Contains up-to-date information on traveling to the Ozark Mountains and the surrounding areas, with recommendations on lodging, restaurants, regional events, family activities, entertainment, and natural landmarks.

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.

Day hikes and overnights in the breathtaking Ozark Plateau Witness the natural majesty of the Ozarks with this complete and thorough guide to America’s most expansive and beautiful mountain ranges. Seasoned hiking expert Johnny Molloy maps out the best trails in the region, one for every level of hiker. Hikes include: Fort Smith State Park Morgan Mountain Spring Creek and Moccasin Spring Buffalo Wilderness As with all the books in the 50 Hikes series, you’ll find clear and concise directions, easy-to-follow maps, and expert tips for enjoying what each hike has to offer—whether it’s rejuvenating fresh water springs, scenic riverways, or serene glades.

The Ozarks of the mid-1800s was a land of divisions. The uplands and its people inhabited a geographic and cultural borderland straddling Midwest and west, North and South, frontier and civilization, and secessionist and Unionist. As civil war raged across the region, neighbor turned against neighbor, unleashing a generation of animus and violence that lasted long after 1865. The second volume of Brooks Blevins's history begins with the region's distinctive relationship to slavery. Largely unsuitable for plantation farming, the Ozarks used enslaved persons on a smaller scale or, in some places, not at all. Blevins moves on to the devastating Civil War years where the dehumanizing, personal nature of Ozark conflict was made uglier by the predations of marching armies and criminal gangs. Blending personal stories with a wide narrative scope, he examines how civilians and soldiers alike experienced the war, from brutal partisan warfare to ill-advised refugee policies to women's struggles to safeguard farms and stay alive in an atmosphere of constant danger. The war stunted the region's growth, delaying the development of Ozarks society and the processes of physical, economic, and social reconstruction. More and more, striving uplanders dedicated to modernization fought an image of the Ozarks as a land of mountaineers and hillbillies hostile to the idea of progress. Yet the dawn of the twentieth century saw the uplands emerge as an increasingly uniform culture forged, for better and worse, in the tumult of a conflicted era.

This in-depth, native’s-eye view of this varied region, which sprawls from Missouri to Arkansas, gives travelers the best of the Ozarks. The Ozarks has become the destination of choice for music lovers seeking bluegrass jams or classical , foodies of all stripes looking for down-home rib shacks or 5-star cuisine, culture mavens searching out the gems of Branson, and outdoor enthusiasts gliding along lazy rivers snaking among the rolling hills which make this area so beautiful. This in-depth, native's-eye-guide to this varied region sprawling from Missouri to Arkansas will give travelers the best of the Ozarks, flavoring discriminating information with anecdotes and historical facts.

Deep in the Ozarks of Southeast Missouri a battle still raises about a massacre committed on Christmas Day, 1863 in Ripley County, Missouri by members of the 3'rd Missouri State Militia Cavalry led by Major James Wilson. While naysayers state that the "massacre" was nothing more than a rescue mission to free Union troops captured days before by Colonel Timothy Reeves and his 15th Missouri Cavalry, CSA, local historical documents, newspaper articles and military records prove bias on their part, painting a picture of a government cover up and the needless slaughter of men, women and children along with Confederate soldiers on the holiest day of the year. In this Expanded Second Edition the reader will find more photos, newspaper archives and other sources of information that paints a clearer picture of this tragedy.