ozarks highlands feasibility study: private property owners beware of the feds

.,.,0 z ark s High Iand si;.., National Heritage Area

SUBMITTED BY:

Ozark Action, Inc.710 East Main

West Plains, Missouri 65775

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

• INTRODUCTION PAGE 5

• STUDY AREA BOUNDARY AND DESCRIPTION PAGE 11

BOUNDARY DEFINITION OF STUDY AREA PAGE 12DETERMINING A BOUNDARY PAGE 14

• STUDY AREA HISTORY AND THEMES PAGE 19STUDY AREA TIMELINE OF NATURAL & CULTURAL HISTORY PAGE 21THEME 1: AN ENDURING LAND PAGE 22THEME 2: SETTLEMENT, SELF-SUFFICIENCY, PAGE 28

AND THE QUEST FOR SECURITY

THEME 3: COMMUNITY SURVIVAL THROUGH CREATIVITY PAGE 34AND INNOVATION

• PROPOSED COORDINATING ENTITY, APPROACH, AND PAGE 45

COORDINATION ALTERNATIVES

•APPLICATION OF THE NPS HERITAGE AREA CRITERIA PAGE 53

AND OTHER EMERGING GUIDELINES

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A: "LEGAL REQUIREMENTS"

APPENDIX B: "PUBLIC SUPPORT"

APPENDIX C: "RECOGNIZED IMPORTANT PLACES"

APPENDIX D: "INVENTORY OF CONTRIBUTING RESOURCES"

APPENDIX E: "COORDINATING ENTITY EVALUATION"

APPENDIX F: "DEFINING IMPORTANT TERMS"

Facing Page: The mill at Alley Spring in the Ozark National Scenic RiverwayCover Page: Devils Backbone Wilderness Area

F E A S B I LIT Y S T U 0 Y

Ozarks Highlands National Heritage Area

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8 INTRODUCTION

The National Heritage Area program has been developed by the National Park Service to

celebrate the culture, natural beauty, recreational opportunities, and history of significant

and distinctive regions across the United States. The Missouri Ozarks Highlands, with its

remarkable landscape, history, and people, could become one of those heritage areas.

Yet, much work and civic commitment will be required to determine if this area is worthy

of such designation, ar;d if so to achieve federal designation through Congress which is

required to create a new National Heritage Area. This Feasibility Study summarizes citi-

zen findings and analysis to date. The study outlines possible interpretive themes, along

with opportunities for recreation, education, conservation, and economic development.

We will explore the challenges and ongoing obligations in creating a National Heritage

Area along with possible programmatic alternatives such as seeking designation as a State

Heritage Area.

But, underlying all of this investigation, the most important and compelling question is:

What is it about the land, people, history and culture of the Ozarks Highlands that makes it

nationally-significant for all Americans and a valued place for residents past and future?

UNDERSTANDING OUR LAND AND CULTURE

"Struggle" and "survival", "isolation" and "the quest for a secure life" .'These are some

of the stories and terms that residents involved in writing this study use to define their

own history. During five years of public input guided by Ozark Action Inc. and dedicated

volunteers, dozens of narratives for a potential National Heritage Area have emerged.

This study lays out three interwoven themes embracing this unique landscape, history

and culture-all of which bring new insight to the role of the Ozarks Highlands in the

American story.

Facing Page: Current River in Shannon County

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This cnepter provides abrief description of thearea and an overviewof the study's purpose,history, and legalrequirements. This chapteralso describes the publicinvolvement strategyand outcomes includingthe themes and heritageresource inventory.

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Above: Log Cabin reconstruction in Ripley County.

DEFINING NATIONAL HERITAGE AREAS AND

PROPERTY RIGHTS

This area is not a National Heritage Area, this document isonly a study to determine whether or not this area can po-tentially be a heritage area, and only a step in a long processwith continuous public input.

National Heritage Areas (NHA's) foster grassroots col-laboration to sustain local economies without govern-mental land ownership or control. Because they are basedaround preservin.g stories, NHA's mark the cutting edgeof preservation. Begun in the 1970s, there are now overforty National Heritage Areas ranging from the HudsonRiver Valley to the newly-designated Freedom's Frontier inwestern Missouri and eastern Kansas.

One way to understand this evolving program is to askwhat National Heritage Areas are not. They are not con-trolled from Washington, DC. They are also not a NationalPark, not a National Monument, not a National Forest, noreven an administered unit of the National Park Service. Noland is owned or managed by the National Park Service un-der this program. Their involvement is as an advisor to anindependent group that is located in the region. Every newNational Heritage Area has included this Private PropertyProtection Clause in its enabling legislation:

''Nothing in this Management Plan shall be construed torequire a'!)' private property owner to permit public access(including Federal, State, or local government access) tosuch private property. Nothing in this Management Planshall be construed to modify a'!)' provision oj Federal,State, or local law Jvith regard to public access to or useoj private lands. "

In short, this policy means that the National Heritage Areacannot force people into the program and cannot seizeprivate property in any way. Concerns over property rightsare understandable in the Ozark region given the eventsseveral decades ago of federal land seizures to create scenicwaterways forest areas.

The NHA program is led and managed by area residents. Itis intended as a voluntary partnership that helps citizens tosteward the regional ecologies, historic resources, and localeconomies that they best understand. It is hoped that thosewho are concerned about private property protection jointhis effort so their concerns can be addressed.

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SUMMARY OF THE STUDY TO FOLLOW

After this Introduction, the Feasibility Study will includethe following chapters as recommended by National ParkService Guidelines:

Chapter 2: "Study Area Boundary and Description"asks hGWnatural history, regional isolation and humanset1!lementskapeel eeonemis.growth, arts, a1'10 culnase eyerthe generatiorrs and lays out alternative possible boundar-ies that were considered for Ozarks Highlands NationalHeritage Azea. The chapter includes information on theaemogmaplliksand eCO!il0myof tKe area toaay and recem-mends a preferred boundary with alternatives.

Above: Defined Study Area

Chapter 3:' "Theme" explores the natural history of theregion that shaped topography, rivers, and soils. We thenconsider the effects that this naturallegacy had on humanciii1tw'erangrng from Native Americans to American ellPan-sion, the location of mills, towns, mines and farming. Italso describes three themes that crystallize the culture andlandssapes ef the Ozarks Highlands, why they are uniqueia the world, and how they have national significance inthe American story. Between 2006 and 2010, Ozark Actionconducted meetings in each county with groups such ashistotical/gtmealGgfcal societies, atts organizations, com-munity development groups, Native American communitiesand social service agencies to gather input on themes forthe peteatia] Heritage Area. The themes that are emerg-ing embrace the history of the land, its impact on culturalisolation with associated challenges, and the genesis of adistinctive and inventive culture. Three broad themes thatemel1gethat can be summarized as:

Theme 1: An Enduring Land

Theme 2: Settlement, Self-sufficiency, and the Questfor Security

Theme 3: Community Survival through Creativity andInnovation

'Fhe long-term educational and interptetive goal for the Na-tional Heritage Area pwgram is that visitors and residentswill understand how the culture and accomplishments ofthe Ozarks }i!Iighlandscould only happeJ1lhere and nowhereelse. This chapter examines the feasibility ef achievingthese goals and related interpretation. We will explore theresources available and the inherent challenges of reveal-ing them and making them accessible to bread audiences.Everyone from young students growing up here to visitorswho came for a river trip, can one day understand how-inthe OZaFks-ge0graphy, human history, and innovation areinter-related.

F E A S S T U D YB L T YOzarks Highlands National Heritage Area

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Above: One-room schoolhouse, Shannon County.

Chapter 4: "Coordination Alternatives" describes andevaluates the alternatives for management, funding, andinvestment tJr..ieritizatiofl..Ft0m'Gitizea i1'1pu!,we outline ~,their strengths and weaknesses and recommend the stron-gest alternative. Such possibilities for future managementapproaches include

Chapter 5: "Application of the NPS Heritage AreaCriteria and Other Emerging Guidelines" evaluates thefeasibility a1<l@suitability of congressional designation ofthe study area as a National Heritage Area according to thefour steps and ten criteria identified in the National ParkService's "Draft National Heritage Area Feasibility StudyGuidelines" (NRS 2eJ03). I1'l addition, this chapter will C01'1-sider emerging guidelifles and best practices and how theycan be applied to this study area.

No action at allSeeking to achieve a National Heritage Area desig-nation£eciking tG cseate a State Herltage NeaSeeking recognition as a National Recteation Areawithout any other heritage designationOther options blending public and private pro-grams

If the residents of the Ozarks Highlands choose to pursueNational Heritage Area designation, they w.illlikelypursuea Management Plan that demonstrates in detail how theregion meets the following ten criteria. Chapter 5 will weigh

. the challenges and.feasibility of meeting each of thesecriteria.

The chapter also 'e';'aluates.coordinating entity options forthe National Heritage Area alternative. Ultimately, the feasibility study will recommend that the

region is worthy of National Heritage Area designation, ifdesired and promered further. We will also discuss chal-lenges and next steps in strengthening the region's ability tomeet each of the criteria.

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STUDY APPENDICES

In order to document the process to date and to gather in-formation supporting the feasibility of a National HeritageArea designation, this report concludes with five appendi-ces:

Appendi?"A typically lists ,~'Legal Requirements" that guidethis study including public laws, mandates and other l~galdocuments, Feasibility studies can-be enacted by Congressand.would be reflected in this appendix, but as a locallysponsored NHA feasibility, study through Ozark Action,"Inc. there is no direct legal mandate which guided this.'study, ' ' ':l', ''''. ," '\ ,-" ',.

'i.Appendix B documents "Public Support" including' a listof organizations tha! have participatedin the study,clet}ersof support and/or commitment to work together to fur-ther the area ,in ,a~hieVing the vision, reselutions to supportthe designation of a National Heritage Area designation,

, specific input from r~side~ts that shaped and informedthe assessment,organized by workshop" surveys, letters

)1 ", 'orphone calls llstfnded):o inforJn the assessment by.the

trib t r. ",~, ' ,con U O. ~.II~~~t" f ~

..·~f

'1\ppendix Clists "Recognized Important Places" includinga!l,regional, state.or federal listings for the National Regis-ter of 1{istoriC';P[~ces, NationalLandmarks and National' ,Natural Landmarks; This appendix includes all contributingcultural landscapes that have been identified 'and assessed,recognized archeological sites and; significant features thatspeak to the uniqueness of theplace, '

Appendix.D lists an "Inventory of Contributing Resourc-es" identified through the public process that speak specifi-cally to the }D;v:eraEc~g theme and the sub-themes:

Appendix !Edocuments ,"Cb0tdinating Eptity Evaluation"by including the requests for information from prospec-tive applicants, .selection process and factors 'consideredand a letter from the Regional Director of the National". I: . ~Park Service if one of the applicants meets the capab\lityrequirements should the area move forward in the designa-tion process.

Appendix Fprovides working definitions for documentter'minology by "Defining Important Terms,"

F E A S B L T Y S T U D Y

Ozarks Highlands National Heritage Area9

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o STUDY AREA BOUNDARY AND DESCRIPTION

This chapter proposes a boundary for the proposed Ozarks Highlands National Heritage

area reflecting the distinct role that it has played in national history. For practical purposes,

this boundary defines the area where Congressionally-appropriated ational Heritage Area

funds can be spent.

Citizen input over the last several years along with research studies provide a wealth of

ideas for criteria for choosing boundaries. Many cultural geographers have discussed how

long-term residents achieve a "sense of place" and a "sense of region." Enduring place

names, geographic features such as rivers, and ethnic settlement patterns can all make one

region recognized as distinct from another.

Regions such as the Ozarks Highlands can be scaled and delineated in many ways. Through-

out the public input process in 2010, area citizens continually defined their home region

through natural resources, events, and stories. The following sections describe how the

thirteen counties chosen for the Ozarks National Heritage Area share important cultural and

geographic qualities unique to this region. As will be discussed further in chapter five, the

unity and intactness of themes, stories, and historic resources and these thirteen counties'

support the identified themes and National Heritage Area guidelines for inclusion.

Facing Page: Grand Gulf State Park, Oregon County

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L T YOzarks Highlands National Heritage Area

This chapter describesthe proposed boundaryfor the National HeritageArea, as well as alternativeboundaries that wereconsidered. The rationaleand process by which thepreferred boundary waschosen is described infurther detail.

The chapter also providesthe demographic andsocioeconomic highlightsof the proposed NationalHeritage Area boundaries.

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THE STUDY AREA BOUNDARY

Above: The Study Area.

Using the rationale derived from citizen feedback andcriteria established for National Heritage Areas, the studyarea boundary shall include all of the following counties inthe State of Missouri: Carter, Dent, Douglas, Howell, Iron,Oregon, Ozark, Reynolds, Ripley, Shannon, Texas, Wayne,and Wright counties.

F E A S L S T U D YB T Y

12Ozarks Highlands National Heritage Area

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F E A S B L T Y S T U 0 YOzarks Highlands National Heritage Area

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DETERMINING A BOUNDARY

In response to the National Park Service guidelines for aNational Heritage Area Feasibility Study, one of the coreconcepts is that a conceptual boundary map is supportedby the public. Ideally, the boundary should best meet theNPS Heritage Area criteria outlined in chapter 5.

The process for determining a boundary was initiallydiscussed during the initial report prepared by OzarkAction, Inc. '54 Rep011on Traditional Artistic Activi!J in theSouth-Central and Southeast Missouri Ozarks and the Possibilityof Pursuing National Heritage Area Status "in 2007. This studydid provide the opportunity to further explore options fora National Heritage Area, as well as advantages and disad-vantages for each. Although this study did not meet civicengagement requirements, it provided a framework forunderstanding the core direction and values of the heritagearea, and provided a direction for conceptual boundaries.The discussion of the study area boundary was a criticalcomponent of the civic engagement process, done in tan-dem with thematic development

After applying National Park Service guidelines for aNational Heritage Area. The boundary considerations areframed into two formats: scaleand delineation.The first,scale, is a broad-based review of the overall geographicsize of the National Heritage Area. A smaller area maynot encompass all of the areas reflected in the themes andresources, and may not have enough relevance to be anarea of national significance. A larger area may incorporatea wealth of significant features such as natural forms orcultural ethos but also may not have enough homogeneityto provide one consistent case thatlit is a cohesive, nation-ally important landscape arising fro~n patterns of humanaCtlV1ty. I

The second, delineation, refers to the organizing elementsthat frame the boundaries of the area. These can be naturalfeatures such as rivers and watersheds, transportation net-works, topography, or endemic species locations, culturalfeatures such as ethnic homelands, colonial culture hearths,or economic activities; or political features such congressio-nal districts or county lines. These delineations can framethe area exclusively or in combination with one another.The overall intent is to provide a logical basis supported bythe public to describe the resources and themes that definethe region itself, define the region uniquely from surround-ing regions, and define the region unique to anywhere elsein America.

[There is an] Incredible amountof biodiversity here.... On theeastern edge nof the study area]where the Mississippi alluvialvalley meets the (harks escarp-ment it's an ecotonal regionand you've got the resources ofboth. They are very, very dif-ferent environments. You've gottheMi§sissiPPi Valley with theriver and bottomland swamphardwood and you've got theOzarks.

~Dr. CindJ Price, Archeologist,US Forest Service, (Retired)

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Ozarks Highlands Nation~1 Heritage Area

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BOUNDARY SCALES CONSIDERED

Core ScaleThe core scale provides the most homogenous cultural andnatural features that could effectively meet the NationalHeritage Area criteria. This area would be centered aroundthe highlands of the Current, Eleven Point, and SpringRiver watersheds.

Positives: This scale is relatively homogenous in regardscultural history, so it would be fairly easy to formulate a sin-gle, coherent account of how its cultural history fits withinthat of the nation as a whole. A case can be brought thatthis area is the clearest exemplar of a specific meta-regionalculture - that of the Anglo-American Upland South - withsome distinctive elements of its own (e.g., material cultureassociated with Current River folklife, etc.). These threeriver watersheds are also closely associated with federallyrecognized natural resources in the Ozark National ScenicRiverways and the Eleven Point National Wild and ScenicRiver. This could be a natural! cultural expression similar toother riparian focused National Heritage Areas.

