Branson

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Branson
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Please accept this certificate for a wonderful vacation getaway as a token of our esteem and gratitude, a very special gift to you from PhoneSmart and Royalty Universe! For a very nominal processing fee of $15 and the hotel room tax between $7 and $12 per night you will enjoy luxury accommodations for 2 at your choice of 24 fantastic resort destinations. There are no time share presentations or sales pitches of any kind connected with this offer. Just follow the instructions to make your reservations and get ready to un wind, relax and have fun!

A sure bet for relaxation and down home country fun in Branson, Missouri in the beautiful Ozark Mountains. The story of the Ozark Mountain Country is also a story of a people and their culture and values. To a large extent the area was once defined by its isolation. It comes as no surprise then that the folklore and music of the region has its origins deep in antiquity. Descendants of farmers from Scotland, England and Ireland once settled the mountains in the Carolinas, Tennessee and Kentucky moved on farther inland to establish small communities. They brought the tales and stories from Europe and new stories from the wilderness. The abundant game in the heavily wooded hills was depleted and inhabitants soon needed to subsist on the product of small farms. But crops grew sparsely unless they were in the low land flood plains. The history of the region became a struggle for survival and the economic history became a story of various methods of supplementing meager incomes.

The first sustained boom to the area economy resulted from the harvesting of local timer. The nations’ expanding rail system created demand for a seemingly endless supply of cross ties. After lands were cleared of their virgin timber, the revenue vacuum was filled by the development of the tomato and strawberry industries. The production of moonshine was sometimes used by the remote hill people for supplementary income.

The South west Missouri area had their share of peaceful years and bloody years. Civil War made the region and lawless no man’s land. As border skirmishes and hatreds continued to boil over until residents fled deeper into the hills to escape the violence. Robber gangs such as the Youngers and Frank and Jesse James maintained hideouts in the hills and often preyed upon unprotected homesteads.

The city of Branson was founded in 1903 to be an industrial center to generate steady income for residents. Today the country music industry, elaborate hotels, restaurants pop up like mushrooms on the surrounding hills. There are also many moderately priced motels and accommodations for families. Branson has indeed become boomtown drawing millions of visitors and billions of dollars per year.

In 1912 Branson had 1200 residents. The beauty of the hills is breathtaking and soon the idea for a resort town began to grow. Soon a commercial ice plant, a soft drink bottling plant, and an ice cream factory were in place near the waterfront. The hotels, the Commercial, Branson and the White River were receiving visitors.

Hobart McQuarter had a boat factory and a bulk gasoline business on the waterfront and began passenger service up and down the lake. He built the first vacation cabins named Sammy Lane Resorts, just upstream from the Main Street Bridge.

The Civic League formed by the women of Branson in 1914 began the decades long project of beautify the city, creating a community center and a well equipped municipal bathing beach and picnic on Lake Tanneycomo. (Today that City Park which was the Mecca for trout fishing has been leveled and the commercial strip known as the Landing has taken it’s place with hotels and retail outlets, beautiful fountains and a spectacular fire and water show.)

Lake Taneycomo soon became a well loved inexpensive family vacation spot. There were street fairs, and community celebrations. These visitors meant the town’s survival though the Depression.

When artist Steve Miller returned to his hometown from service in WW2 he helped design and build a huge lighted Adoration Scene on the bluffs of the Taneycomo overlooking downtown Branson. This attraction which opened each year on December 1 brought thousands of awe struck visitors to view the 28 foot tall lighted figures. In 1953 the lighting ceremony and parades brought more than 30,000 visitors.

The next year preparations began for building Table Rock Dam. When the dam was completed in 1959 floods no longer threatened the downtown waterfront. A steady stream of visitors came to the newly created Table Rock Lake for boating, fishing and camping. Then came the Herschend family building Sliver Dollar City and the Trimble family’s new outdoor theatre at the Shepherd of The Hills Farm.

In 1960 the Missouri Pacific cancelled all passenger service on the White River line and traffic on the narrow and winding highway US 65 from Springfield became an agony of crawling slowness. Extensive blasting and deep cuts into the limestone hills shortened the trip from Springfield from 75 miles to 40 and in 1970 a four lane bypass was completed. Branson was still a sleepy little town with a few shops and five music shows. Ten years later there were sixteen and now there are one hundred music shows. With the annual Christmas celebration the tourist season is now 9 full months. In February, Branson is nearly a ghost town. This is when the locals buy engagement rings and plan events. The hills are quiet and ghost like and downtown lies resting for the coming season.

After working so hard to build up the town all government agencies, the tourist and travel associations and the chamber of commerce now have one goal; to keep services up to date and make certain there are facilities for the many thousands of visitors who pass though town every day. While some have a far reaching vision, including a Branson Municipal airport, there are those who sometimes take pause to reflect and wish for the quite beauty of the hills and the quiet, sleepy town, they once called home.

While downtown Branson has become the country music show center of the world and shopping malls and discount outlets abound many visitors just come for beauty of the hills. Table Rock Lake, Bull Shoals Lake and Lake Taneycomo draw visitors who never see a show. There are camp sites a plenty. Table Rock Lake has fine warm water fishing for Big Mouth Bass and Lake Taneycomo’ clear cold waters provide some of the finest rout fishing anywhere in the world. Bull Shoals Lake offers also boating, fishing, hiking and much outdoor recreation. Scenic turnouts along the highway from Branson to Hollister to the Arkansas line offer breathtaking views of forest, hills and lakes. Ancient Cedar trees can be found on many hilltops and whole subdivision developments are hidden from view by the forest.

Nearly seven million visitors will converge on Branson this year. Amazing for a town with only 6,000 permanent residents. During the season people come from all around Arkansas and Missouri, Oklahoma to work in the hotels, restaurants and parks.

Branson’s 45 year old live entertainment scene had been enjoyed by many thousand before it was “discovered” by the CBS program 60 Minutes in 1991.The season begins with the April Branson Fest celebration and Silver Dollar City open with the first of its four seasonal festivals. Performers come from all around the world, a steel drum performance band from Trinidad, musicians from Australia, and acrobats from Africa. Though the Silver Dollar City park venders and craftsmen offer visitors a chance to spend a day in the 1880’s Ozarks with traditional music, costumes and atmosphere and themed rides.

Other popular attractions include Dolly Partons Dixie Stampede dinner theatre (you have to eat soup, roast chicken, potatoes and desert with NO FLATWARE. The show open with a genuine buffalo stamped and features equestrians, races and precisions drills.

The recently opened Celebration City and Roy Roger Dale Evens Museum with the stuffed and mounted wonder horse Trigger which was moved from the California Museum as well as a turn of the century paddle wheeler Showboat Branson Belle providing a two hour lake excursion with a sit down meal. Visitors may also ride The Ducks, special amphibious crafts with tours down town and down the middle of Lake Taneycomo.

Beautiful golf courses provide challenging golf amidst sweeping mountain vistas. And three outlet malls featuring over 200 outlet stores, as well as a remarkable assortment of heirloom crafts, designer clothing and handicrafts. Branson’s historic downtown is a step into the past. All surrounded by the beauty of the wooded hills.

People of all ages come several times a year because there is truly something for everyone. From the f Presley country Jubilee, the first show on the famous Branson strip, theme parks, the lake activities, the wooded hills, the shopping, the golf, the endless first rate entertainment. Branson is fun! And there is that wonderful down home hospitality!

You’all come see us, Ya hear?

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