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99-581: The Baker–Fancher party consisted of several smaller parties that set out separately from the Ozarks in northwestern Arkansas , and then joined up along the way. Many of the families in the group were prosperous farmers and cattlemen with ample financial resources to make the journey west. Some of the groups had family and friends in California awaiting their arrival, as well as many relatives remaining in Arkansas. Among

198-704: A collection of audio recordings, fieldnotes and photographs to Missouri State University in Springfield. 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 set Mel Bay Presents Ozarks Fiddle Music: 308 Tunes Featuring 30 Legendary Fiddlers With Selections from 50 Other Great Ozarks Fiddlers . From 1973 to 1983,

297-465: A four-volume anthology of regional songs and ballads collected in the 1920s and 1930s, and Ozark Magic and Folklore (Courier Dover Publications, 1964). Evidenced by Randolph's extensive field work , many Ozark anecdotes from the oral tradition are often bawdy , full of wild embellishments on everyday themes. In 1941–42, commissioned by Alan Lomax of the Archive of Folk Culture , Randolph returned to

396-521: A general atmosphere of rising tensions between the US Federal government and Mormon settlers (see Utah War of 1857–1858) and a rumor that the Baker–Fancher party included those who had murdered Mormons at the 1838 event known as Haun's Mill massacre . On the third day of the siege, Lee (not dressed as a Native American) approached the Baker–Fancher encirclement under cover of a white flag and convinced

495-455: 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". The deeply eroded valleys are cut into Mississippian limestone and below that layer Ordovician dolomite. During the Pennsylvanian period,

594-469: A large herd of cattle estimated at close to 1,000 head, oxen, as well as numerous horses. They joined the expedition for various reasons; some to settle permanently in California, some to drive cattle west for profit, and some to find California gold. Like other emigrant groups traveling to California, they took money with them and planned to replenish their supplies in Salt Lake City for the remainder of

693-601: A significant thickness of cherty dolomites such as the Jefferson City , Cotter and Powell formations. Portions of the Ozark Plateau, the Springfield Plateau of southwest Missouri and northern Arkansas, are underlain by Mississippian 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

792-520: A stereotypical depiction of Ozark people. Ozark musicians include Porter Wagoner and old-time fiddler Bob Holt . Netflix drama series Ozark takes place in Osage Beach, Missouri and revolves around the well-to-do Byrde family as their lives are uprooted and they are forced to move from Chicago to the Ozarks after a money laundering scheme goes wrong. The series focuses on the Byrdes' dealings in

891-651: A term as a member of the Utah Territorial Legislature , and following church orders in 1872, Lee moved from Iron County and established a heavily used ferry crossing on the Colorado River , where the site is still called Lee's Ferry . The nearby ranch was named the Lonely Dell Ranch and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places , together with the ferry site. In September 1857,

990-472: A vocally reluctant participant and later a scapegoat meant to draw attention away from other Mormon leaders who were also involved. Lee further maintained that Brigham Young had no knowledge of the event until after it happened. However, in the Life and Confessions of John D. Lee he (or an editor) wrote, "I have always believed, since that day, that General George A. Smith was then visiting southern Utah to prepare

1089-767: 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 the Illinois 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

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1188-564: Is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri , Arkansas , and Oklahoma , as well as a small area in the southeastern corner of Kansas . The Ozarks cover a significant portion of northern Arkansas and most of the southern half of Missouri, extending from Interstate 40 in central Arkansas to Interstate 70 in central Missouri. There are two mountain ranges in the Ozarks: the Boston Mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma, as well as

1287-570: Is a list of the surviving children: Following the massacre, the perpetrators swore each other to secrecy, and the murdered members of the wagon train were hastily buried; yet the elements and scavengers quickly uncovered their corpses. Two years after the massacre, United States Army officer James Henry Carleton was sent to investigate it. He was convinced that the Mormons were the main perpetrators. Some of these children, who had seen their families killed, recalled seeing white men dressed as Indians among

