theSac River near the city ofStockton, Missouri, and supplements the water supply ofSpringfield in nearbyGreene County.
The creation of the lakes significantly altered the Ozark landscape and affected traditional Ozark culture through displacement.[36][37][38][39] The streams provided water and power to communities, farms and mills concentrated in the valleys prior to impoundment.[40] Many cemeteries, farm roads, river fords and railways were lost when the lakes came, disrupting rural culture, travel and commerce.Baxter County, Arkansas, alone saw nearly 400 people displaced to make way for the reservoir created byNorfork Dam. The town ofForsyth, Missouri, was relocated in its entirety to a spot 2 miles (3 km) from its previous location. Prior to damming, rivers and streams in the White and Osage River basins were of similar character to the current conditions of theBuffalo,Elk,Niangua,Gasconade,Big Piney,Current,Jacks Fork,Eleven Point andMeramec rivers.[36]
Because of the success of the Army Corps efforts to dam the large rivers in the Ozarks, the Ozarks Society began protests to keep the other rivers in the Ozarks free flowing. TheBuffalo National River was created by an Act of Congress in 1972 as the nation's firstNational River, administered by theNational Park Service. The designation came after over a decade of battling a proposed Army Corps dam in the media, legislature, and courts to keep the Buffalo River free flowing. The Ozark Society, the main force behind the dam protest, still leads the fight to keep the Buffalo River pristine and protected. Today, the Buffalo River sees approximately 800,000 visitors camping, canoeing, floating, hiking, and tubing annually.[41] In Missouri, theOzark National Scenic Riverways[42] was established in 1964 along theCurrent andJacks Fork rivers as the first US national park based on a river system. TheEleven Point River is included in theNational Wild and Scenic Rivers System[43] established in 1968. These parks and rivers are a major economic driver for some of the least populated counties in Arkansas and Missouri, attracting up to 1.5 million tourists annually.
Many other waterways and streams have their headwaters in the Boston Mountains portion of the Ozarks such as theMulberry River, the White River, War Eagle Creek, Little Mulberry Creek, Lee Creek, Big Piney Creek, and the Little Red River. To the south, the Arkansas River valley separates the Boston Mountains from the Ouachita Mountains.[44]
Missouri Ozark rivers include theGasconade,Big Piney, andNiangua rivers in the north central region. TheMeramec River and its tributariesHuzzah Creek andCourtois Creek are found in the northeastern Ozarks. TheBlack andSt. Francis rivers mark the eastern crescent of the Ozarks. TheJames,Spring andNorth Fork rivers are in south-central Missouri. Forming the west central border of the Ozarks from Missouri through Kansas and into Oklahoma are theSpring River and its tributary, Center Creek. Grand Falls, Missouri's largest natural waterfall, achert outcropping, includes bluffs andglades on Shoal Creek south ofJoplin. All these river systems see heavy recreational use in season, including theElk River in southwestern Missouri and its tributaryBig Sugar Creek.
Ozark rivers and streams are typically clear water, withbaseflows sustained by manyseeps andsprings, and flow through forests alonglimestone anddolomite bluffs. Gravel bars are common along shallow banks, while deep holes are found along bluffs.[45] Except during periods of heavy rain or snow melt — when water levels rise quite rapidly — their level of difficulty is suitable for most canoeing and tubing.
Fish hatcheries are common due to the abundance of springs and waterways.[38] TheNeosho National Fish Hatchery was built in 1888; it was the first federal hatchery. TheArkansas Game and Fish Commission,Missouri Department of Conservation andU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service operate numerous warm and cold water hatcheries and trout parks;[46][47] private hatcheries such as atRockbridge[48] are found throughout the region.
The Ozarks contain ore deposits oflead,zinc,iron andbarite. Many of these deposits have been depleted by historic mining activities, but much remains and is currently being mined in theLead Belt of southeastern Missouri. Historically, the lead belt around the Saint Francois Mountains and theTri-State district lead-zinc mining area aroundJoplin, Missouri, have been important sources of metals. Mining practices common in the early 20th century left significant abandoned underground mine problems andheavy metal contamination in topsoil and groundwater in the Tri-State district.[49][50]
Much of the area supportsbeefcattle ranching, anddairy farming is common across the area. Dairy farms are usuallycooperative affairs, with small farms selling to a corporate wholesaler, who packages product under a common brand for retail sales.Petroleum exploration and extraction also takes place in the Oklahoma portion of the Ozarks, as well as in the east half of the Boston Mountains in Arkansas.Logging of bothsoftwood andhardwood timber species on both private land and in theNational Forests has long been an important economic activity.