Negatives: If the cultural focus is exclusively devoted toAnglo-American Upland Southern culture with an empha-sis on traditional artistic activity the core scale wouldn'tbe sufficiently distinctive to warrant its designation asa Heritage Area. During civic engagement, themes andstories such as riparian culture, environmental devastationand historic protections, and community self-reliance wereexpressed across a much wider region.

Above: The boundary scales considered for the feasibility study.

Regional ScaleThe regional scale includes a larger region of comparablenatural and cultural features across the eastern MissouriOzarks.

Positives: This scale incorporate elements of the culturalhistory of the Missouri Ozarks Highlands that significantlydifferentiate this region from other regions of the UplandSouth or Ozarks. Themes and stories identified duringcivic engagement found a high degree of commonalitythroughout the region. Natural resources are also similaras a concentration of sparsely developed rugged uplandwatersheds.

Negatives: By incorporating a "middle-option" it providesneither the cultural homogeneity of a core scale nor thepalette of options and resources available to a larger scale.

Physiographic ScaleThe physiographic scale identifies the most comprehensivescale that encompasses a distinct natural and cultural area:the entire Ozark Plateau and Ozarks culture.

Positives: By incorporating the entire Ozark Plateau, thestory of the Ozarks could be comprehensively told as aunique cultural contribution to the national story. This alsocould provide opportunities to interpret the many distinc-tive features of the Ozarks Anglo-American Upland Southculture. By incorporating larger population bases suchas Springfield, Branson, and Bentonville there is a muchmore greater opportunity for finding sustainable fundingsources in the region. Other National Heritage Areas haveincorporated distinct themes without interpretive overlap.With broader themes, there is more of an opportunity tocelebrate more stories.

Negatives: Although "Ozark Culture" has been traditionallyused to describe this region as a whole, there are notablecultural and natural differences throughout in the OzarkPlateau: particularly between upland and lowland areas,North and South, densely and sparsely populated areas, andlake culture vs. stream culture. This region would also beover 300 miles across making it a challenge to craft inter-pretive connections, provide comprehensive civic engage-ment, and facilitate assistance in a balanced manner acrossthe whole of the region.

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There has been a divergence of natural and cultural identityover different areas of the Ozarks. The western Ozarkshas seen an influx of population since the 1950s, and manyexisting interpretations of Ozark culture in the westernOzarks are different from those described in the civicengagement process to the east. The cultural identity as a"Missourian" and "Arkansan" being different was repeatedby many in the engagement process as well. The themesidentified in Chapter 3 are highly interwoven expressionsof a region that would not necessarily apply at a physio-graphic scale.

-.In .:th~,.i{)rverCurren"t~iver:'v~b:"'"ley, bdowVanBurentthepresen'ceof larger commercial farms andsome farms .considered plantationsmarked a contrast from the upper

,Curre~tI selpsufficietl~%t:/ljbeef.~I.,nomic difference rejlectsachangein geography;for theCurreni/Riverwidened in the south and createdwider more fertile alluvial valleys.

-Donald L SteiJi!tis,jr.''A Homeland and a HinterlantiJacks Fork Rivenvqys. "

BOUNDARY DELINEATIONS CONSIDERED

County DelineationThe county delineation approach identifies counties withinthe region that contain resources which reflect the themesdeveloped in the civic engagement process.

Positives: There is a strong affiliation to county in the civicengagement process. Stories are often described and clari-fied by describing which county a person came from orwhere a natural resources is located.

Negatives: County lines were not developed to express cul-tural boundaries and in many instances do not correspondto natural boundaries.

Watersheds DelineationThis delineation uses hydrological watersheds as an orga-nizing tool to define the region.

Positives: The engagement process proffered many con-nections to rivers around the region, which offers a logicalnatural organizational feature through watersheds. As adessicated plateau, the natural resources in the region havebeen significantly affected by the hydrological forces overtime.

Negatives: The watershed is not necessarily a logical orga-nizing element to express river stories. Stories and themesrelating to the river are generally located on or alongsidethe river or stream in question, whereas a watershed bound-ary can be miles away. A watershed would also includegeographically and culturally contrasting upstream highlandand downstream lowland areas.

Geographic DelineationThe delineation can correspond to the Ozark Plateau in-cluding the eastern Salem Plateau and St. Francois Moun-tains.

Positives: This is one of the more effective methods ofproviding a natural organizational entity to the region with-out utilizing a watershed approach.

Negatives: Many in the civic engagement process had neverheard of the term "Salem Plateau" and did not feel it bestidentified their region.

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Above: The watersheds of the region (shown as a brown boundary) can also be viewed as an alternative delinator of the study boundary. Theirelevated position in the Ozarks highlands, however, may be better expressed through the highlighted county delineation.

Cultural DelineationThis delineation attempt to form a boundary throughcultural boundaries instead of natural or political boundar-ies by definiting a Missouri Anglo-American Upland Southcultural area.

Positives: Opportunity to formulate a single, coherentaccount of how the cultural history fits within that of thenation as a whole.

egatives: The cultural history of the region arguablydiffers enough (Native American, German, and EasternEuropean cultural stories are prevalent through the region)to make the account of the cultural history more complexthan necessary as a boundary delineator. It is also a chal-lenge to define with precision where a culture "begins" and"ends." This approach may have the unintended conse-quence of appearing culturally exclusive of other stories.

, Preferred. Delineation: County Approach.':rilie<county approach offers an effective method of defin-ing a distinct natural resource area including upland riversand topography as well. as a cultural identifier. Countyorgaruz"ation also facilitates support from political entitieswithin the region as has been shown in the initial publicsupport included in Appendix B.

Again, the study area boundary and recommendations areonly a propoal. If continued civic engagement identifies aresources outside the proposed study boundary, a possiblesolution may be found through means other the COW1.tyapproach, such as including only a watershed in that county(i.e. the entire X River watershed located in Y County) orroadways (i.e. the area north of X Highway).



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o STUDY AREA HISTORY AND THEMES

Different maps ask different questions-and as we have seen, there are many ways to map

the Ozarks region. In developing historic themes and a Statement of National Significance

there are also many ways to document and map the region's human history.

We can consider the breadth of natural history including the volcanic uplift, glacial advances,

and erosive forces that shaped the land. Taking this ecological-historical approach, we ask

how soils, plants, animal species and water tables shaped the location of early settlement

and trails.

If we look at the history of modern settlement and immigration, we can compare the

relative isolation of the Ozarks with more rapidly growing and densely populated 18th,

19th, and 20th century settlement areas. We can ask why settlers stayed or moved around

the Ozarks Highlands.

The study area's history and themes can be viewed as a "story ecosystem," a web of stories

that lead up to, include and inspire the culture today. In this approach, no one theme stands

alone, but instead they are related as a network that is both self-contained and connected

to larger national trends.

After a broad and continuing civic engagement process, this chapter describes the story

that is uniquely local that contributes to our nation's story. These themes collectively set this

landscape apart from any other and help to tell a story that "could only happen here."

Facing Page: Forged hunting devices in the Current River Heritage Museum

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B L T YOzarks Highlands National Heritage Area

This chapter explores thenatural history of the regionthat shaped topography,rivers, and soils. It thenconsider the effects that thisnatural legacy had on humanculture ranging from NativeAmericans to Americanexpansion, the location ofmills, towns, mines andfarming. It also describesthree themes that crystallizethe culture and landscapesof the Ozarks Highlands, whythey are unique in the world,and how they have nationalsignificance in the Americanstory.

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Above: The east fork of the Black River in Johnson's Shut-ins StatePark. This park'S unique landscape and rugged beauty is an excel-lent example of a potential contributing site to the "Enduring Land"theme described in this chapter.Source: www.missouristateparks.net. retrieved December 7, 2010

The three themes developed from civic engagement arehighly interwoven concepts. "The Enduring Land" de-scribes the natural history and resources of the regionbefore and after human impact, "Settlement, Self-sufficien-cy, and the Quest for Security" are the unique stories ofisolation and settlement before the late 19th century and"Community Survival through Creativity and Innovation"are the cultural impacts that emerged from the life in theregion from the late 19th century to the mid 20th century.

These themes can alternatively be described under onemeta-theme: the unique Ozarks highlan.ds landscapedirected who would come here, who would settle here, andhow they would live their lives. How and why this occurredis the story worth expressing though a National HeritageArea.

The pages to follow describe the themes in further detail,as well as outline some contributing story arcs or "sub-themes" that can be pursued.

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STUDY AREA TIMELINE OF NATURAL AND CULTURAL HISTORY

~,0~•...~. I

~~

>< 1100 A.D.~.

0E-<

1300sr:•...::c~ 1500~<~ 1700

ISOLATED NATIVE AMERICAN SETTLEMENT INTO THE REGION

ARCHEOLOGICAL "DEAD ZONE" (C. 1350) WITH NO EVIDENCE OF REGIONAL SETTLEMENT

OSAGE SETTLEMENT IN THE 1700s RE-ESTABLISHES ARCHEOLOGICAL RECORD

b~tJISI:A:NA' PtJReHAsE{1803}1· ..•••••.-..-"".-~.-'"

EARL-Y EURCl-AM~RICAN SE'FTLEMENT 0,N EASTERN FRINGES OF THE OZARKSco: '; '. ~. ~. " ,-(it .""" q '<'~

MISS@lJRI STATEHOQD (182\J)

FIRST TIMBER MILLS APPEAR ON THE GASCONlIDE RIvER)f;.. .'. :-:,'/ .: ~ ,

TRAIL OF 'fEARS BRINGS CHEROKEE, SHAWNEE, AND DELAWARE TO THE AREA

, 1840

.,:FlJGITIVES & SLAVES REL.OCATE; OR MQVE THRQUGH REGION",""'",'~"~ .. ' .J.: .' <'J. . ~ :, .' •

.' ,w,- 1860 i, Civ,I~ 'WNt- BA:rTLlis, SImU.1ISHES, AND ffi\IDS RAVAGE COUNTRYSIDE AND 'POPULATION

EARLY RAILROM> CONsliRUCTION TO THE REGION

"LE~ ~b Ikot MININ~, TiMBER HAiVESTING BEGINS ON ~ INDtJS;RIAL SCALE

. SE'I;1~ERS DRAWNI:t;'1,TO ~INES AND MILLS [0/ THE REGION

EXTENS1VKGRIST MIIl:; CONSTRWCTI0N @N AREA STREAMS

VERY LIl'>1;FfEDELECDRIFICATIQN AND TELEPHONE SERVICE BEGINS

1900 FRUIT AND ORCHARD PRODUCTION ON LARGE SCALE ON CLEARED LANDSCAPE

WHOLESALE HABITAT DESTRUCTION AND EARLY PEAK OF HUMAN POPULATION

1910 LARGE TIMBER COMPANIES LEAVE, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEVASTATION

TRANSITION FROM FARMING TO RANCHING WITH INTRODUCTION OF FESCUE GRASS

1920 ALDO LEOPOLD'S WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES BEGIN IN THE AREA

OPENING OF HIGHWAYS BRINGS FIRST TOURISTS TO REGION

1930 GREAT DEPRESSION

START OF FOREST SERVICE MANAGEMENT, MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION

EXTENSIVE CCC WORK IN THE REGION DURING THE DEPRESSION

1940 WORLD WAR II AND TRANSFORMATION OF REGION BY RURAL ELECTRIFICATION,

PAVED ROADS. CASHLESS ECONOMY AND BARTERING ENDS

1950 OAK-HICKORY FORESTS COVER MUCH OF THE REGION'S LANDSCAPE

1960 "GOLDFIRE" ARMY EXERCISE UTILIZES RUGGED LANDSCAPE AS A TRAINING RESOURCE

ESTABLISHMENT OF OZARK NATIONAL SCENIC RIVERWAYS PROVIDES JOBS BUT DISPLACES RESIDENTS.

1970


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F E A S

SUB-THEMEA Geological Region of Lasting Importance

The region is one of many superlative natural features. Therivers and springs emerging from the karst topography areof a pristine condition celebrated both by locals, visitors,and by the NPS. The Ozark National Scenic Riverways isone of many such features.

There are over two-hundred endemic species of plants andanimals in the area that are protected in over one hundredconservation areas throughout the region. The Grand Gulfis a dramatic expression of karst topography. Big Spring isone of the largest single outlet springs in the world.

It is also a rugged land untouched by glaciation, contain-ing the oldest mountains in the country, the St. FrancouisMountains, which are a pre-cambrian formation primarilyconsisting of distinctive rhyolite outcrop pings and granites.

Although the natural beauty and recreational opportunitiesis extensive in this region and has the appearance of beinguntouched by human activity, this is not to imply that thelandscape of the Ozarks is the exact same condition aspre-settlement. Indeed, the open pine savannah landscapeprior to logging has largely returned as an Oak-Hickoryforest. Nor does it imply that the landscape shall refrainfrom change. A group of local farmers commented on thechanging landscape of the region during civic engagement:

Ms. Clarkston believes that noxious and/ or invasivespecies are increasingjy a problem. Many non-native spe-cies have proliferated here in recentyears. AdditionallY,many native plants that once relativelY controllable, suchas blackberries, are becoming more diffimlt to contain be-cause dimate change has made conditions more favorable

for them. This makes management of farmland morechallenging. Blackberries have been especiallY problem-atic on Ms. Clarkson s property latelY - very diffimltto keep in check. Mr. Clark notes that the proliferationof armadillos during the time he's lived here has been asignificant part of that phenomenon. Knapn/eed, muskthistle, other noxious weeds that mere unknOJvn here asrecentlY as the 70s are creating difficulties now, accordingto Mr. Flowers.

-Civic Engagement Discussion with David Melton,Terry Flowers, Anita Carter Clarkston, and DavidClark - Houston, Missouri, August 24,2010

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This theme offers an opportunity to interpret the dynamicnature of a landcape that-although enduring, remains inconstant change. This can be interpreted in unique ways:for example, the Missouri Forest Resource Assessment and Strate-gy predicts the White Oak population will be reduced in theregion in the future. This are can potentially interpret theaffects of natural change on traditional crafts and folklifein such things as white oak basketry and in constructingwooden tools and crafts.

, '-, ',- ' .. , ..",. ""'.'-":-,

As. ctn.b.u:tsidert~~CunIqr.tutia~~.",.,stereotyp~",cofnes'tomind of th~yardclutte/ed'"with cast~o1fsand dirty -children running around. BUt" thatis not the Ozarks.L'see the "Ozwks"now asfloating on the Northforkand jamilies enjoying what naturehas too!ff!(.

-H?;vell Counry, Miss()1~: resident ~7'vicengagementresponse)

Above: Below 'The Narrows" in Ozark County, a landscape fre-quently mentioned in civic engagement sessions.

Figure 3.7 USFSClimate Change Tree Atlas:Current and Predicted Future Distribution of Two Select Tree Species

C:;;e;urc .• , Pra, ••d 20(9)

CUlTBnt Modeled Distribution

\VblteOak

Predicted Future Habitat SuitabUity",vitl!.Improved Fossil Fuel Conservation

Source: Missouri Forest Resource Assessment and Strategy


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Page 542

SUB-THEME

Extraction, Devastation, and Recovery of the Land

What makes this land also unique is that it has enduredthrough a dramatic imprint of human activity.

The history of farming, logging, milling, and mining hashad a significant natural and economic impact on the

=s=»

In the late 19th century, the landscape of the Ozarks High-lands began to change radically with the industrial-scaleextraction enterprises that supplied the rest of the countrywith needed resources, particularly lumber, pulpwood,lead, and iron. Some of the largest lead mines in the worldwere located in this region for over fifty years. The Mis-souri Ozarks would be known as the world's foremost leaddistrict, producing an estimated 70 to 90 percent of theUnited States' primary supply. These activities transformedthe land through clearcutting, mining spoils, and increasedhuman settlement.