1386-424: Is common and financially supported by established buyers in the area. Other forages include poke , watercress , persimmons and pawpaw ; wild berries such as blackberry , black raspberry , raspberry , red mulberry , black cherry , wild strawberry and dewberry ; and wild nuts such as black walnut and even acorns . Edible native legumes , wild grasses and wildflowers are plentiful, and beekeeping

1485-694: Is common. Print and broadcast media have explored Ozark culture broadly. Books set in the Ozarks include Where the Red Fern Grows , The Shepherd of the Hills , and As a Friend . The 1999 film Ride with the Devil , based on the book Woe to Live On , depicts conflict in southwest Missouri during the Civil War . Winter's Bone , a novel by Daniel Woodrell (author of Woe to Live On ), reflects on contemporary methamphetamine culture and its impact on families on

1584-502: Is my last word... I have been sacrificed in a cowardly, dastardly manner." On April 20, 1961, the LDS Church posthumously reinstated Lee's membership in the church. Lee had 19 wives and 56 children, and his descendants are now numerous. Former solicitor general Rex E. Lee is a direct descendant of John Lee, as are his sons Senator Mike Lee of Utah and Utah Supreme Court justice Thomas R. Lee . Another descendant, Gordon H. Smith ,

1683-458: Is now Utah , and worked towards establishing several new communities there. Some of those communities included Lee's Ferry and Lonely Dell Ranch , located near Page, Arizona . A successful and resourceful farmer and rancher , in 1856, Lee became a United States Indian Agent in the Iron County, Utah , area, where he was assigned to help Native Americans establish farms. In 1858, Lee served

1782-456: Is suitable for most canoeing and tubing. Fish hatcheries are common due to the abundance of springs and waterways. The Neosho National Fish Hatchery was built in 1888; it was the first federal hatchery. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission , Missouri Department of Conservation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service operate numerous warm and cold water hatcheries and trout parks; private hatcheries such as at Rockbridge are found throughout

1881-594: Is the growth industry of the Ozarks as evidenced by the growth of the Branson, Missouri , entertainment center celebrating traditional Ozark culture. The rapidly growing Northwest Arkansas metropolitan area has also become a tourist hub, drawing nationwide attention for the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas . Poultry farming and food processing are significant industries throughout

1980-694: The BNSF 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 as Wal-Mart , Leggett & Platt , Bass Pro Shops , and O'Reilly Auto Parts are based in the Ozarks. The area is home to several Missouri wine and spirit regions, including the Ozark Highlands and Ozark Mountain American Viticultural Areas , and

2079-561: The Baker–Fancher party , an emigrant group from Arkansas , camped at Mountain Meadows , a staging area in southern Utah used to prepare for the long crossing of the Mojave Desert by groups travelling westward to California . They were attacked by a combined group of Native Americans and Mormon militia men dressed as Native Americans. There were multiple motives for the conflict, including

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2178-687: The Boston Mountains of north Arkansas and Cookson Hills of east Oklahoma; the Springfield Plateau of southwest Missouri, northeast Oklahoma, and northwest Arkansas and including Springfield , Joplin and Monett / Aurora in Missouri, Tahlequah in Oklahoma, and Fayetteville and Harrison in Arkansas; the White River Hills along the White River, including Branson and Mountain Home to Batesville ;

2277-608: The Crooked Creek, Campbell, Parker, and [John S.] Baker – as distinct from the [John Twitty] Baker – trains.) The following is a list of those believed to have separated from the Fancher–Baker party, while it was passing through the Utah Territory: The following table contains a list of those believed to have been killed during the massacre, along with the survivors (who are listed in bold ). The table also lists if

2376-529: The Current and Jacks Fork rivers as the first US national park based on a river system. The Eleven Point River is included in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System 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

2475-533: The Desert Southwest . 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. The Ouachita 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

2574-508: The Elk River in southwestern Missouri and its tributary Big Sugar Creek . Ozark rivers and streams are typically clear water, with baseflows sustained by many seeps and springs , and flow through forests along limestone and dolomite bluffs. Gravel bars are common along shallow banks, while deep holes are found along bluffs. Except during periods of heavy rain or snow melt — when water levels rise quite rapidly — their level of difficulty