The majority of the Ozarks is forested.Oak-hickory is the predominant type;eastern junipers are common, with stands ofpine often seen in the southern range. Less than a quarter of the region has been cleared for pasture and cropland.[51] Forests that were heavily logged during the early-to-mid-20th century have recovered; much of the remaining timber in the Ozarks issecond-growth forest. However, deforestation offrontier forest contributed througherosion to increased gravel bars along Ozark waterways in logged areas; stream channels have become wider and shallower, and deepwater fish habitat has been lost.[16]
The numerous rivers and streams of the region saw hundreds of water-powered timber and grist mills.[52][53] Mills were important centers of culture and commerce; dispersed widely throughout the region, mills served local needs, often thriving within a few miles of another facility. Few Ozark mills relied on inefficientwater wheels for power; most utilized adam,millrace andwater turbine.[54]
During theNew Deal, theCivilian Conservation Corps employed hundreds in the construction of nearly 400 fire lookouts throughout the Ozarks at 121 known sites in Arkansas[55] and 257 in Missouri.[56] Of those lookouts, about half remain, and many of them are in use by theU.S. Forest Service. A 2007 report by theNational Trust for Historic Preservation deemed these fire lookouts and related structures as one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.[57]
In the 1960s, federal activity promoted modernization, especially through better transportation and tourism. The Ozarks Regional Commission sponsored numerous projects.[58]
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Tourism is the growth industry of the Ozarks as evidenced by the growth of theBranson, Missouri, entertainment center celebrating traditional Ozark culture.[39][59] The rapidly growingNorthwest Arkansas metropolitan area has also become a tourist hub, drawing nationwide attention for theCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art inBentonville, Arkansas.[60]
Poultry farming and food processing are significant industries throughout the region. TheTyson Foods corporation andConAgra Foods each operates several hundred poultry farms and processing plants throughout the Ozarks.Schreiber Foods has operations throughout southern Missouri.
Thetrucking industry is important to the regional economy, with national carriers based there includingJ. B. Hunt,ABF, and Prime, Inc. Springfield remains an operational hub for theBNSF Railway. Logging and timber industries are also significant in the Ozark economy, with operations ranging from small family-run sawmills to large commercial concerns.Fortune 500 companies such asWal-Mart,Leggett & Platt,Bass Pro Shops, andO'Reilly Auto Parts are based in the Ozarks.
The area is home to severalMissouri wine and spirit regions, including theOzark Highlands andOzark MountainAmerican Viticultural Areas, and theOzark Highland Spirits Region. There are a number ofmicrobreweries throughout the region.[61]
"Ozark" also refers to the distinctive culture, architecture,[57][62] anddialect shared by the people who live on the plateau. Early settlers in Missouri werepioneers who came west from theSouthern Appalachians at the beginning of the 19th century,[38][63] followed in the 1840s and 1850s byIrish andGerman immigrants. Much of the Ozark population is ofEnglish,Scots-Irish, and German descent, and the Ozark families from which the regional culture derived[63] tend to have lived in the area since the 19th century.[64][page needed]
Early settlers relied onhunting,fishing,trapping, andforaging to supplement their diets and incomes.[38] Today hunting and fishing for recreation are common activities and an important part of the tourist industry. Foraging formushrooms (especiallymorels) and forginseng is common and financially supported by established buyers in the area. Other forages includepoke,watercress,persimmons andpawpaw; wild berries such asblackberry,black raspberry,raspberry,red mulberry,black cherry,wild strawberry anddewberry; and wildnuts such asblack walnut and evenacorns.[65] Ediblenativelegumes,wild grasses andwildflowers are plentiful, andbeekeeping is common.[66]
Print and broadcast media have explored Ozark culture broadly. Books set in the Ozarks includeWhere the Red Fern Grows,The Shepherd of the Hills,[59] andAs a Friend.[67] The 1999 filmRide with the Devil, based on the bookWoe to Live On,[68] depicts conflict in southwest Missouri during theCivil War.[69]Winter's Bone,[70] a novel byDaniel Woodrell (author ofWoe to Live On), reflects on contemporarymethamphetamine culture and its impact on families on the plateau. Released as a feature film in 2010,Winter's Bone received the Grand Jury Prize at theSundance Film Festival, as well as other awards. Several early and influentialcountry-music television and radio programs originated fromSpringfield in the 1950s and '60s, including ABC-TV'sOzark Jubilee andTheSlim Wilson Show onKYTV. The Clampett clan ofThe Beverly Hillbillies TV show provide a stereotypical depiction of Ozark people. Ozark musicians includePorter Wagoner andold-timefiddlerBob Holt.[71]Netflix drama seriesOzark takes place inOsage Beach, Missouri and revolves around the well-to-do Byrde family as their lives are uprooted and they are forced to move fromChicago to the Ozarks after amoney laundering scheme goes wrong. The series focuses on the Byrdes' dealings in the Ozarks, as well as their interactions with local Ozark crime families. The series premiered on July 21, 2017.[72]
Examples of commercial interpretations of traditional Ozark culture include the two major family theme parks in the region,Silver Dollar City and the now defunctDogpatch USA, and the resort entertainment complex inBranson.Ozark Folkways inWinslow, Arkansas, andOzark Folk Center State Park inMountain View, Arkansas, interpret regional culture through musical performance and exhibitions of pioneer skills and crafts.