Resource extraction sometimes conveys a negative stereotype,but it is important to note that in interpretation there are no"good" or "bad" stories. There are often multiple perspectivesof the same story that are acknowledged. The economic impactof many industries provided many people the means to emergefrom a life of self-sufficiency, for ecample. The purpose of thistheme is to describe industry's significant impact on this region,and also how when some industrial practices left environmentaldevastation the landscape recovered through natural succession,human adaptation, and conservation practices. For example:after the large-scale clearcutting of the pine forests ended in1910, the landscape has recovered and endured in many areas.By describing and interpreting how the landscape has changedover time through human impact and uncovering the scars lefton the landscape for future generations the story of the areacan be further understood.

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Page 543

Above: The Grandin Mill c. 1906 in Carter County. This mill andothers utilized logging practices that left the countryside denuded oftrees.Source: That's the Way it Was, Thelma McManus, Acclaim Press 2008 Above: Abandoned quarry at Elephant Rocks State Park

The loss of so many treesthrough unbridled lumber-ing, however, damaged thenatural and thus the culturalhabitat of the traditionalhomeland.

Ozark N.S.R Historic ResourceStudyDeforestationand the Rise of ModernRecreation

Above: Yellow pine logging activities.Source: Ozark NSR: A Homeland and a Hinterland, http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/ozar/hrst.htm retrieved December22,2010.



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SUB-THEMEThe Conservation Ethic

Above: Natural resources profile with several resources higlighted.

The area has a large number of conservation areas, wilder-ness areas, parks, public forests, and protected riverways.This is a reflection and result of the conservation move-ment that effected this region. This includes Aldo Leo-pold's conservation programs to restore native animalspeCIes.

The establish of Ozark protections on the natural land-scape and the legacy that followed. For example, the estab-lishment of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways protectedand preserved the natural character of the upper CurrentRiver and provides jobs and recreation opportunities, but italso utilized practicces that forced people off their propertyand reinforced a distrust of federal authority for many. Themultiple viewpoints of conservation on this landscape canbe explored through this sub-theme.

fFher:etlr~~Jstories!'CJbo~:t~hfi~"Wdppened when the Park Service created.the.scenic hverways, Tku;ydid;dt", ..recognize the ZocalpeojJZe,_'Ihey toredownschool~andclisp.laced fami- .··li~~,'lt·wa.sthe·njOvfeoh' $ftanfz'r/r{"Comity by Bob Flanders/Lynn Mot: .row!others tha{'tnqaeitd~ar.dQoutthe value oftherivirsas dpationalheritage.

-Reynolds COl!.'!t:y,Missputitespo1!se} ." .. . ":;

F E A S S T U D YB L T Y


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J

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•• .md~ natives o/"this area, like ma~ Missourians'c\l"i11.2'i!!,?c.;.,r"C,;lilthroughout the state, are very conscious oj its having ,been apart oj the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 and ofit'Sr:olein:tbe westwm:a expansion oj the United States.Thry regard the earlY-19th-century Anglo-Americansettlement of th,earea as part of a distinct and com-parativelY latephase ofAnglo-Amen'can migrationwithin what is now considered the Upland South .....It represented a newfrontier, a sitefor the creation of afuture as much asfor the preservation of apast.

-A Report on Traditional ArtislicActiviEY in the SOltth,Central andS outbeast Miss.dllfi Ozarks and tbe Possibilit:yof PIIrr/!ingNational

Heritage Area S lair". By Matt Meacham witb gllidancefrom KotbltmMorriss,y,']JJigh A,dams.p,d members of-'tbe West Plains .COIInalon the

. ". ;:-,11 . ""

" Ans. West PlaillS. Missollri. Slimmer 2007. p.5

This theme describes the effects that the land had on limit-ing settlement to isolated pockets in the region-a-and howisolationaffected theirrelationship with the outside world

(' . -*",,:~,~, .up to the late 19th century Willi the arrival ofrailtoads andindustry.

Although there is archeological evidence of settlement pri-or to the 14th century, there was an archaeological "gap" oftime where no settlement evidence has been disccovered.Isolated settlements appeared again with the movement ofthe Osage in the late 18th century to the Ozarks HigWands.

In the early 19th century, the Ozarks were part of the"frontier"-quite literally, the front tier of lands beingsettled by Euro-American citizens and new immigrantsfrom eastern and southern states. Yet the region is unusualin that many of these original settlers stayed; and theircustoms, dialects, and self-sufficiency endured and adaptedwith the land. In the case of the Trail of Tears, a chapterthat is increasingly told as part of the Ozarks story, there isnow significant representation of Native American ethnic-ity in the region.

Personal security was also dramatically affected by theAmerican Civil War. The isolated, rugged nature of thisregion led to a very different style of warfare that led to thenear total depopulation of the Ozarks Highlands. Above: Recently commemorated Confederate memorial in Mans-

field. Missouri.



Page 547

Contributing Sites and Activities Related to this ThemeSite Name County City AccessCarter County Historical Society Carter Van Buren PublicLog Cabin

Area Courthouses Varous

Coward's Hollow Natural Area Carter Public

Hidden Log Cabin Museum Carter Van Buren Public

Pioneer Museum Carter Ellsinore Public

Topaz Mill Douglas Private

Fort Davidson State Historic Site Iron Public

Ulysses S. Grant Monument Iron Ironton Public

Boze Mill Spring Oregon Public

Falling Spring and Mill Oregon Public

Irish Wilderness Oregon Public

Kelly Cave Oregon Public

Turners Mill Oregon Public

DawtMili Ozark Public

Gammond Mill Ozark Public

Hodgson Mill Ozark Public

Rockbridge Mill Ozark Public

Zanoni Mill Ozark Private

Pioneer Heritage Homestead Ripley Doniphan Public

Akers Ferry Shannon Public

Alley Spring Grist Mill Shannon Public

Texas County Missouri Historical & Texas Houston PublicMilitary Museum

Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Wright Mansfield PublicCompany

Laura Ingalls Wilder Home and Wright Mansfield PublicMuseum

Battle of Hartville Interpretive Wright Hartville PublicPanels

Note: The list of contributing sites andactivities related to all themes is notintended as a exclusive list of everypossible contributing site. There maybe a number of additional locationsthat have contributions to themes andstories if the area is acknowledgedas a National Heritage Area, andcontibuting sites can interpret multiplethemes.

Additionally, with interpretive andeducational development there maybe opportunities to showcase parts ofthe NHA's story in alternative locationssuch as area restaurants, lodgings,businesses that wish to VOluntaryinterpret a part of the NHA's story.

F E A S D YB L T Y S T U


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Page 548

SUB-THEME

Off the Path, On the River

During the early to mid 19th-century Westward expansionthe Ozarks Highlands had an experience that was quite dif-ferent from other parts of the frontier.

A vast majority of settlers bypassed the Ozarks Highlandsgiven the option of selecting flatter, more tillable land withgood soils to the west and north. The ruggedness of thisterrain precluded the development of trails that would con-nect to other portions of the United States for trade. Thearea became a backwater to the trading networks that devel-oped along the Mississippi, Arkansas and Missouri Riversduring this time.

This challenge became an opportunity for many whowished to escape the more densely populated sections ofthe country, either by choice or by force.

The first large-scale instance of this was with the Trail ofTears, which worked around the area aside from a branchof the Northern Route known as Hildebrand's Route. Thiswas done simply because it was the path of least resistanceto the western territories. There is ample evidence of a-tive Americans from various tribes "jumping off' the trailand hiding in the Ozarks Highlands. This use of the area tohide from authority was also used by fugitives and escapedslaves who moved through or settled in the region.

1heWestrvqr4"movment~".f6rfn~danarc: 'around Missouri's):ug "zark,hills· ~he're'(ml&,tljew'eq.ua': .. ,.",ug'<."ged individuals and fainUtes.fi)teredinto these'secondary,f:i11erv~lleyson the.upland fringes ofMisso'uri'sbooming population centers ..

~Donald L. Stevens, J1:''A Homeland and ~ Hinterland. The Current and

Jacks Fork RiVC1WcryS.ri

Because of the landscape, a unique culture began to evolvethat was oriented around the easiest method of transportand location for farms: the many rivers and streams in theregion. Trade and communication largely occurred throughthese valleys, but on a much smaller scale than in other re-gions in the United States. Instead of settlement for large-scale agricultural production and trade goods, the economywas based largely around survival and self-sufficiency.

Matt Meacham argues that regardless of whether residentsthink of themselves as connected to Appalachia or theWest, there is a strong sense of connection to past ways oflife in a kind of "perpetuated frontier." Connecting to botha sense of the past and future, the perpetuated frontier isa useful metaphor for interpretive development. This area,in essence, became the last Eastern frontier. Although notlonger at the leading edge of growth, the area maintainstraditions of self-reliance and connection to the land fromthe time when it was a frontier. Why such activities as hunt-ing, fishing, and canning endure here more than in otherplaces is a question that should be explored.

'~"

Above: The eroded karst topography provided a number ofcaves and hideouts for those who wished to avoid detection.

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Page 549

Above: Historic Paths through the region such as the Trail of Tears(purple) and Old Southwest Trail would go around the majority of theregion instead of through it due to the terrain.

And it was adapted to the woods andthe resources and the soil. It was alsoa linear style of settlement. It wasfocused along the rivers. If you thinkin the Ozarks with the ridges and thevalleys, the folks who are in the val-leys, and they're going up and downthe valleys, they're crossing the ridges.But you don't get spread out, you get avery linear settlement pattern in here.There's no place else to go with thatcultural adaptation. You're going to bein the Great Plains, you're going to besomewhere else. So that Ozark culturethat came here from Appalachia actu-ally began to change over time in theOzarks with specific adaptations to theOzark environment.

-Dr. Cinc!JPrice,An'heologist, US Forest Service (Ret.)

FEASIBILITY S T U 0 Y


Page 550

SUB-THEME

Lawlessness in a Time of War

The very isolation that attracted many settlers to theOzarks Highlands also left it vulnerable during timesof war. Although Missouri was one of the most fiercelycontested states during the Civil War, the rugged terrainprecluded the large set-piece battles occurring throughoutthe rest of the United States. Indeed, the limited infra-structure and resources offered little strategic incentive foreither side to hold on to the region. The de facto Northernborder became the area north of the highlands while theSouthern border was at the Missouri-Arkansas state line.The region became a lawless no-mans-land for a largeportion of the war. With a landscape that was conduciveto raids and guerilla warfare, bands of both Union andConfederate sympathizers would terrorize the locals, leavea largely depopulated landscape. According to locals, everycounty courthouse in the region was burned down duringthe Civil War.

:.. ,":-

The Civil War defined who we aremore than any other thing. If youlived in Iowa, you were union. Ifyou lived in Ala,bama,J'Qu weresesesh. Here, it was six of one, halfa dozen of the other. That's why itwas so 'bloody, so brutal. ,When theycame and made you decide, if youchose wrong, they'd shoot you.

They said the women-weren'tharmed, but they were destroyed,their homes burned, losingevery-thing. It wasjust hit the wire roadto Rolla. The refugee camp up therewas huge. In lots of places therewasn't a building left.

-Texas County, Missouriresidellt( civic engagementresponse) .

The one large-scale battle in the region at Pilot Knob in1864 indicates the landscape advantages conferred to thedefender in this region. Fort Davidson, located in a valleybetween Shepherd Mountain and Pilot Knob, saw a conflictwhere Confederate forces outnumbered Union forces ten-to-one. Even so, Confederate forces had a difficult timecoordinating attacks on Fort Davidson and Union forceswere able to inflict over 1,000 casualties and destroy tenpercent of the Confederates artillery before escaping toRolla, Missouri.

This area's attractiveness as a landscape ideally suited toguerilla warfare was not lost in time. One hundred yearsafter the Battle of Pilot Knob, the United States Armyhad a large-scale military exercise in the region known asProject "Goldfire." One reason this exercise was practicedhere was due to its similarities to the rugged terrain inVietnam. Combined arms techniques and tactics betweentwo fictitious armies were refined in the region to see howthe United States Army could fight an outfit well-versed inguerrilla warfare like the Viet Congo

Above: Brigadier General J.S. Marmaduke used the local terrain toconduct raids into Missouri from positions in Arkansas.

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Page 551

Above: Army public relations during Project Goldfire, 1964.Source: West Plains: 1930 to 1970 by Toney Aid, Jerry Womack

Above: Section of Battle of Hartville Interpretive Panel showing the routes and actions of various columns in Marmaduke's first raid.Courtesy Wright County Historical Society

F E A S S T U 0 YB L T YOzarks Highlands National Heritage Area

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Page 552

THEME 3: COMMUNITY SURVIVAL THROUGH;;'

CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION :'

This theme describes the effect that the land had on defin-ing how people lived here, created their own culture, andendured as the landscape around them changed.

It is here in this theme we see the strong connectionsbetween natural features and how they affected culturalpractices. For example, the same pre-cambrian forma-tions that make up some of the distinctive beauty of theregion is also nearly impermeable-making the constructionof groundwater wells necessary for agriculture practicallyimpossible. The lack of glaciation not only preserved theruggedness of this terrain, but also denied the area agricul-turally productive soils typically found in areas affected byglaciation.

Silent movies could be seen for theadmission price of a potato.

-Wright County, Missouri resident(civic engagement response)

The Ozarks can be seen as both a "refuge" and as a "heartharea" for the settlement of the American West. In the civicengagement discussions and surveys for this feasibilitystudies, many residents used terms such as "refuge," "self-reliance" and "simplicity to describe their communities.Many participants described how the Ozarks are a placewhere one can live relatively inexpensively and that there islittle "class-consciousness" and ostentation of wealth.

Contributing Sites and Activities Related to thisThemeSite Name County City AccessBonebreak Center of Nature & Dent Salem PrivateHistory

Dent County Museum Dent Salem Public

Ozark Heritage Museum Dent Salem Public

Ava Art Guild & Gallery Douglas Ava

Douglas County Historical Douglas Ava PublicSociety

Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Douglas Ava PublicBreed Association

Fire Museum of Missouri Howell Willow PublicSprings

Cloud 9 Ranch Club Howell Caulfield Public

Harlin Museum Howell West PublicPlains

Mountain View Heritage Murals Howell Mountain PublicView

West Plains Opera House Howell West PublicPlains

Old Harlin House Ozark Gainesville Public

Current River Heritage Museum Ripley Doniphan Public

Story's Creek School Shannon Public

Mansfield Historical Society Wright Mansfield Public

Mountain Grove Square Wright Mountain PublicGrove

Rosewood Farms Wright Hartville Public

SMSU-Missouri State Fruit Ex- Wright Mountain Publicperiment Station Grove

We learned how to survive, we hadnothing, but we didn't know it.

-Reynolds County, Missouri resident (civic engagementresponse)

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Page 553

Above: Soil Productivity Map. The soil of the region, untouchedby glaciation, made large-scale high yield agricultural productivity

extremely difficult.

Left: Population Density censusblock map of Missouri. Thedeeper the shade of blue, themore heavily populated the area.The region is one of the leastdensely populated in the state-reflecting a condition that

F E A S B L T Y S T U 0 YOzarks Highlands National Heritage Area

35

Page 554

Above: Soil Productivity Map. The soil of the region, untouchedby glaciation, made large-scale high yield agricultural productivity

extremely difficult.

Left: Population Density censusblock map of Missouri. Thedeeper the shade of blue, themore heavily populated the area.The region is one of the leastdensely populated in the state-reflecting a condition that



Page 555

SUB-THEME

A Culture of "Grittiness"

One recurring theme is the idea of "grittiness"-a qual-ity that generations of many cultures and ethnicities haveneeded to live in this relatively remote region. A relatedstrength of character is the inventiveness and pragmaticinnovation of Ozarkers. Using materials from the land orre-using and adapting old equipment, they created and con-tinue to create enduring American inventions ranging fromthe Johnboat to the chain saw.