2673-706: The Elvins Group and the Potosi and Eminence formations. Withdrawal of the seas resulted in another unconformity during the latest Cambrian and early Ordovician periods. Hydrothermal mineralizing fluids formed the rich lead ore deposits of the Lead Belt during this time. Sedimentation resumed in the Ordovician with the deposition of the Gunter sandstone, the Gasconade dolomite and

2772-620: The French abbreviation aux Arcs (short for French : aux Arcansas , meaning "of/at/to the Arkansas (Quapaw) [plural]"). In the decades prior to the French and Indian War of 1754 to 1763, aux Arkansas referred to France 's trading post at Arkansas Post , located in the wooded Arkansas Delta lowland area above the confluence of the Arkansas River with the Mississippi River . Another possible etymological origin might be

2871-565: The Ozark Highland Spirits Region. There are a number of microbreweries throughout the region. "Ozark" also refers to the distinctive culture, architecture, and dialect shared by the people who live on the plateau. Early settlers in Missouri were pioneers who came west from the Southern Appalachians at the beginning of the 19th century, followed in the 1840s and 1850s by Irish and German immigrants. Much of

2970-490: The St. 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, 3.4 miles (5.5 km) east of Pettigrew, Newton County, Arkansas . Geologically, the area is a broad dome with the exposed core in the ancient St. Francois Mountains. The Ozarks cover nearly 47,000 square miles (120,000 km ), making it

3069-828: The limestones of the Springfield Plateau and abundant in the dolomite bedrock of the Salem Plateau and Boston Mountains. 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. The Ozark Plateaus aquifer system affects groundwater movement in all areas except the igneous core of the St. Francois Mountains. Geographic features include limestone and dolomite glades , which are rocky, desert-like areas on hilltops. Kept open by periodic fires that limit growth of grasses and forbs in shallow soil, glades are home to collared lizards, tarantulas, scorpions, cacti and other species more typical of

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3168-617: The red wolf , Ozark big-eared bat , Indiana bat , eastern small-footed bat , southeastern bat, southeastern big-eared bat ; longnose darter , Ozark cavefish , Ozark cave crayfish , Bowman's cave amphipod , Ozark cave amphipod, bat cave isopod ; and Ozark chinquapin . 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. Many of

3267-522: The "leaders among the white men had bound themselves under the most binding oaths to never reveal their part in it." Lee told Brigham Young that the Indians had been solely responsible, that "no white men were mixed up in it." Lee later maintained that he had acted under orders from his militia leaders, under protest, and remained active in Mormonism and local government for several years afterwards. In 1874, Lee

3366-536: The 36 miles back to Cedar City under Mormon protection in exchange for turning all of their livestock and supplies over to the Native Americans. Accepting this, the emigrants were led out of their fortification. When a signal was given, the Mormon militiamen turned and murdered the male members of the Baker–Fancher party standing by their side. According to Mormon sources, the militia let a group of Paiute Indians execute

3465-539: The Arkansas River Valley 20 to 35 miles (32 to 56 km), is approximately 200 miles (320 km) long, and is bordered by the Springfield and Salem Plateau to the north of the White 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 western Newton County, Arkansas , its elevation

3564-434: The Baker–Fancher party was taken to the tithing house at Cedar City and auctioned off to local Mormons. Brigham Young reportedly ordered an investigation into the massacre, initially. However, his continued unwillingness to work with Federal authorities likely contributed to the delay of the revelation of the massacre, and was part of the reason two trials were necessary. Several histories and legends have been passed down from

3663-524: The Baker–Fancher party. When he learned what was contemplated by the members of the LDS Church in Parowan and Cedar City, he sent back a letter that the Baker–Fancher party be allowed to pass through the territory unmolested. Young's letter supposedly arrived two days too late, on September 13, 1857. However Jon Krakauer claims that Brigham Young and other Utah territory officials encouraged the massacre beforehand and sought to deny their roles afterward. Some of