Traditional Ozark culture includes stories and tunes passed orally between generations through community music parties and other informal gatherings.[73] Many of these tunes and tales can be traced toBritish origins[74] and toGerman folklore. Moreover, historianVance Randolph attributes the formation of much Ozark lore to individual families when "backwoods parents begin by telling outrageous whoppers to their children and end by half believing the wildest of these tales themselves."[63] Randolph collected Ozark folklore and lyrics in volumes such as the national bestsellerPissing in the Snow and Other Ozark Folktales (University of Illinois Press, 1976),Ozark Folksongs (University of Missouri Press, 1980), a four-volume anthology of regional songs and ballads collected in the 1920s and 1930s,[74] andOzark Magic and Folklore (Courier Dover Publications, 1964).[63] Evidenced by Randolph's extensivefield work, many Ozark anecdotes from theoral tradition are oftenbawdy, full of wild embellishments on everyday themes.[75][76] In 1941–42, commissioned byAlan Lomax of theArchive of Folk Culture, Randolph returned to the Ozarks with a portable recording machine from theLibrary of Congress and captured over 800 songs, ballads and instrumentals.[77] Selected from among these several hundred recordings, 35 tracks were released onVarious Artists: Ozark Folksongs (Rounder Records) in 2001.[74]
Square dances were an important social avenue throughout the Ozarks into the 20th century.[78][79][80] Square dances sprang up wherever people concentrated around mills and timber camps, springs, fords, and in towns small and large. Geographically isolated communities saw their own local dance tunes and variations develop.[78][79] Of all the traditional musicians in the Ozarks, the fiddler holds a distinct place in both the community and folklore.[78][79] Community fiddlers were revered for carrying local tunes; regionally, traveling fiddlers brought new tunes and entertainment, even while many viewed their arrival as a threat to morality.[71][78][79][80] In 2007, Gordon McCann, a chronicler of Ozarksfolklife and fiddle music for over four decades, donated a collection of audio recordings,fieldnotes and photographs toMissouri State University in Springfield.[81] The collection includes more than 3,000 hours of fiddle music and interviews recorded at jam sessions, music parties, concerts and dances in the Ozarks. Selected audio recordings along with biographical sketches, photographs and tune histories were published in Drew Beisswenger and Gordon McCann's 2008 book/37-track CD setMel Bay Presents Ozarks Fiddle Music: 308 Tunes Featuring 30 Legendary Fiddlers With Selections from 50 Other Great Ozarks Fiddlers.
From 1973 to 1983, the Bittersweet project, which began as an English class atLebanon High School in Missouri, collected 476 taped and transcribed interviews, published 482 stories, and took over 50,000 photographs documenting traditional Ozark culture.[82]
Population influx since the 1950s,[37][39] coupled with geographically lying in both theMidwest andUpper South, proximity to theMississippi embayment, theOsage andNorthern Plains, contributes to changing cultural values in the Ozarks. Theme parks and theatres seen to reflect regional values have little in common with traditional Ozark culture. Community tradition bearers remain active, in decreasing numbers, far afield of commercial offers.[83][84]
Ozark religion, like that ofAppalachia, was predominantlyBaptist andMethodist during periods of early settlement; it tends to theconservative or individualistic, withEpiscopalians,Assemblies of God, Baptists includingSouthern Baptists,Church of Christ,Pentecostals, and otherProtestant denominations present, as well asCatholics.[85][86] Religious organizations headquartered in the Ozarks include theAssemblies of God andBaptist Bible Fellowship International inSpringfield and theGeneral Association of General Baptists inPoplar Bluff.
| U.S. Wilderness Areas in the Ozarks
|
Mountains ofArkansas | |
|---|---|
| Ouachita Mountains | |
| Ozarks | |
| Others | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