Ozarks tenacity, even though their land was spoiled, eventhough there wasn't much game left, not much fish left,the soil washed aJvay, they did not leave. They were bull-headed in staying here and keeping a lifeway going, that'scrucial to this story. And they lived hard on the land or»hat was left of it.

The idea of economic vulnerability and community sur-vival created a unique cultural reaction all its own. "Pushin'through hard times," including agricultural blight anddrought, the sudden shutdowns of mills, factories, andindustries, and economic downturns such as the GreatDepression forged a cultural response to the land and incommunities in the area.

Left: Jim and rose Whittom, November 6, 1920 when they weremarried. Although he had not served in the Army during World WarI, a man who was working on the farm left his uniform there as pay-ment for room and board, so Jim wore the uniform for their wedding."Waste not, want not ... "Quote Source: selected from That's the Way it Was, Thelma McManus,Acclaim Press 2008

They were really an adaptablepeople. The outside world only sawthem as lazy, they were just fish-ing, raise a few crops, they did allsorts of things for a living, and theycontinued to hate government, haterules and regulations, and thattrend sort of continues to this day inthe culture. The moonshine whiskeyplayed a major role right up in the1960's. The love of hunting, fishing,living off of the land was part of thisculture it continued here and per-fected and there are a few unique,100% unique things they did herethat they did not pick up in Appala-chia.

-Dr. James Price, Archeologist, Ozark Scenic Riverways

F E A S B L S T U D Y

36

T YOzarks Highlands National Heritage Area

Page 556

Above: Local people found ways to endure on the land through hard times. "Tie-hacking," the process by which wooden railroad ties aremade, became an important way which people earned a supplementary income after the economic depression that occurred in the regionafter the timber mills left in 1910.



Page 557

SUB-THEMES

Folklife Traditions in an isolated place.

Digging graves for neighbors wasan honor. They were offended whenback-hoes came in. Someone alwayssat up with the dead [overnight]to keep the flies off of them. Burialwould take place within a day ortwo of dying.

-Douglas County, Missouri resident (civic engagementresponse)

As Matt Meachum detailed in his 2007 study of the region,the culture of this area might be said to epitomize that ofthe larger Upland South region of which it is a part.

Consequently, one might argue that, at present, this areais actually more representative of the Upland South as atraditional cultural region than are many of the areas thatare popularly regarded as definitive of that region (e.g.,parts of southern and central Appalachia, especialfy the most heavifyindustrialized locations].

However, one of the characteristics of the area that argu-ably account for its tendency to conserve and exemplifythe traditional culture of the Upland South - its compara-tive remoteness from what might be defined as the coreareas of that region - is itself an important component ofits identity and differentiates it to some extent from thoseareas of the Upland South that lie to the east.

Several features of the area's occupational folklife andmaterial culture are notably idiosyncratic and contributeto its distinct profile within the Upland South as a whole.Among these are methods of archery fishing and archeryhunting collectively known as "bow gigging" or "bowing-and-spiking" that were prevalent in and near the ElevenPoint River, Current River, Jacks Fork, and other majorwaterways of the southeast and south-central MissouriOzarks during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. An-other distinctive method of fishing particularly associatedwith (if not unique to) the Current River and environs isgigging, the use of a fork-like implement fastened to a poleto impale fish, particularly small bottom-dwellers, such assuckers, most often in autumn and winter. Yet anotherartifact of the area's riverine folklife is the Ozark johnboat,a narrow flatboat typically suitable for one to three passen-gers that is used for fishing (including gigging) and otherinstances of river transport.

Additionally, according to Donald L. Stevens work in "AHomeland and a Hinterland: The Current and Jacks ForkRiverways" the practice of free-range woodland herdsman-ship "proved an effective inexpensive means of herdingand provided the foundation for backwoods self-sufficien-cy; it also allowed considerable free time for hunting anddomestic crafts." The "free time" concept is not corrobo-rated with civic engagement discussions, but it may be anitem that requires further research and documentation toverify.

Above: John boats, s own here on the Current River in the early20th century, were used both as a means of transport and forrecreation.



Page 558

Above: Various folklife activities and traditional items from the Old-Time Music and Ozark Heritage Festivals in the study area.

Facing Page: Fishing gigs in the Current River Heritage Museum.The practice of "gigging" and bow fishing may have been adoptedfrom Native American practices by more recent Euro-American set-tlers.



Page 559

SUB-THEMES

Sustainability as a way of life

According to Donald L. Stevens work in "A Homeland anda Hinterland: The Current and Jacks Fork Riverways" the"persistence of the frontier quality of Ozark life followedthe habit of the early Scotch-Irish settlers to adapt ratherthan to alter the environment.

The flexibility to adapt to solutions considered environ-mentally sustainable today, which in reality echoes thefrontier settlement era. These concepts include:

practical tools for survivalself-sufficient agriculture continuing into 20th centurylocal vernacular architecturehunting and fishing on the land for survivala waste-free economya cashless economy to the 1940s/barterrenewal through spiritual guidance

But they're here and because of theway the Ozarks lay, and the ruggedterrain, they were isolated here, sothat culture basically evolved andchanged in place tofit the Ozarksenvironment, the way the land is,the linear pattern, it shaped theevolution of the Ozark folk culturein place.

-Dr. CindyPrice, Archeologzst, US Forest Service,(Retired)

F E A S

I don't think anyone today matchesthis model of sustainability.

-Howell County, Missouri resident asked about howpeople lived in the area (civic engagement response)

40

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Population of the Study Area

1890 148,948

1900 180,709

1910 180,736

1920 175,135

1930 160,064

1940 174,806

1950 153,417

1960 132,651

1970 136,697

1980 165,737

1990 167,688

2000 186,512

2009 est. 185,811

Left:Unlike many rural areasacross the United States, thepopulation of this area hasnot seen dramatic decreasesin population since the endof the second World War.Although the area has seentwo significant downturns inpopulation, the total popula-tion remains largely the sameas it was in 1900.

Right: Modern economic access and infra-structure has remained a challenge in the

area. Interstates reflect earlier paths aroundthe study area, air services are limited,

and other considerations such as a lack ofhigh-speed internet access has hampered

economic development in the region.

The Country Store was the hub oflife. Every town had one. Chick-ens and eggs were the basisfor theeconomy. Mom gave us eggs andbaby chickens to take to the store toexchange for goods. She knew theprices, would fix up the order andthe kids got to spend what was left.

-Texas County, Missouri resident(civic engagement response)



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Facing Page: Grist milling machines. Alley Mill, Shannon county.

EVALUATING THE THEMES

,x/hen judging the appropriateness of potential themesand subthemes for a potential Ozarks Highlands NHA,the study team and citizens asked the following questions.They reflect NPS criteria and the long-term practicality ofinterpreting them as central to the identity of the region.We asked:

Are they cohesive?

Do they demonstrate how bnman culture was and is shaped bynature?

Are they nationally-significant?

Is evidence of the themes still there?

Can people iisit and tueaie together their experience?

These questions should serve as criteria for evaluatingfuture themes and their relation to sites and events if theplanning process moves into a management plan phase.The following section lists "Icon places and events" thattest possible links between the proposed themes and avail-able resources.

B S T U D YF E A S

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Page 562

LESSONS FROM ESTABLISHED NATIONAL

HERITAGE AREAS

Established Heritage Areas from the Midwest and Southoffer precedents for successful thematic integration. AReport on Traditional Artistic Activity in the South-Centraland Southeast Missouri Ozarks and the Possibility ofPursuing National Heritage Area Status argues that the-matic planning for OHNA: "should concentrate especiallyon the processes by which National Heritage Areas thatbear notable cultural similarities to the area of the MissouriOzarks under consideration (e.g., the Blue Ridge NationalHeritage Area in North Carolina, America's AgriculturalHeritage Partnership in Iowa, and Freedom's FrontierNational Heritage Area in Missouri and Kansas) attainedthe Heritage Area designation, as well as the ways in whichthey represent themselves and make use of the resourcesassociated with the status."

These three areas offer similarities and difference to theproposed OHNA. Like the Ozarks region, the Blue RidgeNHA is defined by the cultural and ecological coherenceof a mountain region. Yet, unlike Ozarks, this area haslong been traveled by the prominent Blue Ridge Parkwayand lacks the Ozark's history of isolation from migra-tion patterns and visitors. America's Agriculture HeritagePartnership (also known as Silos & Smokestacks NHA) andFreedom's Frontier HA in Kansas and Missouri are both,by contrast, immense multi-county regions that are "story-based" in their definition and were historically open foroutside influences.

Missouri State Highway 106 Overlook in the AngelineConservation Area.


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Page 563

f:\ PROPOSED COORDINATING ENTITY, ApPROACH AND

~ COORDINATION ALTERNATIVES

WHAT IS A COORDINATING ENTITY AND WHAT ARE ITS

RESPONSIBILITIES?

Rather than being top-down, mandatory, and involving eminent domain or use restrictions,

this type of designation is based on grass roots organization, voluntary participation, and

does not involve property or landuse regulation.

The Ozarks Highlands coordinating entity is based on the following common principles

of ational Heritage Areas: heritage interpretation, preservation, education, recreation,

conservation, and economic development through local management and voluntary par-

ticipation.

Facing Page: Quilting demonstration at the Ozark Heritage Festival provides a hands-on learningexperience of local traditions.

F E A S L T Y S T U 0 Y

45

B


This chapter describes andevaluates the alternativesthat were considered, theirstrengths and weaknessesand recommends thestrongest alternative.

The chapter also evaluatescoordinating entity optionsfor the national heritagearea alternative. There maybe an optional addition toprovide a broad review ofeconomic sustainabilityof the program, as this israpidly emerging as a criticalissue in management planassessments.

Page 565

PROPOSED COORDINATING ENTITY:

The concept for the proposed Ozarks Highlands NationalHeritage Area's management entity follows the non-profitmodel used by the majority of existing NationalHeritage Areas. A new organizational entity shall incorpo-rate as a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) corporation chartered in theState of Missouri. The organization will start with a smallBoard of Directors drawn from the various counties andinterest areas that are reflective of civic engagement andthe foundation documents of the entity.

This volunteer board will be responsible for planning,fundraising, outreach, designation, and staff hiring. Animportant goal of the proposed board is to ensure repre-sentation across political jurisdictions and interest areaswithin the study area boundaries of the proposed NationalHeritage Area. This board should remain managable in sizeto perform the activites of overseeing the responsibilitiesof the entity.

The recommended structure of the Board of Directors isas follows:

18 members, of which 17 have voting power.At least one member must be represented from eachof the thirteen counties in the region. These membersdo not necessarily have to be representatives of localgovernment.One representative must be from the State of MissouriNo more than three members may be from the samecounty in the region.At least two voting members must represent or affili-ate with the following goals of the National HeritageArea, thereby ensuring a coverage of all of the broadgoals of the program. These include:

1. heritage preservation2. conservation/ natural resources3. recreation4. economic development5. education

In addition, there shall be one advisory National Park Ser-vice member of the board (non-voting).

Officers will be elected on an annual basis. Meetings of theentire Board of Directors must occur at least once an an-nual quarter and may be held via conference call to reducethe burden of travel. A quorum of at least two-thirds ofthe board of the directors must be present to conduct busi-ness. Six members of the board will be elected to serve asa.nExecutive Committee that will meet monthly to overseeoperations and provide direction to staff. A quorum of atleast two-thirds of the executive committee must be pres-ent to conduct business.

The board will be tasked with the following initial goals.

Outreach to the public for both citizen engagement,information distribution, and project awarenessDevelopment of the legislation to enact the OzarksHighlands National Heritage AreaHiring a Designation Coordinator to facilitate theacknowledgment of the Ozarks Highlands HeritageArea by Congressional action.Communication and continued promotion of thedesignation of the NHA bill with both state and fed-erallegislators.Organizing additional support of NHA designationwith the public.Fundraising to support these activities.

The Board of Directors will be assisted by a comparablylarger Steering Committee whose members would rep-resent a much larger pool of dedicated volunteers withspecial interests related to the themes and goals of the Na-tional Heritage Area. They would be tasked with additionaloutreach to the public on the program, as well as providinginsight and concerns related to the NHA program.

The initial staff will be a part-time Designation Coordina-tor who will uphold the initial and long-term goals of theNational Heritage Area, oversee the preparation of docu-ments to assist the federal designation process, liaison withlegislators, help build and support partnerships to assistin the designation process, and identify possible fundingsources for maintain this process.

While representatives of local governments will be in-volved, the need for this management entity to be broadlyrepresentative of local interests requires that it operateindependently.



Page 566

The local coordinating entity should be designed to oper-ate outside the influence of the often-changing politicalenvironment to be as responsive as possible to the needs oflocal residents and interest groups.

Operating as a separate nonprofit, taxexempt corpora-tion, the management entity can most effectively approachindividuals, corporations, foundations, and governmentfunding sources for both operating and programmaticfunds. An independent nonprofit will also be able to col-laborate effectively with other entities in the region-government agencies, other nonprofits, and private founda-tions.

The organizational structure of the management entityoutlined here-including a medium-sized Board ofDirectors, a small Executive Corrunittee, a staff positionwith specified roles, and an inclusive Steering Corrunittee,-will allow for efficient planning and operations respon-sive to the needs and inputs of a broad spectrillll of localparties and provide the foundation for the post-designationstructure.

ALTERNATIVE COORDINATING ENTITY:

Locally Appointed Commission

Benefits

Drawbacks

Public University Extension

Benefits

Drawbacks

Centralized Foundation

Benefits

Drawbacks


47

Page 567

PROPOSED CONCEPTUAL ApPROACH

The following are philosophical approaches that are ap-propriate for the region to attain the broadbased goals ofthe public for heritage preservation, heritage education andinterpretation, heritage-based conservation and recreation,and economic development with a heritage focus.

Planning for Change and not Freezing the Past

The best approach does not involve governmental controlof lands. Nor should they impose any barrier to progressand change. Indeed, future planning for should focus onthe "management of change" -to use a phrase by thelate planner, Kevin Lynch. Even in its most isolated mo-ments over the last two hundred years, change and outsideinfluences have been part of Ozarks Highlands life. Inthe early 19th century, people ate meals on English china.In the 1930s, after northern timber interests had ravagedthe forests and departed, residents returned to traditionalself-sufficiency. But slowly, new cook stoves and sewingmachines came into the area.

The Ozarks Highlands, like traditional regional dialects, willinevitably evolve. What characterize the Ozarks Highlandsis how people settled for many generations and continuedto adapt foodways and folkways-but they did so in a waythat was very tailored and sustainable for the resourcesclose to home. Such a "good fit" for adaptation shouldcharacterize future approach to emerging opportunities andconcerns.

Encouraging Resilience

Oral histories and citizen comments reveal that resilience isone of the distinctive qualities of the people and ecolo-gies of the Ozarks Highlands. Everything that is proposedshould be considered for its long-term economic and envi-ronmental sustainability. The robust and varied ecologies ofthe region should be documented in ongoing inventories sothat they can be interpreted and protected in future recre-ational and interpretive projects.

Ongoing Civic Engagement and Citizen Empower-ment

On the Social level, genuine citizen engagement can alsohelp to rebuild social connections with resilient durability.An aging population, the pressures of work in recessionarytimes, the distractions of new media, can all draw peopleapart from face to face contact and shared volunteer andcommunity projects.

Citizen engagement should mean not just asking the publicwhat they want or informing of them of decisions alreadymade. Civic participation means building local grassrootsexpertise. It means teaching area residents to lead heritage-based goals themselves after the consultants have left andeven when outside funding is low. For this reason, theprocess should provide toolkits for management and evalu-ation so that interpretive strategies, historic sites, economicdevelopment and other activities can be constantly re-viewed and improved.