3762-675: The Bittersweet project, which began as an English class at Lebanon High School in Missouri, collected 476 taped and transcribed interviews, published 482 stories, and took over 50,000 photographs documenting traditional Ozark culture. Population influx since the 1950s, coupled with geographically lying in both the Midwest and Upper South , proximity to the Mississippi embayment , the Osage and Northern Plains , contributes to changing cultural values in

3861-661: The Boston Mountains portion of the Ozarks such as the Mulberry 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. Missouri Ozark rivers include the Gasconade , Big Piney , and Niangua rivers in the north central region. The Meramec River and its tributaries Huzzah Creek and Courtois Creek are found in

3960-586: The Forest Service. Their efforts bore fruit with The 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 included second growth public forests like the Mark Twain National Forest. Land was also added to Ozark National Forest during this period, with over 544,000 acres (2,200 km ) in total additions. Some land

4059-550: The French phrase aux arcs , meaning "[land] of the arches", in reference to the dozens of natural bridges formed by erosion and collapsed caves in the Ozark region. These include Clifty Hollow Natural Bridge (actually a series of arches) in Missouri, and Alum Cove in the Ozark–St. Francis National Forest . By the early 20th century, the term "Ozarks" had entered common parlance. The Ozarks consist of five physiographic subregions:

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4158-462: The Oklahoma portion of the Ozarks, as well as in the east half of the Boston Mountains in Arkansas. Logging of both softwood and hardwood timber species on both private land and in the National 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 of pine often seen in

4257-695: The Ozark Plateau was uplifted as a result of the Ouachita 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 the Ozark National Forest was created by proclamation of President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908 to preserve 917,944 acres (3,714.79 km ) across five Arkansas counties. Another 608,537 acres (2,462.66 km ) were added

4356-482: The Ozark population is of English , Scots-Irish , and German descent, and the Ozark families from which the regional culture derived tend to have lived in the area since the 19th century. Early settlers relied on hunting , fishing , trapping , and foraging to supplement their diets and incomes. Today hunting and fishing for recreation are common activities and an important part of the tourist industry. Foraging for mushrooms (especially morels ) and for ginseng

4455-654: The Ozarks with a portable recording machine from the Library of Congress and captured over 800 songs, ballads and instrumentals. Selected from among these several hundred recordings, 35 tracks were released on Various Artists: Ozark Folksongs (Rounder Records) in 2001. Square dances were an important social avenue throughout the Ozarks into the 20th century. 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. Of all

4554-952: The Ozarks, as well as their interactions with local Ozark crime families. The series premiered on July 21, 2017. Examples of commercial interpretations of traditional Ozark culture include the two major family theme parks in the region, Silver Dollar City and the now defunct Dogpatch USA , and the resort entertainment complex in Branson . Ozark Folkways in Winslow, Arkansas , and Ozark Folk Center State Park in Mountain 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. Many of these tunes and tales can be traced to British origins and to German folklore . Moreover, historian Vance Randolph attributes

4653-515: 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. John D. Lee John Doyle Lee (September 6, 1812 – March 23, 1877) was an American pioneer, and prominent early member of the Latter Day Saint Movement in Utah . Lee

4752-562: The Poteet–Tackitt–Jones train, was a Methodist minister who led the others in worship and prayer services while on their journey. When the groups left Arkansas in April 1857, the total company numbered more than 200. However, during the journey, some groups split off and others joined. Some of the trains that joined the company may have been from other states, such as Missouri . The party was well outfitted with wagons, traveling carriages,

4851-852: The Salem Plateau or Central Plateau, which includes a broad band across south central Missouri and north central Arkansas including the Lebanon , Salem and West Plains areas; the Courtois Hills of southeastern Missouri; the Osage-Gasconade Hills around the Lake of the Ozarks ; the Saint Francois Mountains ; and the Missouri River and Mississippi River border areas along the eastern and northeastern flanks. Karst features such as springs , losing streams , sinkholes and caves are common in

