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Branson History Index

• Branson History (A Word from Louis Darby)
Branson's history is scattered with a fascinating blend of topics: There's the violent past of post-Civil War Baldknobbers, the pastoral scenes and hill folk described by Harold Bell Wright, the development of shows and entertainment uniquely American if not always uniquely Ozarkian.
An Ozark Prayer
by Randy Plummer

I'm sittin' here by Lake Taneycomo
With head full of memories of this,
my home

I could write a book on this place
For many a tourist, and many a face
Has passed through this wonderful haven of fun
And millions of memories these Ozarks have sprung

For who would have thought that this place so rural
One day would make its name 'round the world

These Ozark hills are my true delight
They've much to share with us morning to night

Although we get busy, let's not forget
To thank the Lord for them as time from us slips

These hills here hold such a great mystery
Of things that have been and things that will be
And that's why folks come here year after year
To share the great beauty God's given us here

Oh, I love callin' the Ozarks my home
And watching to see just how much they've grown

And yet so much has stayed the same

God bless the Ozarks in Jesus name

© 1999 Randy Plummer
03/01/08, Mount Branson & Lake Taneycomo. Photo credit, J. Heston. Location: downtown Branson.
"In the hills of life there are two trails. One lies along the higher sunlit fields where those who journey see afar, and the light lingers even when the sun is down; and one leads to the lower ground, where those who travel, as they go, look always over their shoulders with eyes of dread, and gloomy shadows gather long before the day is done....

"In the story, it all happened in the Ozark Mountains, many miles from what we of the city call civilization. In life, it has all happened, many, many times before, in many places. The two trails lead afar. The story, so very old, is still in the telling."

Wright, Harold Bell, The Shepherd of the Hills, The Shepherd of the Hills Historical Society, Inc., 1907.
Editor's note:, Randy Plummer (of the Plummer Family Country Show) has been performing in Branson since 1973. It is with deep appreciation that his composition, An Ozark Prayer, is reprinted here.