Building Collaborative and Advisory Networks

The Ozarks Highlands region is home to schools, localmuseums, colleges and universities with tremendous andprobably untapped areas of expertise in economic develop-ment, engineering, promotion, education and other fields.Future planning should identify networks of experts andpartnership groups who can support a coordinating entity.

Such a network of experts should be kept involved andinformed with ongoing management; and they should beavailable should a need arise for specific questions. Fur-thermore, maintain a database of engaged regional expertadvisors could also support a potential speakers bureau forinternal training or external outreach as discussed in othersections of this study.

In light of these goals, the study recommends that the bestcourse of action to facilitate these goals is through thedesignation, management, and development of the OzarksHighlands as a National Heritage Area.



Page 568

ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES

No Action At All

Benefits

Drawbacks

Seeking Recognition As A National Recreation Area With-out .Any Other Heritage DesignationBenefits

Drawbacks

Seeking To Create A State Heritage AreaBenefits

Drawbacks

Other Options Blending Public And Private Programs

Benefits

Drawbacks


Ozarks Highlands National Her ita qe Area49

Page 569

FINANCIAL PLAN

Approach One: Grant Focus

The initial grant focus would develop a financial strategywith the five-year goal of maximizing the amount of grantsand programs available to area partners with National Heri-tage Area federal appropriations amounting to less thanfifty percent of revenues.

The first phase would be focused on achieving designation.Part-time services of a Designation Coordinator wouldbe tasked with facilitating the Congressional acknowledg-ment of the National Heritage Area. Additional sources ofrevenue from non-federal support services would have tofacilitate this process until designation.

The second phase would focus towards completing amanagement plan with a full-time Coordinator in a 14-24month planning process. Additional marketing and projectrelated needs and costs may be identified during the man-agement planning process. The organization would includea designated program staff position and support personnelby the third year.

The third phase would focus on revenue generationthrough various funding sources to facilitate grants andprograms to partner sites throughout the National Heri-tage Area. It is anticipated that the core operating budgetwill average $200,000 to $250,000 per year. Benchmarkingwould occur annually to determine the economic impact ofthe National Heritage Area program throughout the region.

Approach Two: Initial Interpretive Center Focus

The interpretive focus would develop a financial strategywith the 5+ year goal of developing an Ozarks HighlandsHeritage Center that would provide a greater long-termbenefit to the entire region with National Heritage Areafederal appropriations amounting to less than one-third ofrevenues.

The second approach is intended to show the broad finan-cial balance and support needed to develop and maintaina center. This approach is also contingent with additionalfinancial support beyond the capacity of the NationalHeritage Area program. This would likely be in the form ofalternative federal and sources for the specific constructionof the interpretive center.

Financial planning projections are provided per the sugges-tion of the 2003 Draft National Heritage Area FeasibilityStudy Guidelines.

The financial plan should demonstrate, at a minimum,the ability of the management entity to meet federalmatching requirements that may become available uponNHA designation. The team should also assess capabili-ties of the management entity to leveragefederal fundingwith other potential financial resources. It is recognizedthat the latter resources may not be able to be specificallYidentified during the sturjy. What may be gauged isthe past or potential capacity and creativityof the management entity to attract addi-tional financial support. A five")lear conceptualfinancial plan is suggested. The plan should, if possible,include estimates of funds to be made available ry themanagement entity, state or local contributions, andpotential funding ry private interests (foundations, corpo-rations and other organizations). The study team shouldbe cognizant of atry state sponsored assistance programs

for heritage areas, regional projects and/ or heritage tour-ism grants that may be investigated as potential fundingsources. NHA management entities often use a portionof their federal funding to make matching grants to localorganizations. The portion of federal funds anticipatedto be used for grants should be estimated, as well as atrycomsponding matchingfunds to be provided ry grantees.A sample of a conceptual financial plan revenue chart ispresented in Appendix 3.

The development of a financial strategy is dependent ofthe development of foundation statements and grassrootsparticipation to determine the goals of the coordinatingentity. Additionally, there are emerging standards for "sus-tainability" that have not been fully clarified by the NPS orthe federal government. Ozark Highlands NHA intendsto meet the defined terminology of sustainability when itis agreed upon, but until that time will make an effort toutilize best pracitices to provide a viable financial strategy.

There are two approaches that have been identified asmethods to meet the guidelines for financial support andsustainability. These conceptual financial strategies assumean aggressive yet optimal scenario for area designation byFiscal Year 2013 to provide continuity and support fromarea partners.



Page 570

Carolin

Highlight

The first and second phaseswould be the same as theprevious approach, althoughthe Coordinator will also betasked with facilitating thefunds for an interpretivecenter.

The third phase (which in alllikelihood would be greaterthan one year) would be thedesign, construction, andprogramming developmentof an interpretive center.This budget would be highlydependent on the scale andscope that the center wouldintend to achieve. Theorganization would includea designated an additionalstaffer by the end of theprocess.

The fourth phase wouldbe the management ofthe NHA and interpretivecenter with programmingopportunities greater thanthe first approach. Theorganization would includea designated program staffposition and at least threeadditional staffers by thefifth year.

It is anticipated that thecore operating budget willinitially average $200,000 to$250,000 per year prior toconstruction and increaseto $500,000 per year afterconstruction.

REVENUESFederal Appropriations

State AppropriationsCity & County Government FundingPrivate Funds

Grants & Sponsorships for special projectsContributions

Registrations for workshops/ con FerenceMiscellaneous

TOTAL REVENUE

EXPENSESAdministrative

Staff Salaries/Benefits

Office Space RentalInsurance & Taxes vt

Contract for services/ overhead >~

Travel & Meetings :$Wcbsite/Conununications -S

Professional Development/Memberships '$

Program Expenses

Management Plan Contract

WorkshopsGran t Program

Regional Cultural ProjectsRegional Marketing/Promotion

Education ProjectsConference/Annual Meeting <Benchmark Data Collection

Management Pian Contract\'X/orkshops

Grant Program

Regional Cultural ProjectsRegionall~l'1arketit1g/Promotiot1

Education ProjectsConference/ Annual Meeting

Benchmark Data Collection

Interpretive Ctr. Development/Construction

I;t)t5'ffGY~!;, ;

2015 - Phase III140,000

52,0002G,UOO

20,000

511.000

4,000

8,000

67,0004,(1011

4,350

8,0001,200

50,0003,000

20,0011 ,$'80,0110 $15,000 $'15,0110 $15,000 $111,1100 .$

1.11011 $

293,550 s.

2015 - Phase III2,650.0002,552,000

36,00050U,OUO

50,00010,00(1

1,0110

. 2016,{ Phase IV. '240,000

)42,00030,000·50,000

50,00U4;060

,.8,0.00

'2016 - Phase III

1'40,000

52,000

26,000

20,POq'50,000

10,000

1,000

299;060

69;000

4,0004,500·

8,0001,200

f,5003,500..

20;000

125,000.

17,500,17,500,

17,5001,000·

1;000·

.292,200

105,000

10,000

8,000,2,400

j 2,5607,000

20,00050,00010,00010,000

10,000

1,500

1,0005,400,0011

24;000.

200;000;OO,pOQ'

20,000

20,000.10,000. i,OO?

F E A S B

TOTAL EXPENSES

REVENUES

Federal Appropriations"

State Appropriations"City & County Government FundingPriva re Funds

Grants & Sponsorships for special projectsContributions

Registrations for workshops/conferenceMiscellaneous

TOTAL REVENUE

EXPENSE:S

AdministrativeStaff Salaries/Benefits

Office Space Rental ,Insurance & Taxes

Contract for services/overheadTravel & Meetings

Website/CommunicationsProfessional Development/Memberships

Program Expenses

TOTAL EXPENSES

L T Y S T U D Y

20B-Phase II

140,000

52,00026,00020,000

32,0002,6001,000

273,600

43,800

4,000 $ ,2,300 -S .

6,000 ~600 s500 s ,

1,000 s-

150,000

12,000

20,0005,000

2,000

5,0001,500

lOO,OOO

4,000

4,350 S8,000 ·S

1,200 S

50,000 S3,500 S

5,673,550


253,700

51

Page 571

(;;\ ApPLICATION OF THE NPS HERITAGE AREA CRITERIA AND OTHER~ EMERGING GUIDELINES

The proposed Ozarks Highlands National Heritage Area has significant capacity to meet

NPS Heritage Area guidelines for environmental, cultural, and economic stewardship. Yet,

because of the informal nature of current recreation in the region and the relative lack of

extensive visitors and interpretive facilities, much work and planning will be needed to meet

NPS criteria. Fortunately, since the writing of the draft NPS criteria in 2003, new thinking

in cultural landscape preservation offers tools well-suited to the Ozarks region.

NEW MODELS FOR LANDSCAPE AND HERITAGE STEWARDSHIP

Published in 2009, the National Parks Second Century Commission's Cultural Resource and

Historic Preservation Committee Report emphases the importance of cultural resources

and historic preservation as a core mission of the National Park Service. "Nature" and

"Culture" are not opposing forces where one must predominate over another. Historic

regions, even in cities, can support species diversity and wildlife. Similarly, wild and scenic

areas also have human resources that must be addressed.

In other words, the "traditional" model of a park as a pristine wilderness to be kept "forever

wild" no longer applies in Heritage Area planning-and probably never did. The report

supports creating new National Heritage Areas with the intent of preserving vibrant regional

economies and heritage stories without the burden of public land acquisition.

Facing Page: The Carter County Courthouse is an example of vernacular stone architectureof the region.



This chapter evaluates thefeasibility and suitability ofcongressional designation ofthe study area as a nationalheritage area according tothe four steps and ten criteriaidentified in the National ParkService's "Draft NationalHeritage Area FeasibilityStudy Guidelines" (NPS2003).

Page 573

The following are issues for national heritage areas outlinedin the Second Century report. They are listed in italics witha description of their challenges and opportunities for apotential OHNHA designation listed below.

In regards to the Ozarks Highlands, the ideal arrange-ment to facilitate the broad goals of heritage preservationthrough a federal program would be a system whereby theNational Park Service:

has certification authority to review and determinewhether the NHA is meeting the goals of the pro-gram,

provide assistance for partners through bulletins,promotion, and contact,

does not have the authority to regulate or adminis-ter the program on a day-to-day basis.

The willingness of the potential partners to join the pro-gram depends on their perception of the National ParkService and this program. The methods, communication,and use of eminent domain to allocate land for the OzarkNational Scenic Riverways unfortunately left the ationalPark Service with a poor reputation in the region. Theformal administration of the National Park Service of theNational Heritage Area program in the Ozarks Highlandswould likely continue to facilitate a culture of distrust ofthe NPS in the area, particularly by private property protec-tion groups, and alternative heritage preservation methodswould likely be preferred.

Resolve the status of other "special designations" such as NationalTrails, National Corridors, and Wild and Scenic Rivers with l"egardto the National Park Service and System.

A collaborative relationship must be facilitated with OzarkNational Scenic Riverways as a partner (not administrator)of the National Heritage Area if designated. Mutual goalsand opportunities can be constructively reviewed as a partof the management planning process. If a future NHAdesignation is pursued, the role of NPS and the coordina-tion of other "special designations" such as Wild and Sce-nic Rivers and National Corridors must be resolved. Ideally,a clear plan for NPS units and program, or their possibleunification at OHHA, could lead to more efficient manage-ment and positive citizen relationships.

Incorporate approaches emplqyed by European nations for preservingparks and other speaal places without removing them from the life and"t/ture ~rthe nation.

The Second Century report argues that, the "United Statesmay have given the National Park Idea to the world, butin the second century, the United States has much to learnfrom the world." Without the luxury of vast undevelopedspaces, many European nations have developed tools forpreserving regions without displacing residents or takinglands out of productions. Organizations like English Heri-tage and the Regional Natural Parks of France encouragerecreation, conservation, and heritage preservation whilealso fostering private land ownership.

Economic production, recreation, and conservation neednot be "protected" by separate agencies in separate zones.For example in Great Britain, farming and public walk-ing trails have existed side by side for centuries. Separatingfields and often delineating property lines, historic hedge-rows comprised of many plant species are rich wildlifehabitats. Preserving this historic balance of farming,walking, and habitat helps to steward special places withoutremoving them from the life and culture of the nation.

Ozarks Highlands poses an ideal opportunity to applyNHA guidelines that respect the life and culture of anAmerican region. European approaches, such as document-ed in the CEMAT European Rural Heritage ObservationGuide, can meet broad-based goals of partners throughoutOzarks Highlands region for preservation, conservation,education, economic development, financial sustainability,and interpretation.

Determine whether national hC1itage areas are units of the NationalPark System, a parallel system, orfunctions of National Park Serviceprograms.

The Second Century report also recommends clarifyingwhether National Heritage areas are units of the NationalPark system or some type of parallel program. This ques-tion will likely need to be resolved at the federal level.

B S T U 0 YF E A S

54


Page 574

Engage the Nationa! Park Service institutional culture in support ofall such designated areas.

Through management planning progress goals and bench-marks should be established to track the success of initia-tives to encourage recreation, conservation, interpretation,economic development, sustainability, and education effortsover time. If programming efforts are successful, this realdata should be promoted to the National Park Service (aswell as other venues) to demonstrate the viability of thisprogram and its benefits on the region.

Develop a philosophy of support that [goes} beyond preservation andinterpretation of resources and their stories, to include quality of humanlife and planetmy health.

Recently designated National Heritage Areas reflect a morecomprehensive view of heritage preservation to go beyondpreservation and interpretation, to include language in thelegislation that requires:

"a description of actions and commitments that Federal,State, Tribal, and local governments, private organiza-tions, and dtizem Ivi!! take to protect, enhance, interpret,

fund, manage, and develop the natural, historical,autum], educational, scenic, and recreational resources ofthe National Heritage Area."

If designated, Ozarks Highlands should also build on thiscontemporary language, incorporate it in their managementplanning process, and tailor foundation statements and aheritage network that facilitates this holistic view of heri-tage. Although this recommendation concerns the NationalPark Service role in support, the National Heritage Areamust also do its part in requiring the need of this advisorysupport from the NPS.

Note: definitions for terms such as "statement ofnational significance, " "interpretive themes, "and"authenticity" can be found in Appendix F of thisdocument.


55

Page 575

APPLICATION OF 2003 NATIONAL PARK

SERVICE HERITAGE AREA CRITERIA

1. Is an area that has an assemblage of natural,historic, or cultural resources that together representdistinctive aspects of American heritage worthy ofrecognition, conservation, interpretation, and continu-ing use, and are best managed as such an assemblagethrough partnerships among public and private enti-ties, and by combining diverse and sometimes non-contiguous resources and active communities;

The Ozarks Highlands culture has long been shaped byinsularity as a mountainous region at transition pointbetween the Appalachians and the plains of Texas and theMidwest. Many settlers remained for generations, but timeis not frozen here. Rather immigrants, often of Scots-Irishdescent brought traditions from Europe, from indenturedservitude in Pennsylvania, and elsewhere. These traditionsin language, food and, wood construction did not atrophy.Rather, Ozarkers adapted them to the ecology, weather, andfood sources of their region. It is this remarkable refine-ment of imported traditions to local realities that contrib-utes to the National significance and uniqueness of theOzarks Highlands.

If NHA. status is pursued, a future Management Plan mustexamine the region through multi-disciplinary viewpoints.These viewpoints can build the strong interpretive themesand stories essential to eligibility as a National HeritageArea. For this reason, this feasibility study lays the ground-work for considering:

The region's significance in the nation's history

Complementary and viable interpretive themes thatsupport national significance

Sustainable activities and places where thesethemes can be interpreted

Strong thematic connections to: conservation,education, interpretation, preservation, and recre-ation and economic development

With many potential National Heritage Areas emerging inthe Midwest and Mountain West, Ozarks Highlands facesthe challenge of offering a strong Statement of NationalSignificanceand cogent interpretive themes. In the approv-al and funding process, this area can stand out by show-ing pragmatic links between the regional culture that localhistorians and residents know to be significant and state-of-art management and interpretation practices that outsidereviewers can clearly see will work over time.