4950-530: 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, a small recreational fishing lake east of Fayetteville, Arkansas , formed in 1961; Sequoyah is the uppermost impoundment on the White River. Below Sequoyah (northeast of Fayetteville) is Beaver Lake , formed in 1960. The White River continues northeasterly into Table Rock Lake (1958) in Missouri, which feeds directly into Lake Taneycomo, where

5049-446: The attackers. Carleton examined the scene of the massacre and believed that the Paiutes had played a minimal role, and that the attack had been planned and executed by the Mormons. The remains of about thirty-four people were found and buried. The troops then built a cairn over the graves, and made a large cross from local cedar trees, the transverse beam bearing the engraving, "Vengeance Is Mine, Saith The Lord: I Will Repay". This cross

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5148-490: The basal crust of the entire region. A major unconformity 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). The seas encroached during the late Cambrian producing the Lamotte Sandstone , 200 to 300 feet (61 to 91 m) thick, followed by carbonate sedimentation. Coral reefs formed around

5247-407: The besieged families had little or no access to fresh water and their ammunition was depleted. On Friday, September 11, 1857, two Mormon militiamen approached the Baker–Fancher party wagons with a white flag and were soon followed by Indian agent and militia officer John D. Lee . Lee told the battle-weary emigrants that he had negotiated a truce with the Paiutes, whereby they could be escorted safely

5346-459: The church, and was the adopted son of Brigham Young under the early Latter Day Saint law of adoption doctrine. In 1839, Lee served as a missionary with his boyhood friend, Levi Stewart. Together they preached in Illinois, Ohio , Kentucky , and Tennessee . During this period Lee converted and baptized "Wild Bill" Hickman . Lee practiced plural marriage and had 19 wives (at least eleven of whom eventually left him) along with 56 children. Lee

5445-570: The construction of nearly 400 fire lookouts throughout the Ozarks at 121 known sites in Arkansas and 257 in Missouri. Of those lookouts, about half remain, and many of them are in use by the U.S. Forest Service . A 2007 report by the National Trust for Historic Preservation deemed these fire lookouts and related structures as one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. In the 1960s, federal activity promoted modernization, especially through better transportation and tourism. The Ozarks Regional Commission sponsored numerous projects. Tourism

5544-482: The early 20th century left significant abandoned underground mine problems and heavy metal contamination in topsoil and groundwater in the Tri-State district. Much of the area supports beef cattle ranching, and dairy farming is common across the area. Dairy farms are usually cooperative 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

5643-401: The emigrants to surrender their weapons and property to the Mormons in return for safe conduct to nearby Cedar City . The emigrants accepted the offer and surrendered, however approximately 120 of the Baker–Fancher party were then killed by Mormon militia and Paiute Indians , leaving only about 17 small children as survivors. William Ashworth notes in his autobiography that after the massacre,

5742-481: The eroded remnants of an ancient range which form the geological core of the highland dome. The igneous and volcanic rocks of the St. Francois Mountains are the exposed remains of a Proterozoic mountain range hundreds of millions of years old. The remaining hills are the exposed portion of an extensive terrane (the Spavinaw terrane in part) of granitic and rhyolitic rocks dating from 1485 to 1350 mya that stretches from Ohio to western Oklahoma. The core of

5841-419: The following year. The initial forest included area as far south as Mount Magazine and as far east as Sylamore . In 1939, Congress established Mark 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 1940s Aldo Leopold , Arthur Carhart and Bob Marshall developed a "wilderness" policy for

5940-433: 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." Randolph collected Ozark folklore and lyrics in volumes such as the national bestseller Pissing in the Snow and Other Ozark Folktales (University of Illinois Press, 1976), Ozark Folksongs ( University of Missouri Press , 1980),

6039-402: The granite and rhyolite islands in this Cambrian sea. This carbonate formation, the Bonneterre , now mostly dolomite , 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). The Bonneterre is overlain by 500 to 600 feet (150 to 180 m) of dolomite, often sandy, silty or cherty, forming

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6138-448: The groups were the Baker train, led by Captain John Twitty Baker from Carroll County , and the Fancher train, led by seasoned expeditioner Alexander Fancher, which left from Benton County . Other groups included the Huff train, which also left from Benton, the Mitchell, Dunlapp, and Prewitt trains which left from Marion County , and the Poteet–Tackitt–Jones, Cameron, and Miller trains which left from Johnson County . Pleasant Tackitt, from

