A History of the Ozarks, Volume 1: The Old Ozarks (Volume 1)

Winner of the Missouri History Book Award, from the State Historical Society of Missouri Winner of the Arkansiana Award, from the Arkansas Library Association Geologic forces raised the Ozarks. Myth enshrouds these hills. Human beings shaped them and were shaped by them. The Ozarks reflect the epic tableau of the American people—the native Osage and would-be colonial conquerors, the determined settlers and on-the-make speculators, the endless labors of hardscrabble farmers and capitalism of visionary entrepreneurs. The Old Ozarks is the first volume of a monumental three-part history of the region and its inhabitants. Brooks Blevins begins in deep prehistory, charting how these highlands of granite, dolomite, and limestone came to exist. From there he turns to the political and economic motivations behind the eagerness of many peoples to possess the Ozarks. Blevins places these early proto-Ozarkers within the context of larger American history and the economic, social, and political forces that drove it forward. But he also tells the varied and colorful human stories that fill the region's storied past—and contribute to the powerful myths and misunderstandings that even today distort our views of the Ozarks' places and people. A sweeping history in the grand tradition, A History of the Ozarks, Volume 1: The Old Ozarks is essential reading for anyone who cares about the highland heart of America.|Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1 1 The Primitive Ozarks 11 2 Natives and Newcomers 21 3 Americanizing the Ozarks 69 4 Domesticating the Ozarks 119 5 Markets, Merchants, and Manufacturers 155 6 American Society in the Old Ozarks 197 Notes 241 Index 283|"Brooks Blevins has established himself as the leading historian of the Ozark Mountain region. . . . Through Blevins' history, we see the Ozarks anew." — Western Historical Quarterly " A History of the Ozarks does not disappoint." — Agricultural History "Brooks Blevins is an expert in weaving many diverse strands into a seamless tapestry." — Arkansas Democrat Gazett | Brooks Blevins is the Noel Boyd Professor of Ozarks Studies at Missouri State University. He is the author or editor of nine books, including A History of the Ozarks, Volume 2: The Conflicted Ozarks; Ghost of the Ozarks: Murder and Memory in the Upland South ; and Arkansas, Arkansaw: How Bear Hunters, Hillbillies, and Good Ol' Boys Defined a State . Winner of the Missouri History Book Award, from the State Historical Society of Missouri Winner of the Arkansiana Award, from the Arkansas Library Association The Ozarks reflect the epic tableau of the American people—the native Osage and would-be colonial conquerors, the determined settlers and on-the-make speculators, the hardscrabble farmers and visionary entrepreneurs. Brooks Blevins begins his three-volume history of the region and its inhabitants in deep prehistory, charting how the highlands came to exist. From there he turns to the political and economic motivations behind the eagerness of many peoples to possess the Ozarks. Blevins places these early proto-Ozarkers within the context of the economic, social, and political forces that drove American history. But he also tells the colorful human stories that fill the region's storied past—and contribute to the powerful myths and misunderstandings that even today distort our views of the Ozarks' places and people. A monumental history in the grand tradition, A History of the Ozarks, Volume 1: The Old Ozarks is essential reading for anyone who cares about the highland heart of America. 'A History of the Ozarks, Volume 1' is a book-length account of life in the Ozark region of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma in the era before the Civil War. Placing the region's story within the context of North American and United States history, the work follows the human story in the Middle American highlands from prehistoric times until the eve of the Civil War. Along the way it chronicles the rise and fall of the powerful Osages, the settlement of the French in the Mississippi Valley and the flood of Anglo-Americans on the frontier, the resettlement of immigrant Indians from the East, and the development of antebellum society in the diverse terrain of the Ozark uplift Cover 1 Title page 4 Copyright 5 Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Introduction 14 1. The Primitive Ozarks 24 2. Natives and Newcomers 34 3. Americanizing the Ozarks 82 4. Domesticating the Ozarks 132 5. Markets, Merchants, and Manufacturers 168 6. American Society in the Old Ozarks 210 Notes 254 Index 296