There is limited existing coordination infrastructure outsidecounty lines under the aegis of heritage efforts. How-ever the citizen engagement at the feasibility study stagehas been particularly vibrant. There is a sincere desire toestablish a method by which the culture and landscape ofthe region can be preserved and celebrated while offeringthe opportunity for heritage-based economic development.By establishing a network of sites and stories, the resourcesshown in this feasibility study can be developed with propergrass-roots management into a National Heritage Area.

2. Reflects traditions, customs, beliefs, and folklifethat are a valuable part of the national story;

As a remote yet vital center of cultural adaptation, theOzarks Highlands tell a valuable and largely unknown pieceof the American story of westward expansion. All too of-ten, people from other regions make generalizations aboutthe Ozarks with little understanding of their variation. TheOzarks Highlands are nationally-significant precisely be-cause they are not like any other part of the United States.The three themes developed were developed to express thecultural resources in the study area, and their implicit con-nection to the land.

As an example of folklife and innovation found here andnowhere else, the Ozarks tradition of bow fishing withsteel points likely developed in the early 19th century bor-rowing from the innovations of Native Americans whoalso made fishing spear points of bone and other materi-als. Bow fishing demonstrates how Ozarkers developed anenduring culture of self-sufficiency adapting materials fromthe land and the innovations of native groups to survive,often in a cashless economy. The region tells a story ofeconomic and environmental sustainability, a harmony withthe land that is highly relevant for Americans today.



6

3. Provides outstanding opportunities to conservenatural, cultural, historic, and/or scenic features;

The efforts of the national heritage area program to facili-tate the goals of the NPS guidelines are foremost devel-oped through local residents. Local residents have a strong,vibrant connection and appreciation of their landscape anddesire to maintain their way of life. The efforts to conservelandscapes and features are already established, but what islargely underappreciated are the cultural connections andthe historic record. This program if facilitated with exten-sive citizen engagement can provide that linkage.

4.Provides outstanding recreational and educationalopportunities;

As one resident stated in writing this feasibility study, "forso long the Ozarks has been defined by outsiders, it's timewe start to define ourselves." Many citizen comments inthe planning process call out for new activities to connectchildren and young adults with folklife, arts, and musictraditions.

While many NHA's are concerned primarily about conserv-ing, interpreting, and preserving and existing robust historicrecord, high quality primary and secondary source histori-cal documentation of the Ozarks Highlands is surprisinglylimited. Much of the historical legacy rests in traditionshanded down from person to person. With a sense of ur-gency, one resident state that, "we are one generation awayfrom losing our stories."

This hunger and enthusiasm to preserve stories at thegrassroots level will provide significant momentum forbuilding outstanding educational opportunities for bothresidents and visitors. But, like recreational activities, theresources are available, but still largely untapped.

To provide truly outstanding education and recreation,the region will need to become much more organized incoordination of learning standards, promotion, mappingand evaluation of quality-whether in a recreational trail oran interpretive sign.

The region has an extensive network of recreational sites,trails, and activities. Although recreational opportunitiesare largely established, the cultural connections may belatent or not exist at all, and the recreational capacity of theregion as a whole could incorporate additional numbers ofrecreational users of these opportunities. With proper stew-ardship, this increase in numbers could be adopted whilestill maintaining the remote and wild experience desired bymany users.

This area is that it is located to the east one of the mostvibrant recreation centers in the Midwest-van area encom-passing Branson, Missouri, Eureka Springs, Arkansas, andTable Rock lake. The Branson region has a cultural andrecreational profile that is not necessarily compatible withcultural heritage expressed in the feasibility study, but theopportunity for drawing in recreational tourists is there.

There are a multiple opportunities to connect recreationalopportunities with educational programming, such as suchas john boat building and use, bow fishing, turkey hunt-ing, and agritourism that reflects the challenging nature ofagriculture in this region.

Additional efforts such as coordinating and connectingexisting bike trails to experience the local scenery at con-venient locations. By promoting recreational sites such asparks, campgrounds, and docks that interpret local tradi-tions.

With a strong desire for cultural preservation, expression,and appreciation both inside and outside the Ozarks High-lands, the connections to education have been expressed in


57

Page 577

citizen engagement. Early citizen engagement efforts havedescribed programs and activities for children and youngadults to connect with or construct folklife arts, music, andtraditions. There is significant opportunities for peer men-tor programs sponsored by the NHA to offer workshopsabout folklife.

A potential management plan can ensure quality educationand recreation through creating clear criteria for evaluation,toolkits for planning, and advisory and volunteer networksto oversee implementation in these areas.

5.Has the resources important to the identified themeor themes of the area retain a degree of integrity ca-pable of supporting interpretation;

See Chapter Three for lists of "Contributing Sites andActivities" related to the themes. The list of contributingsites and activities related to themes is not intended as aexclusive list of every possible contributing site. There maybe a number of additional locations that have contribu-tions to themes and stories if the area is acknowledged as aNational Heritage Area.

Additionally, with interpretive and educational develop-ment there may be opportunities to showcase parts of theNHA's story in alternative locations such as area restau-rants, lodgings, businesses that wish to voluntary interpret apart of the NHA's story.

6.Residents, business interests, non-profit organiza-tions, and governments within the proposed area areinvolved in the planning, have developed a conceptualfinancial plan that outlines the roles for all participantsincluding the federal government, and have demon-strated support for designation of the area;

Citizen engagement has been a critical component of thisstudy. Engagement exercises have occurred in every countyand detailed interviews have occurred with area expertsin history, agriculture, mining, folklife, arts, and naturalresources. Public authorities from every county have beencontacted and been provided information concerning thefunction of a National Heritage Area and have offeredtheir support towards this effort. Special attention has also

been made towards those groups who are interested in Pri-vate Property Protection to provide them with informationand documentation in this process.

This engagement has continued through the feasibil-ity study and will endeaver to continue throughout thisprocess. Appendix B outlines some of the civic engagementtools, reposnses, and public support provided through thedevelopment of the feasiblity study.

The financial planning efforts have been outlined in Chap-ter 4 under "Financial Plan."

7.The proposed management entity and units ofgovernment supporting the designation are willingto commit to working in partnership to develop theheritage area;

See Appendix B for examples of public support for theNational Heritage Area feasiblity study.

8.The proposal is consistent with continued economicactivity in the area;

Economic activity in the area is depressed. Citizens regardtheir culture and land as an expression of their way of lifeand livelihood. This connection to the existing landscapesometimes leads to resistance to change, such as a recentlyproposed creosote plant, that residents rejected for its impactson perceived local character.

Because economic activity is largely based in small busi-nesses and individual farms and families, the NationalHeritage Area would likely have no negative impact on eco-nomic activity. Indeed, if OHNHA programs engage smallbusiness owners, such as proprietors or campgrounds,cafes, antique stores and Bed & Breakfasts, coordinatedpromotion and richer visitor experiences could have a fine-grained yet significant positive impact.

However, because of the region's long tradition of self-reli-ance, any large-scale economic development program suchas a major museum or tourist attraction might be negativelyreceived by citizens. Instead the program, if enacted as aNational Heritage Area, should facilitate best practices and



Page 578

guide opportunities for economic development that benefitthe region while mitigating or even improving the culturalheritage and environment.

This sustainable development approach can provide localbusinesses and entrepreneurs a unique opportunity torevitalize their communities and diversify their economies,buffering the area from boom-and-bust economic impactsfrom the past. Although economic vulnerability has greadyaffecting the culture of the region and this history canbe interpreted, this program should not be viewed as anobstacle to growth.

9.A conceptual boundary map is supported by thepublic; and

Citizen engagement has been employed and the boundarymap has been supported. One item that may require furtherreview at the management planning stage is the additionalcitizen engagement in the counties surrounding the heritagearea, including south of the Missouri border into Arkansas.For the purposes of this feasibility study ...

Work has occurred since 2007 to determine the appropri-ate area and emerging themes and stories reflective in thisarea. The results of these efforts are seen in Chapters 2 and3, as well as through citizen engagement documentation.If the region is National Heritage Area designated, theseefforts will need to be further refined with extensive citizenengagement firstly by establishing the vision, mission, andgoals of the NHA, then with further refinement of theboundaries and themes

lO.The management entity proposed to plan andimplement the project is described.

See Chapter Four for the management plan entity and con-ceptual implementation plans.

Above: Traditional fiddle making demonstration at a local festival.


59

Page 579

ApPENDIX A

LEGAL REQUIREMENTS

Feasibility studies can be enacted by Congress andwould be reflected in this appendix, but as a locallysponsored NHA feasibility study through OzarkAction, Inc., there is no direct legal mandate whichguided this study.

Page 581

ApPENDIXB

PUBLIC SUPPORT

Page 583

Business Women a/Missouri

November 23, 2010

Kathleen MorrisseyOzark Action, Inc.710 E. Main StreetWest Plains, Missouri(417) 2~6-6147

Business Women of Missouri West Plains ardently supports the objectives ofthe Ozark Heritage AreaFeasibility Study encompassing thirteen counties in Missouri.

During the past 85 years our mission remained constant to achieve equality for women in the workplacethrough advocacy, education and information. Our local organization and members also highly valueservice to the community. This project encourages the continuation of our area's rich history andcultural heritage. Collecting and writing about the development and history of the region along withstories of the people who make up our noble background preserves the cultural uniqueness of the OzarkHeritage region.

We eagerly look forward to opportunities to partner with other organizations to preserve, interpret, anddevelop community resources for our regional area.

Sincerely,

~~~

Brenda SmithPresidentBusiness Women of MO West PlainsWest Plains, MO 65775

Page 584

/1- :;.'/-.:J...t>IODate, 2010

Kathleen Morrissey

Ozark Action, Inc.

710 E. Main Street

West Plains, MO 65775-0588

(417) 256-6147

The Carter County Commission would like to express our support and enthusiasm for the Ozark Heritage

Area Feasibility Study which includes Carter County, Missouri.

Our county holds a rich history* and many resources** which COnnectto stories and themes of the entire

region.

We look forward to opportunities to partner in the future to preserve, interpret, and develop our resources

for the benefit of our people.

Presiding Commissioner

Board Member

Page 585

DOUGLAS COUNTY, MISSOURIOFFICE OF THE COUNTY CO:M:MISSIONERS

JAMES D. "BurCH" LINDER, PRESIDING COMMISSIONERDISTRICT ONE COMMISSIONER RICHARD MITCHELL

DISTRICT TWO COMMISSIONER DANNY DRY

P.O. BOX 398, AVA, MISSOURI 65608

Kathleen MorrisseyOzark Action, Inc.710 East Main StreetWest Plains, MO 65775

RE: Ozark Heritage Feasibility Study

The Douglas County, Missouri County Commission would like to express our supportand enthusiasm for the Ozark Heritage Area Feasibility study which includes our DouglasCounty, Missouri.

Our county holds a rich history and many resources which connect to our entire region.We are proud to carry on the equine heritage of our forefathers with the distinction of being theWorld Headquarters of the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association. We have manyartisans who carry on traditional folk crafts and some of our residents have been named MasterArtisans in their respective skills. We enjoy a traditional rural way of life that is a benefit to ourresidents and can be enjoyed by visitors to our area.

We hope to be able to be a part of a larger group to partner in the future to preserve,interpret and develop our resources for the benefit of our people and our area.

Sincerely,

Page 586

127 S.W. Second AvenueP.O. Bo)(967Ava, MO 65608

CITY OF AVA, MISSOURINovember 18, 2010

Kathleen MorrisseyOzark Action, Inc.710 E. Main StreetWest Plains, MO 65775

RE: Ozark Heritage Area Feasibility Study

The City of Ava, Missouri Mayor and Board of Aldermen would like to express our support for theOzark Heritage Feasibility Study which includes the City of Ava in Douglas County, Missouri.

Ava is the center of activity, serving as the county seat and the only incorporated town within thecounty. Ava is home to the AvaiCassvillelWillow Springs District headquarters for the Mark Twain NationalForest, World Headquarters for the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association, the Douglas CountyHistorical Society & Genealogical Society and Museum, as well as the A va Area Art Guild & Gallery.

There are many talented artisans in our area and Ava is the hub of commerce. We enjoy our ruralatmosphere and still practice many of the family traditions and skills learned from our ancestors.

Being included in a National Heritage District would be an asset in continuing to preserve and interpretOW" unique skills and customs and have a positive impact on our econ~~

~~~-1Leon HarrisMayorCity of A va, Missouri

. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Office of the Mayor

Leon Harris

Page 587

Kathleen Morrissey

From:Sent:To:Subject:

Dawn Sperry Allen [[email protected]]Wednesday, September 29,201011:42 AMKathleen MorrisseyFW: Ozark Heritage Project

----- Forwarded MessageFrom: Dawn Sperry Allen <[email protected]>Date: Wed, 08 Sep 201008:54:51 -0500To: Kathleen Morrissey <[email protected]>Conversation: Ozark Heritage ProjectSubject: Ozark Heritage Project

Hello Kathleen,

A week ago you were in Williamsville, MO at Brenda Shearrer's home and I was unable to attend themeeting. Two of our Board Members (Bob Todd & Barbara Decker) were there and brought backinformation regarding the Ozark Heritage Pro ject, an excellent idea.

Our organization is just a year old and we have yet to apply' for our 501 C3 but will be working towardgetting that done.

On behalf of our membership and Board of Directors, I wanted to officially introduce our organizationto you and convey that we are interested in the Heritage Project.

Sincerely,DawnAllen

C·A·A·W.Cultural Arts Alliance, Wa!:JneOzark R.egion, Inc.WWW.cadWC:3ilW.com

F·O.l)ox6+)Fiedmont, MO 6)957-006+,

Dawn Allendilwnilllen@c<I<lwc<l<lw.com

muleicorn@wlndstre<lm.net

Artisans network.ing to stimulate enhance and ennch communities through the cultural arts

with appreciation {or Ozark. Hist0r;J, customs and area colloCfuia/,sms.

Page 588

~~iIB ~q2.FOG~ Council of GolltJmment$

eo. Box 100 Pomona, Missouri 65789-0100 (417) 256·4226

November 2,2010'"

·~.l:C-hleen MorrisseyPro),,~CoordinatorOzark Action, Inc.710 E. Main StreetWest Plains, MO 65775

Re: Ozark Heritage Area Feasibility Study

Dear Ms. Morrissey:

The South Central Ozarks Council of Governments supports the Ozark Heritage Area FeasibilityStudy regarding options for linking cultural conservation and economic development in our region.

We believe there is great potential for the region to be designated as a National Heritage Area whereconservation of our regional culture could be a basis for economic opportunity and economicopportunity an incentive for ongoing cultural conservation. This would enable us to communicatethe richness and vitality of our culture more effectively to potential visitors and prospective residentswhile also contributing to the quality of life for those who already call this region home.

The seven-county area that we represent possesses a wealth of cultural resources. These includehistoric sites, landmarks, and landscapes, such as Alley Mill near Eminence, one of the largest massgraves of the Civil War in Hartville, and the storied Irish Wilderness in rural Oregon County.Events and gatherings that reflect our regional culture, range from Hootin' and Hollerln' inGainesville and the Old-Time Music Ozark Heritage Festival in West Plains to church picnics andjam. sessions. The work of traditional artists, craftspeople, and farmers encompasses quilts, music,furniture, and molasses. Perhaps the most important of our cultural resources are the stories thatwe tell about our lives, families, and communities. Natural, scenic, and recreational resources whichlink our natural environment and our culture also abound here, including the Caney MountainConservation Area, the Devil's Backbone Wilderness Area, Rocky Falls Shut-In, and "Someof themost scenic rivers in the United States, such as the Big Piney, the North Fork of the White, and theEleven Point.

National Heritage Area status would enable us to take significant steps toward fillfilling the potentialof these regional assets. The resources that a National Heritage Area would make available wouldhelp us to conserve, interpret and market our cultural treasures in a more coordinated, cohesive way.