6237-424: The largest lakes created by these dams are on the White River . Beginning in 1911 with the construction of Powersite Dam on the White River near Branson, Missouri and the impoundment of Lake Taneycomo the Ozarks rivers have been harnessed for electrical power, recreation, and flood control. After the President Franklin D, Roosevelt signed the Flood Control Act of 1938, six large flood control dams were constructed on

6336-406: 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. In Missouri, the Ozark National Scenic Riverways was established in 1964 along

6435-401: The most extensive highland region between the Appalachians and Rockies . Together with the Ouachita Mountains , the area is known as the U.S. Interior Highlands . The Salem Plateau, named after Salem, Missouri , makes up the largest geologic area of the Ozarks. The second largest is the Springfield Plateau, named after Springfield, Missouri , nicknamed the "Queen City of the Ozarks". On

6534-537: The northeastern Ozarks. The Black and St. Francis rivers mark the eastern crescent of the Ozarks. The James , Spring and North Fork rivers are in south-central Missouri. Forming the west central border of the Ozarks from Missouri through Kansas and into Oklahoma are the Spring River and its tributary, Center Creek. Grand Falls, Missouri's largest natural waterfall, a chert outcropping, includes bluffs and glades on Shoal Creek south of Joplin . All these river systems see heavy recreational use in season, including

6633-400: The northern Ozark border are the cities of St. Louis and Columbia, Missouri . Significant Ozark cities in Arkansas include Fayetteville , Bentonville , Springdale , Eureka Springs , and Fort Smith . Branson , just north of the Arkansas–Missouri border, is a tourist destination where Ozark culture is popularized. The toponym Ozarks may derive from an English-language adaptation of

6732-437: The northern Ozarks. These three lakes were formed by impounding the Osage River and its tributary the Pomme 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 the Sac River near the city of Stockton, Missouri , and supplements

6831-445: The people for the work of exterminating Captain Fancher's train of emigrants, and I now believe that he was sent for that purpose by the direct command of Brigham Young." On March 23, 1877, Lee was executed by firing squad at Mountain Meadows on the site of the 1857 massacre. His last words included a reference to Young: "I do not believe everything that is now being taught and practiced by Brigham Young. I do not care who hears it. It

6930-417: The person was listed on the 1955 Monument in Harrison, Arkansas , or on the 1990 Monument in Mountain Meadows . During the early morning hours of Monday, September 7, the Baker–Fancher party was attacked, at their Mountain Meadows camp, by as many or more than 200 fighters – Mormon militiamen disguised as Native Americans, and according to some accounts including Paiutes , but this was refuted by some of

7029-489: The plains, some of those left by the wayside, ended up traveling to other destinations in safety. If Missourians had ever been these trains' fellow travelers, none are known to share these Arkansans' fate. The following is a list of those known to have separated themselves before arriving in the Utah Territory: (Various other Arkansas trains are believed to have been associated with the Fancher–Baker party while on their journeys westward, yet they did not perish with them, include

7128-546: The plateau. Released as a feature film in 2010, Winter's Bone received the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival , as well as other awards. Several early and influential country-music television and radio programs originated from Springfield in the 1950s and '60s, including ABC-TV's Ozark Jubilee and The Slim Wilson Show on KYTV . The Clampett clan of The Beverly Hillbillies TV show provide

7227-548: The prominent Roubidoux 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 significant aquifers when present in the subsurface. The source of the sands is considered to be the emerging Wisconsin Dome to the northeast. The Ozark region remained as a subsiding shallow carbonate shelf environment with

7326-508: The property of the dead was reportedly taken by the Native Americans involved, while large amounts of cattle and personal property was taken by the Mormons in Southern Utah. John D. Lee took charge of the livestock and other property that had been collected at the Mormon settlement at Pinto. Some of the cattle was taken to Salt Lake City and traded for boots. Some reportedly remained in the hands of John D. Lee. The remaining personal property of

