City Of Branson history

Secession and the politics of the Civil War, 1860–65The coming of the warThe political course of the warMoves toward emancipationSectional dissatisfaction

Slowly civilization began to trickle in from more densely populated areas, and in 1882, a man named Reuben Branson opened a post office and general store in the Ozark Mountains.

Shortly thereafter, starting in 1884, Settlers began moving to the Ozarks after the promise of free land.

Grover Cleveland’s first termThe surplus and the tariffThe public domainThe Interstate Commerce ActThe election of 1888

Tourists came in growing numbers to enjoy the big new lake, the Herschends’ 1890’s Silver Dollar City theme park, and the Trimbles’ new outdoor theater at the Shepherd of the Hills Farm.

In 1894, William Henry Lynch purchased a local cavern that went by the name Marble Cave, switched the name to Marvel Cave, and began charging visitors a fee to tour the cavern.

In 1898 minister Harold Bell Wright relocated to the Ozarks from Kansas and settled in at the homestead of John and Anna Ross.

The men who founded the town of Branson in 1903 were planning an industrial center in the Ozarks that would generate trainload after trainload of logs, lumber, and manufactured products for the outside world, thereby generating a steady income for area residents.

A year later, in 1904, a new bank, livery stable and lodging accommodations started up to service area travelers and fisherman.

College of the Ozarks (1906), where students pay no tuition but work in college industries, is just south, at Point Lookout.

Amazingly, the entire business section of Branson Burned down in August of 1912, but was rebuilt.

The Ozark Beach Dam near Forsyth was built in 1913, producing Lake Taneycomo, which encouraged the growth of the resort community, Rockaway Beach.

The women of Branson, many of whom were employed or helped operate family businesses, organized a Civic League in 1914 and began a decades-long effort to beautify the streets, establish parks, and make life better in their community.

Around 1923 Lizzie McDaniel bought the Ross homestead and opened it as a museum.

By the 1930’s Lake Taneycomo had become an inexpensive vacation spot easily accessible to distant or nearby cities by car and train.

They paid off the debt on the old community building and, in 1936 supplied the land where a new community building was built.

The town’s three hotels – the Commercial, Branson, and Malone (the latter renamed the White River Hotel in 1937) – were catering to vacationers, and neighboring factories and businesses were encouraged to stack their logs, lumber, and bricks so that they looked more tidy.

In the late 1940’s, Hugo and Mary Herschend visited the area from Chicago.

World War IIThe road to warThe United States at warWar productionFinancing the warSocial consequences of the warThe 1944 electionThe new United States role in world affairs

The peak Cold War years, 1945–60The Truman Doctrine and containmentPostwar domestic reorganizationThe Red ScareThe Korean WarPeace, growth, and prosperityEisenhower’s second termDomestic issuesWorld affairsAn assessment of the postwar era

In 1949 Hugo and Mary Herschend bought the Marvel Cave from Mr.

The Presley family was performing in Kimberling City during the late 1950’s.

1959 marked the finish date of the long awaited Table Rock Dam, as well as the first live music show on The Strip, the Baldknobbers Jamboree.

In 1960 the “Shepherd of the Hills” opened its Old Mill Theater at its farmstead.

In 1963 another local musical family, the Presleys, began playing their shows in the Underground Theatre just west of Branson.

In 1967 they built the first live music theatre on Highway 76, which was then on an isolated two-line road west of Branson but is now in the heart of the Entertainment District.

In 1969 the Baldknobbers moved from their location along Lake Taneycomo to their own theater on W 76 Country Blvd.

The Foggy River Boys, who had been performing since 1971 in Kimberling City, moved to Hwy 76 in Branson.

The Herschend family expanded beyond Silver Dollar City and opened White Water in 1980 to help families beat the summer heat.

Lee Wescott opened the first Track Family Fun Parks facility in 1981 with a single go-kart track.

1983 then marked the start of a tremendous boom to Branson visitors.

The Sons of the Pioneers began performing at the Lowe’s theater in 1984.

1985 brought a few more changes as Branson started a tradition that is regularly practiced in current day- Theater hopping.

1986 brought the new Ozark Mountain Amphitheater with an amazing 8500 seats.

In 1988, the first Ozark Mountain Christmas was held and The Factory Merchants Mall opened its doors.

Shortly after in 1989, the Inspiration Tower finished building and opened for tourists.

To add to the 1991 hysteria, Shepherd of the Hills and Ray Stevens started the Ray Stevens Theater.

In 1992, Mel Tillis and Andy Williams each opened their own theaters.

The IMAX first started in Branson in 1993.

In 1997, the Shepherd of the Hills became America’s most performed outdoor drama with its 5,000th show.

In 2008 construction began on the Sight & Sound Theatre, which features Broadway-style productions of Bible stories.

A commercial airport, the first in the country to have been financed entirely with private funds, opened in 2009.

In 2013 they opened Outlaw Run, voted Best New Ride of 2013 worldwide by Amusement Today, which features the world’s first and only double barrel roll on a wooden coaster!

In addition, Ballparks of America, opened in 2016, brings baseball teams to Branson from all over the world to play on its 2/3-size replicas of five iconic American baseball stadiums.

And in 2018, Silver Dollar City opened Time Traveler®, the World’s Fastest, Steepest & Tallest Spinning Coaster, which landed on USA Today’s list of 2018’s Biggest New Coasters.