Project Administration • Community Planning &: Development • Revolving Loan FundDemographic & Census Information • Desktop Publishing • Computerized Mapping • Signs

• A Designated Economic Development District»• Your Regional Planning Commission •

Page 589

We would be better equipped to give visitors to our area the fullest possible experience of it, helpproducers of goods that reflect our regional culture to benefit economically from their work, andsupport a quality of life that provides incentive for our talented young people to remain here and fornatives of this region who have left for purposes of employment to retum when they retire.

The pursuit of a National Heritage Area in south-central Missouri is consistent with our mission topromote human resources, educational opportunities, and economic development in order toenhance the quality of life for the region's inhabitants. Therefore, the South Central Ozark Councilof Governments endorses your efforts and looks forward to collaborating with you as you proceed.

Y2fbExecutive Director

Page 590

).

~ity of West PlainsP.O. Box 710 • 1910 Holiday Lane


Mayor Joe P. Evans

Bryan AdcockOzark Action, Inc.710 E. Main StreetWest Plains, MO 65775

Dear Mr. Adcock:

On behalf of the City of West Plains, I am submitting this letter of support for the OzarkHeritage Project and the feasibility study being done by Ozark Action, Inc. and the West PlainsCouncil on the Arts to assess the potential for a multi-county heritage area in our region.

The character of West Plains is built on its history and is sustained by its story. West Plains is thecounty seat of Howell County. As the epicenter for business in the 20th century, West Plains wasthe economic engine for the community. In the last ten to fifteen years, hundreds of thousands ofdollars have been invested by private developers upgrading properties comprising the downtownbusiness district which still remains an integral component in our local economy. In July, 2003,downtown West Plains and the Court Square were listed on the National Register of HistoricPlaces. Those who tell this story believe that cultural conservation can be a source ofcommunity revitalization, and a great investment opportunity for the Ozarks region.

The city's rich history is directly correlated to economic development. Everyone benefits fromcultural tourism strategies which encourage visitors to explore, experience and appreciate therich heritage of our area. Since 1994, we have been pleased to be a partner in producing the OldTime Music, Ozark Heritage Festival which has been designated the "signature event" for thecity and, a source of pride throughout the region. Each year the event brings thousands of visitorsto our city from across the nation. The.James R Harlin Museum which houses the Lennis L.Broadfoot collection of portraits detailingthe pioneers of the Ozarks, is also a wonderful culturalasset for the city. ;. ." .

A multi-county heritage area would give people in the region a means to work together, tocultivate partnerships for conserving our culture, for sharing our stories, and for expanding ourexperience. Our stories reconnect us to a deeply rooted sense of place that was honed by an

Web Site: www.westplains.net • (417) 256-7176 • Fax: (417) 256-4953

Page 591

~ity of West PlainsP.o. Box 710 • 1910 Holiday Lane


Mayor Joe P. Evans

ancient landscape and great-spirited traditions. Today, we envision of our heritage just asintimately connected to the future for residents and visitors alike.

The City of West Plains is very excited to support this effort to preserve our local heritage andencourage continued and renewed interest in our story and its connection to the story of theUnited States of America.

Web Site: www.westplains.net • (417) 256-7176 • Fax: (417) 256-4953

Page 592

•••••CITY OF HOUSTON

601 S. GRAND AVE.HOUSTON, MO. 65483

PHONE: 417-967-3348 FAX: 417-967-4252web site: houstonmo.org

STEVE HUTCHESON, MAYORLARRY sunON, ADMINISTRATORTONYA FOSTER, CITY CLERK

Kathleen MorrisseyOzark Action, Inc.710 E. Main StreetWest Plains, MO417-256-6147

The City of Houston would like to express out support and enthusiasm for the Ozark Heritage Areafeasibility study. The City of Houston lies in Texas County and is the County seat of the County.

Our County holds a rich history and many resources which connect to stories and themes of the entireregion.

We look forward to opportunities to partner in the future to preserve, interpret, and develop ourresources for the benefit of our people.

Sincerely,

Steve Hutcheson, Mayor

Aldermen:

F. Don RominesBruce WilsonJoe C. HoneycuttBill MaxwellSharon SillyrnanJoyce Campbell

Page 593

October 28, 2010

Kathleen MorrisseyOzark Action, Inc.710 E. Main StreetWest Plains, Missouri(417) 256-6147

The Mountain Grove Central Arts Council would like to express our support and enthusiasm forthe Ozark Heritage Area Feasibility Study which includes Wright County.

Our county holds a rich history of strong resilience people who love and depend on the land. Theirstories connect to the themes of the entire region.

We look forward to opportunities to partner in the future to preserve, interpret, and develop ourresources for the benefit of the people.

Sincerely,

Debbie Barbe, President, Mountain Grove Central Arts CouncilMary Ann Frazee, Vice President, Mountain Grove Central Arts CouncilGlenn Kemper, Treasurer, Mountain Grove Central Arts CouncilDianne Gooch, secretary, Mountain Grove Central Arts Council

Page 594

ApPENDIXC

RECOGNIZED IMPORTANT PLACES

Page 596

NRHP Site CountyBedell, Mrs. Louis House CarterBig Spring Historic District CarterBoyer, Earl House CarterChubb Hollow Site CarterGibson, J. W. House CarterGooseneck Site CarterGreensfelder, Delia House CarterHerrington, Loretta House CarterHinton, James House CarterJacobson, Nettie House CarterKelley, Isaac Site CarterKitterman, Nola House CarterKnapp, Wallace House CarterLawhorn, Buford House CarterLewis, Iva House CarterMasonic Lodge CarterMays,Terry House CarterMcNew, Thornton House CarterMill Pond CarterNance, Della House CarterOwens, Hazel House CarterPhillips Bay Mill (23CT235) CarterPhillips, Ernie House CarterPowers, Alvis House CarterShoat, Hazel House CarterSixth Street Historic District CarterSmith, James House CarterSmith, Lawrence House CarterSmith, William F. House CarterTucker, Lee House CarterDam and Spillwayin the Hatchery Area at Montauk State Park DentDent County Courthouse DentLower Parker School DentMontauk State Park Open Shelter DentNichols Farm District DentNova Scotia Ironworks Historic District DentOld Mill at Montauk State Park DentYoung, W.A. House DentAva Ranger Station Historic District DouglasCourthouse Square Historic District Howell


Page 597

NRHP Site CountyElledge Arcade Buildings HowellSmith, W.T. and Ed Building HowellWest Plains Bank Building HowellFort Davidson IronImmanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church IronIron County Courthouse Buildings IronSt. Paul's Episcopal Church IronUrsuline Academy--Arcadia College Historic District IronCarroll Stagecoach Inn OregonGreer Mill OregonPigman Mound Archeological Site OregonBagnell Dam and Osage Power Plant OzarkHarlin, Tohn Conkin and Clara Layton House OzarkHodgson-Aid Mill OzarkTohn Conkin and Clara Layton OzarkOzark Courthouse Square Historic District OzarkBuford--Carty Farmstead ReynoldsCivil War Fortification at Barnesville ReynoldsB-9 Structure Archeological Site RipleyBarrett, Randolph House RipleyIndian Ford RipleyMule Camp Site RipleyPrice Site RipleyRipley County Courthouse RipleyRipley County Tail RipleySheriff's Office and Sheriff's Residence RipleySylvan School RipleyAkers Ferry Archeological District ShannonAlley Spring Roller Mill ShannonAlton Club ShannonButtin Rock School ShannonChilton- Williams Farm Complex ShannonCulpepper=Pumrnil Site (23SH14/55) ShannonKlepzig, Walter Mill and Farm ShannonOld Eminence Site (23SH104) ShannonOwl's Bend Site (23SH10) ShannonPulltite Site (23SH94) ShannonReed Log House ShannonRhinehart Ranch ShannonRound Spring Archeological District Shannon


Page 598

RECOGNIZED IMPORTANT PLACESNRHP Site CountyShawnee Creek Site ShannonTwo Rivers Site ShannonWinona Ranger Station Historic District ShannonBates-Geers House TexasCole, Arthur W. and Chloe B. House TexasHouston High School TexasHouston Ranger Station Historic District TexasWhite Rock Bluffs Archeological Pictograph Site TexasFort Benton WayneOld Greenville (23WE637) WayneSam A. Baker State Park Historic District WayneAdministration Building, Missouri State Fruit Experiment Station WrightKelton House WrightMountain Grove Bandstand WrightSouthwestern Bell Repeater Station--Wright City WrightWilder, Laura Ingalls House Wright

Page 599

ApPENDIXD

INVENTORY OF CONTRIBUTING RESOURCES

Page 600

Contributing Sites and Activities Related to Themes by CountySite Name County City AccessCarter County Historical Society Log Cabin Carter Van Buren PublicCarter County Courthouse Carter Van BurenCoward's Hollow Natural Area Carter PublicHidden Log Cabin Museum Carter Van Buren PublicOzark National Scenic Riverwavs Carter PublicPeck Ranch Conservation Area Carter PublicPioneer Museum Carter Ellsinore PublicBig Spring Carter/Shannon PublicBonebreak Center of Nature & Historv Dent Salem PrivateDent County Courthouse Dent SalemDent County Museum Dent Salem PublicMontauk State Park Dent PublicOzark Heritage Museum Dent Salem PublicAva Art Guild & Gallery Douglas AvaDouglas County Historical Society Douglas Ava PublicDouglas County Courthouse Douglas AvaMissouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association Douglas Ava PublicTopaz Mill Douglas PrivateAntique Fire Truck, Automobile & Soda Museum Howell Willow Springs PublicCloud 9 Ranch Club Howell Caulfield PublicFire Museum of Missouri Howell West Plains PublicHarlin Museum Howell West Plains PublicHowell County Courthouse Howell West PlainsMountain View Heritage Murals Howell Mountain View PublicVanderhoef Memorial State Forest Howell PublicWayside Park Trail Howell Mountain View PublicWest Plains Opera House Howell West Plains PublicWhite Ranch State Forest Howell PublicSpring River Howell/ Oregon PublicElephant Rocks State Park Iron PublicFort Davidson State Historic Site Iron PublicIron County Courthouse Iron Ironton PublicIron County Historical Museum Iron Ironton PublicTaum Sauck Mountain Iron PublicUlysses S. Grant Monument Iron Ironton PublicBoze Mill Spring Oregon PublicFalling Spring and Mill Oregon PublicGrand Gulf State Park Oregon PublicGreer Spring and Trail Oregon PublicIrish Wilderness Oregon PublicKellv Cave Oregon PublicMcCormack Lake Oregon PublicOregon County Courthouse Oregon AltonTurners Mill Oregon PublicTupelo Gum Pond Natural Area Oregon PublicWhite's Creek Cave Oregon PublicBull Shoals Lake Ozark PublicCaney Mountain Refuge Ozark PublicDawtMill Ozark Public

Page 601

Devil's Backbone Wilderness Ozark PublicGammond Mill Ozark PublicHodgson Mill Ozark PublicNorfolk Lake Ozark PublicOld Harlin House Ozark Gainesville PublicOzark County Courthouse Ozark Gainesville PublicRockbridge Mill Ozark PublicThe Narrows Ozark PublicZanoni Mill Ozark Private[Iohnson's Shut-Ins State Park Reynolds PublicReynolds County Courthouse ReynoldsCurrent River Heritage Museum Ripley Doniphan PublicPioneer Heritage Homestead Ripley Doniphan PublicRipley County Courthouse Ripley DoniphanAkers Ferry Shannon PublicAlley Spring Grist Mill Shannon PublicBlue Spring Shannon PublicCave Spring & Devils Well Shannon PublicTam Up Cave Shannon PublicPulltite Spring & Cabin Scenic Shannon PublicRocky Falls Shannon PublicRound Spring Shannon PublicShannon County Courthouse Shannon EminenceStory's Creek School Shannon PublicTwo Rivers Shannon PublicWelch Spring Shannon PublicTexas County Missouri Historical & Military Museum Texas Houston PublicTexas County Courthouse Texas HoustonBryant Creek Various PublicEleven Point National Scenic River Various PublicMark Twain National Forest Various PublicNorth Fork of the White River Various PublicOzark & Ridge Runner Trail Various PublicLake Wappapello State Park Wayne PublicSam A. Baker State Park & Visotrs Center Wayne PublicWayne County Courthouse Wayne GreenvilleBaker Creek Heirloom Seed Company Wright Mansfield PublicLaura Ingalls Wilder Home and Museum Wright Mansfield PublicMansfield Historical Society Wright Mansfield PublicMountain Grove Square Wright Mountain Grove PublicRosewood Farms Wright Hartville PublicSMSU-Missouri State Fruit Experiment Station Wright Mountain Grove PublicWright County Courthouse Wright HartvilleBattle of Hartville Interpretive Panels Wright Hartville Public

Page 602

Conservation Areas in the Region by CountyCounty Conservation Area County Group DistrictCarter Carter Creek CA Carter Ozark

Current River CA Carter, Reynolds, Shannon SoutheastHunter Towersite Carter OzarkIvIiller CL Carter SoutheastPeck Ranch CA Carter, Shannon OzarkVan Buren Riverfront Park Carter Ozark

Dent Brown (Gerhild and Graham) CA Dent OzarkCedar Grove CA Dent OzarkClement (R F) Mem Forest and WA Dent OzarkHver Woods CA Dent OzarkIndian Trail CA Dent OzarkLenox Towersite Dent OzarkMontauk Fish Hatchery Dent OzarkMontauk Towersite Dent OzarkShawnee Mac Lakes CA Dent OzarkShort Bend Access Dent OzarkWhite River Trace CA Dent Ozark

Douglas Grundy Mem WA Douglas OzarkHebron Access Douglas OzarkMassengill (Richard) CA Douglas OzarkRippee CA Douglas OzarkShannon Ranch CA Douglas OzarkSquires Towersite Douglas OzarkVera Cruz Access Douglas Ozark

Howell Barn Hollow NA Howell, Texas OzarkCover (Dan and Maureen) Prairie CA Howell OzarkDavidson (Carrick W) - Robert G Paris WA Howell OzarkDavis (Dean) CA Howell OzarkMountain View Towersite Howell OzarkOzark Regional Office Howell OzarkSims Valley CL Howell OzarkTingler Prairie CA Howell OzarkVanderhoef (Archie and Gracie) Mem SF Howell OzarkWhite Ranch CA Howell Ozark

Iron Bismarck CA Iron, Saint Francois, Washington SoutheastBuford Mountain CA Iron, Washington SoutheastFunk Mem SF and WA Iron SoutheastGraves Mountain CA Iron, Wayne SoutheastKetcherside Mountain CA Iron, Reynolds SoutheastRiverside CA Iron, Reynolds, Wayne Southeast

Oregon Alton Forestry Sub-Office Oregon OzarkCover (Dan and Maureen) Mem WA Oregon OzarkMartin (George and Vida) Access Oregon OzarkMyrtle Access Oregon OzarkRose Hill Towersite Oregon OzarkThayer (Warm Fork Park) Oregon OzarkWarm Fork CA Oregon Ozark

Ozark Blair Bridge Access Ozark OzarkBull Shoals Lake ML Ozark, Taney Ozark

Page 603

Caney Mountain CA Ozark OzarkCook (Flo ) Access Ozark OzarkNorfork Lake ML Ozark OzarkPatrick Bridge Access Ozark OzarkSycamore Access Ozark OzarkTecumseh Towersite Ozark OzarkTimber Knob Towersite Ozark OzarkWarren Bridge Access Ozark Ozark

Reynolds Centerville Access Reynolds SoutheastClearwater CA Reynolds SoutheastClearwater Lake ML Reynolds, Wayne SoutheastLesterville Access Reynolds SoutheastLogan Creek CA Reynolds, Shannon Southeast

Ripley Doniphan (T L Wright Mem Access) Ripley OzarkDoniphan Towersite Ripley OzarkFourche Creek CA Ripley OzarkGreenville Ford Access Ripley OzarkHemenway CA Ripley OzarkLittle Black CA Ripley OzarkMudpuppyCA Ripley OzarkSand Pond CA Ripley Ozark