7425-485: The range existed as an island in the Paleozoic seas. Reef complexes occur in the sedimentary layers surrounding this ancient island. These flanking reefs were points of concentration for later ore -bearing fluids which formed the rich lead - 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 Paleozoic sedimentary rocks and form

7524-560: The region saw hundreds of water-powered timber and grist mills. 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 inefficient water wheels for power; most utilized a dam , millrace and water turbine . During the New Deal , the Civilian Conservation Corps employed hundreds in

7623-575: The region. The Ozarks contain ore deposits of lead , zinc , iron and barite . Many of these deposits have been depleted by historic mining activities, but much remains and is currently being mined in the Lead Belt of southeastern Missouri. Historically, the lead belt around the Saint Francois Mountains and the Tri-State district lead-zinc mining area around Joplin, Missouri , have been important sources of metals. Mining practices common in

7722-402: The region. The Tyson Foods corporation and ConAgra Foods each operates several hundred poultry farms and processing plants throughout the Ozarks. Schreiber Foods has operations throughout southern Missouri. The trucking industry is important to the regional economy, with national carriers based there including J. B. Hunt , ABF , and Prime, Inc. Springfield remains an operational hub for

7821-520: The reservoir created by Norfork Dam . The town of Forsyth, 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 the Buffalo , Elk , Niangua , Gasconade , Big Piney , Current , Jacks Fork , Eleven Point and Meramec rivers. Because of

7920-536: The river zigzags southeasterly into Arkansas forming Bull 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 the North Fork River , a tributary of the White River, in 1941. Additional large lakes in the Ozarks region include Lake of the Ozarks , Pomme de Terre Lake , and Truman Lake in

8019-408: The rivers and streams in the Ozarks have been dammed. Most of the dams in the region were initially built for the dual purpose of flood control and hydropower generation but have also become major economic drivers through recreational use in places such as Branson, Missouri, and Mountain Home, Arkansas. The Army Corps of Engineers among others, operates multiple dams in the Ozarks region. Some of

8118-425: The rolling hills. Although much of the Springfield Plateau has been denuded 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 a peneplain process. The Springfield Plateau drains through wide, mature streams ultimately feeding the White River. The St. Francois Mountains in the northeastern Ozarks are

8217-520: The southern range. Less than a quarter of the region has been cleared for pasture and cropland. Forests that were heavily logged during the early-to-mid-20th century have recovered; much of the remaining timber in the Ozarks is second-growth forest . However, deforestation of frontier forest contributed through erosion to increased gravel bars along Ozark waterways in logged areas; stream channels have become wider and shallower, and deepwater fish habitat has been lost. The numerous rivers and streams of

8316-566: The stories told of Mormons dressed as Natives, and that none of the Native people participated in the Massacre of the wagon train. Family stories tell of being taken by "Indians who washed of their skin and turned white". Seventeen small children, all under the age of seven, survived the Mountain Meadows massacre. Two years after the Massacre, the orphans were returned to their families. The following

8415-405: The story. These children were taken in by local Mormon families. The children were later reclaimed by the U.S. Army and returned to relatives, and there is legend that one girl was not returned and lived out her life among the Mormons. Leonard J. Arrington reports that Brigham Young received a rider at his office on the same day of the massacre. This letter asked Young's opinion on what to do with

8514-574: 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. The Buffalo National River was created by an Act of Congress in 1972 as the nation's first National River , administered by the National Park Service . The designation came after over a decade of battling a proposed Army Corps dam in

8613-447: The surviving children, the oldest of whom was only 6 years of age during the massacre, to today's descendants; some of these stories tell a slightly different tale of the massacre. In 2007, the families/descendants of the surviving children came together in Utah, for the 150th anniversary of the massacre. The family stories were compared and found to be very similar. All of the families agree

8712-488: The survivors. The attackers were positioned in a small ravine southeast of the emigrant camp. As the attackers shot into the camp, the Baker–Fancher party defended itself by encircling and lowering their wagons, along with digging shallow trenches and throwing dirt both below and into the wagons. Seven emigrants were killed during this opening attack and were buried somewhere within the wagon encirclement; sixteen more were wounded. The attack continued for five days, during which

8811-411: The traditional musicians in the Ozarks, the fiddler holds a distinct place in both the community and folklore. 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. In 2007, Gordon McCann, a chronicler of Ozarks folklife and fiddle music for over four decades, donated

8910-599: The trip. The actual date of arrival in Salt Lake City is unknown, but historian Juanita Brooks places the arrival as August 3 or August 4, 1857 based on reports in the Journal History of the LDS Church . The Arkansans arrived in Utah with over 800 head of cattle and were low on supplies when they reached the Salt Lake area, a major resupply destination for overland emigrants. As the different wagon parties traveled across

9009-623: The uplands of the Boston formation, including the Buffalo , Kings , Mulberry , Little Red and White rivers. Topography is mostly gently rolling in the Springfield and Salem plateaus, whereas the Saint Francois Mountains are more rugged. Although the Springfield formation's surface is primarily Mississippian limestone and chert , the Salem Plateau is made of older Ordovician dolomites, limestones, and sandstones. Both are rife with karst topography and form long, flat plains. The formations are separated by steep escarpments that dramatically interrupt

9108-528: The water supply of Springfield in nearby Greene County . The creation of the lakes significantly altered the Ozark landscape and affected traditional Ozark culture through displacement. The streams provided water and power to communities, farms and mills concentrated in the valleys prior to impoundment. 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

9207-447: The women and children. Some children were killed while in their mothers' arms or after being crushed by the butts of rifles or boot heels. The bodies of the dead were gathered and looted for valuables, and were then left in shallow graves or on the open ground. Members of the Mormon militia were sworn to secrecy. A plan was set to blame the massacre on the Indians. The militia did not kill 17 small children who were deemed too young to relate

9306-527: Was a U.S. senator from Oregon. U.S. representatives Mo Udall (D–AZ) and Stewart Udall (D–AZ) and their respective sons, senators Mark Udall (D–CO) and Tom Udall (D–NM) are also descendants. Stewart Udall served as United States Secretary of the Interior under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson . See also the Lee–Hamblin family for a list of more of his noteworthy descendants. John Lee

9405-761: Was a member of the Danites , a fraternal vigilante organization. The Danites were first organized in Caldwell County, Missouri , during the Mormon War . Lee was also an official scribe for the Council of Fifty , a group of men who provided guidance in practical matters to the church, specifically concerning the move westward out of the established areas United States in the east to the Rocky Mountains . After Smith's death, Lee went with Brigham Young and other Latter Day Saints to what

9504-476: Was arrested and tried for leading the massacre. The first trial ended inconclusively with a hung jury , seemingly because of the prosecution's attempt to portray Brigham Young as the true mastermind of the massacre. A second trial in 1876, in which the prosecution placed the blame squarely on Lee's shoulders, ended with his conviction and he was sentenced to death. Lee never denied his own complicity, but claimed he had not personally killed anyone. He said he had been

9603-632: Was later excommunicated from the Church and convicted of mass murder for his complicity in the 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre . He was sentenced to death and, in 1877, was executed by firing squad at the site of the massacre. Lee was born on September 6, 1812, in Kaskaskia , Illinois Territory , and joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1838. He was a friend of Joseph Smith , founder of

9702-456: Was placed at the top of cairn and a large slab of granite was leaned upon the side, with the engraving: Some claim that, in 1861, Young brought an entourage to Mountain Meadows and had the cairn and cross destroyed, while exclaiming, "Vengeance is mine and I have taken a little". The Ozarks The Ozarks , also known as the Ozark Mountains , Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau ,

9801-707: Was reclaimed by the government through the Resettlement Administration during the Great Depression . In 1976, Congress established the Hercules Glades Wilderness , the first of 13 designated wilderness areas in the Ozarks. In 1986, Congress established the Ozark Plateau National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Oklahoma. Protected areas ensure the recovery of endangered and threatened species of animals and plants, including

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