Shannon Angeline CA Shannon OzarkBirch Creek CA Shannon OzarkButtin Rock Access Shannon OzarkOzark NSR (Two Rivers Access) Shannon OzarkRocky Creek CA Shannon OzarkSunklands CA Shannon OzarkThomasville Towersite Shannon OzarkTwin Pines Conservation Education Center Shannon Ozark

Texas Austin CL Texas OzarkBaptist Camp Access Texas OzarkBarnes (p F) CA Texas OzarkBoesl (Lois Arlene) Outdoor Educ Area Texas OzarkBoiling Spring Access Texas OzarkCabool Towersite Texas OzarkDogs Bluff Access Texas OzarkEck (peter A) CA Texas OzarkGist Ranch CA Texas OzarkHorseshoe Bend NA Texas OzarkHouston Towersite Texas OzarkMason Bridge Access Texas OzarkMidvale CA Texas OzarkMineral Springs Access Texas OzarkPiney River Narrows NA Texas OzarkSimmons Ford Access Texas OzarkSouth Prong Access Texas OzarkSummersville Towersite Texas OzarkWhite (George 0) SF Nursery Texas Ozark

Wayne Clearwater Dist Hq Wayne SoutheastColdwater Access Wayne SoutheastColdwater CA Wayne Southeast

Page 604

Duck Creek CA Bollinger, Stoddard, Wayne SoutheastFlatwoods CA Wayne SoutheastHammer (Bradley A) Mem CA Wayne SoutheastIron Bridge Access Wayne SoutheastLon Sanders Canyon CA Wayne SoutheastUniversity Forest CA Butler, Wayne SoutheastWappapello Lake ML Wayne SoutheastYokum School CA Wayne Southeast

Wright Allen (Wilbur) Mem CA Wright OzarkBlue Slip Towersite Wright OzarkBuzzard Bluff Access Wright OzarkCamp Branch Access Wright OzarkCedar Gap CA Wright OzarkFuson (John Alva, MD) CA Wright OzarkOdin Access Wright Ozark

Additional State Lands in and immediatelysurrounding the Study Area

Allev Spring State ForestAlley Spring State ParkBeal State ForestBig Spring State ParkBlair Creek State ForestBloom Creek State ForestBozarth State ForestCabool State Wildlife Management AreaCardareva State ForestCarrs Creek State ForestCastor River State ForestCedar Grove State ForestClearwater Lake State Wildlife Management AreaClow State ForestColdwater State ForestDeer Run State ForestDickens Valley State ForestDuck Creek State Wildlife Refuge Number 1 DamFlat Rock State Wildlife AreaFourche Creek State ForestGrand Gulf State ParkGraves Mountain State ForestHartshorn State ForestHiram State Wildlife Management AreaHouston Tower Site State Wildlife AreaIndian Creek State ForestLake Wappapella State Wildlife Management AreaLake Wappapello State ParkLarson State Wildlife Management AreaLicking State Forest NurseryLittle Black State ForestLogan Creek State ForestMiller Community Lake State Wildlife Area

Page 605

Minzo National Wildlife RefugeMontauk State ParkMule Mountain State ForestOtter Slough State Wildlife Management AreaPaint Rock State ForestPairlee Freeman Barnes State Wildlife AreaPeck Ranch State Wildlife Management AreaPiney River Narrows State Natural AreaPoplar Bluff State ForestPowder Mill State ForestRichard F Clement Memorial State Forest and Wildlife AreaRippee State Wildlife Management AreaRiverside State ForestRound Spring State ParkRound Spring State Park (historical)Sam A Baker State ParkShannondale State ForestSilva State Wildlife Management AreaSkunk Pond State Wildlife Management AreaSummersville Towersite State Wildlife AreaSunklands-Burr Oak State Wildlife AreaWebb Creek State ForestWhite River State ForestWilhelmina State ForestYokum School State Wildlife Area

Page 606

ApPENDIXE

COORDINATING ENTITY EVALUATION

Page 608

ApPENDIXF

DEFINING IMPORTANT TERMS

--------------------------------~-- -~--

Page 610

Appendix F: DEFINING IMPORTANT TERMS AND PLANNING TOOLS

In our planning work we have learned how important it isto begin projects with an open discussion about the mean-Ing of words and ideas associated with cultural resourcemanagement and planning. While "interpretation," "educa-tion," "conservation," "preservation," and "education" lieat the heart of the NPS mission, there are many ways todefine these terms-and different disciplines apply them indifferent ways.

We believe that it is essential to begin the planning processby building a shared understanding of goals and the meansto achieve them. A first step should be an open dialoguewith Ozark Action, Inc., citizens, agencies and the consult-ing team about such key ideas as "long-term economicdevelopment" and "environmental sustainability". Theseideas are both means to an end and goals in themselves aswe think of the potential National Heritage Area.

Public discussion about broad ideas is an appropriate open-ing to the planning process because, as a National HeritageArea, this project is imbued with a call for grass-rootscitizen engagement.

We are committed to this dialogue, and we offer the fol-lowing definitions based on our own understanding ofthe enabling legislation and our knowledge of the region.They are not intended as answers, but as the beginning of aconversation that should continue throughout the planningprocess-from the refinement of a Foundation Statementin Phase 1 to the completion of the management plandocument.

"Action plan"A plan that describes how to implement interpretation. Itincludes:

Priorities: a description of what actions what shouldhappen first, next, and later.Approach: a description of where and how the re-gion's themes will be conveyed to visitors.Evaluation strategy: a plan to assess effectivenessand adjust interpretive programming and services.

"Authenticity in Cultural Landscape Preservation"In our work from Freedom's Frontier NHA, our teamtalked with residents a great deal about how they defined"authenticity" in historic preservation and in interpre-tive sites. The following is adapted from work with them

as presented in the final FFNHA report. We would workwith Ozark Action, Inc. to develop a similarly detailed, butperhaps different definition as suited to your needs.

Working definitions of "Authenticity" from Freedom'sFrontier:

[We] define '54uthenticity" as experiences and settingsthat are accurate, clear, compelling, and relevant to theregion. Understanding authenticity can help you to selectthe ideal preservation treatment approach for a land-scape, building, or site.

Authentic and quality historic preservation requires averifiable link to the region as a unique Heritage Area withnationally significant stories.

"Authenticity"Authenticity implies an original experience of being ina historic place with an engagement of all the senses.Authenticity in stewarding a site or building means morethan re-creating its appearance during the 19th century. Anauthentic historic preservation project must be truthful, notjust to the facts, but also to the place in which it is told, thepeople whose lives it recounts, and the technologies avail-able to them.

The following statements typify authentic and successfulhistoric preservation efforts:

Offers a genuine, accurate, and verifiable link to theregional past.Provides a direct connection to one or more of theNHA subthemes.Engages the senses.Helps to connect with the surrounding landscapeand the natural resources that may have shapedevents.Is located near to historic events and stories that areinterpreted.Contains several layers of time that may expresshow the building or site evolved over time with dif-ferent uses and residents.Expresses the background and ethnicity of thegroups who lived or worked there.

Page 611

"Civic Engagement/Citizen Engagement"As a philosophy, a discipline, and a practice, it can beviewed as a continuous, dynamic conversation with thepublic on many levels that focuses on achieving an agreed-upon vision, builds a sense of place, and welcomes and en-courages diversity of opinions and backgrounds. It involvesactivities such as informing, consulting with, engaging, col-laborating with, and empowering residents and stakeholdersin planning, decision-making, and building relationshipsaround a shared stewardship mission.

"Cultural Landscape"A geographic area, including both the cultural and naturalresources and the wildlife or domestic animals therein,associated with an historic event, activity, or person, or ex-hibiting culture or aesthetic values. There are four non-mu-tually exclusive types of cultural landscapes: historic sites,historic designed landscapes, historic vernacular landscapes,and ethnographic landscapes.

"Foundational Statements"The intellectual framework for interpretive plans. They are:

Significance statements: statements describing thenational, state, or local significance of the region.Interpretive themes: themes that identify and orga-nize the region's stories.Audience: An analysis and descriptions of the waysaudiences will experience a region.

"Interpretation"The art of sharing with others the meaning and relevanceof the world around us. For the Ozark region, interpreta-tion can be communication that reveals meanings and rela-tionships of cultural and natural heritage, usually throughfirst-hand involvement with an object, artifact, landscape,or site.

nections to authentic natural and cultural resourc-es.It is intellectually and physically accessible to peoplewith various abilities, learning styles, and levels ofexpenence.It is culturally sensitive, and explores topics fromdifferent points of view.It makes people think.It engages the senses, not just the mind.

"Interpretive Plan"A management document that outlines and guides deci-sions about a region's interpretive programming. It is cre-ated through an interdisciplinary, collaborative process thatis enhanced with active partner and stakeholder participa-tion, and takes place within a larger planning context, likea General Management Plan, a Feasibility Study such asthat for Ozark Action, Inc., or other overarching planninginitiative.

An interpretive plan should evoke a strong "sense of place"(see our definition below), engender partner buy-in, andmotivate public support. It should identify compelling sto-ries, and find practical and affordable ways to convey them.In this way, a interpretive plan helps to guide managers,partners, and visitors to rewarding interpretive experiencesthroughout a region.

There is no single template for an effective plan, but plansgenerally include components that are organized into: a)foundational elements, and b) action plan.

"Management"Specified actions, policies, strategies, taken to meet thegoals and recommendations of the heritage area.

"Media"Means, methods, devices, or instruments by which theinterpretive message is presented to the public.

"Natural Resources"Physical properties, materials, and on-going ecologicalprocesses that include but are not limited to air and wateratmospheric resources, marine and freshwater systems; geo-logic features and processes; biological entities and systems;natural sound; day and night sky features and relationships;seasonal and celestial fluctuations; and natural interactiveprocesses.

Interpretation helps people to connect intellectually, emo-tionally, or spiritually with the ideas, principles, beliefs, andvalues embodied in our world. Interpretation is based onfacts and goes on to reveal what an object, place, or eventmeans and why it matters-why it is relevant to today.

Effective interpretation shares basic characteristics.It is based on sound, objective scholarship.It is presented within a thematic framework to pro-vide focus and structure and to reinforce links andconnections.It provides experiences that enhance audience con-

Page 612

"Resource Protection"The act or process of preventing, eliminating, or reducinghuman-caused impacts to natural resources and naturalprocesses.

"Resources"The people, materials, technologies, money, ete. required to

implement the strategies or processes. The costs of theseresources are often depicted in the form of a budget.

"Sense of Place"Sense of place is a widely used phrase that can mean dif-ferent things to different people. Following the writings ofmany geographers and historians, we define "sense of placeas something more than scenic beauty, or historic events, orlandmark architecture.

Sense of Place means the conscious awareness of how aregton IS uruque.

For an Ozark National Heritage Area, "sense of place" isimportant because it can instill a sense of local pride. It caninspire citizens to become involved and to stay involvedin the organization and its outreach. Sense of place isachieved for many reasons including: the region's naturalhistory, social activism and debate, open sky, and a long-term tradition of community involvement. Some historicsites and landscapes are valued for many reasons: for theirnatural history, how it shaped human history, its scenicbeauty today, and vitality of its social life. When people areaware of their uniqueness as natural and social places, theyhave a stronger sense of place and they can begin to con-nect the strands of history for themselves and others.

"Statement of National Significance"Significance statements build on the national heritage area'spurpose and clearly state why, within a national context, thenational heritage area's resources and values are impor-tant enough to warrant the area's designation as a nationalheritage area.

These statements identify the resources and values that arecentral to managing the area and express the importance ofthe area to our natural and cultural heritage.

In drafting the statement of national significance,several National Park Service defi nitions of "nationalsignificance" were taken into consideration includingthe National Heritage Area feasibility study guidelines

for nationally distinctive landscapes as well as thedefinition of "national significance" included in theguidelines for Save America's Treasures projects.We consider places, stories, or landscapes to benationally significant when -they "contain importantregional and national stories that, together withtheir associated natural and/or cultural resources,enable the American people to understand, preserveand celebrate key components of the multi-facetedcharacter of the Nation's heritage."

Page 613

Document Prepared by Jeffrey L. Bruce and Company, L.L.c. Oeff Bruce, MichaelMcGrew, Mary Shuster) and Frank Martin. We would like to thank all peer reviewers fortheir feedback on the feasibility study.

We would like to thank Kathleen Morrissey and Matt Meachum for their research andinformation which provided the basis for this effort. We also thank all members of thepublic who participated in civic engagement for their invaluable expertise and support inthe development of this study.

JEFFREY L. BRUCE & COMPANY

1907 SWIFT STREET, SUITE 204,NORTH KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI 64116

T 816.842.8999 F 816.842.8885WWW.JLBRUCE.COM

Page 615

National Heritage AreaFeasibility Study Proposal

Ozark Action, Inc.

Haw Creek Falls in the Ozark National Forest

SUBMITTED BY:

Jeffrey L. Bruce & Company, L.L.c.

1907 SWIFT STREET, SUITE 204, NORTH KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI 64116T 816.842.8999 F 816.842.8885 WWW.JLBRUCE.COM

Page 616

May 12,2010

Mr. Bryan AdcockExecutive DirectorOzark Action, Inc.710 East MainWest Plains, Missouri 65775

RE: National Heritage Area Feasibility Study for Ozark Action, Inc.

Dear Mr. Adcock:

Thank you for considering our company in crafting a feasibility study foryour organization. We are excited about assisting you with this process.Jeffrey L. Bruce & Company, LLC (JBC) is pleased to provide a schematicframework to develop the National Heritage Area Feasibility Study for OzarkAction, Inc.

This study can be a valuable foundation resource for your organization as itmoves through the National Heritage Area process. We outline a frameworkprocess and schedule that we feel will provide a quality feasibility study thatcomplies with new NPS guidelines. Our decades of planning experiencefor many types of resources, histories and public groups teaches us aboveall the values of flexibility and careful listening. We see this framework asthe beginning of a conversation with your organization and not a completedsolution.

We believe that we are uniquely qualified to offer your organization the fol-lowing strengths:

Familiarity with NPS guidelines. Every National Heritage Area is differ-ent in size, stories, people and audiences. But NPS has overall feasibilitystudy guidelines and continues to consider new models for managementplans. Our work with Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area respondedto existing guidelines and pioneered new models for guidelines for heritageareas in the future.

Clear project management structure. From complex recreational projectsto large campus plans, we are experts in creating a clear project manage-ment structure where your questions can be answered immediately and thepublic can understand our efforts. For such a large region with so many citi-zens and groups who deserve to be involved, our ability to coordinate andcommunicate can make the difference in a successful result.

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The flexibility to work within a complex region. Our experience withFreedom's Frontier NHA involved hundreds of citizens, dozens of non-prof-

, it groups, and many units of government. We adapted to new requests,changed our scope of work, and listened to our clients as the plan devel-oped. In the end, the plan was innovative, regionally-specific, and a newmodel for integrating regional ecology and cultural landscapes in NHAplanning.

Commitment to civic engagement. We firmly believe in "bringing every-one to the table" because, when this plan is complete, we will likely no lon-ger be at the table. The enthusiasm, learned skills, and tools in the handsof citizens and can keep the region vibrant and self-renewing in the yearsto come. The dedication of citizen networks can withstand recessions andremain self-sufficient. For this reason, citizens must be part of the founda-tional work for this plan. We appreciate your efforts in civic engagement tothis point in the process.

Local appreciation and national perspective. This region of the Ozarksis a unique region in the United States of America and one that we feel asyou do that it should be celebrated as a distinct heritage area. Our teamincludes deep local awareness typified by Richard Yates and his familyhistory in the region. Frank Edgerton Martin served as cultural landscapehistorian and planner with us for Freedom's Frontier. He also has pub-lished numerous articles on landscapes and heritage preservation projectsacross the country. He brings a national view of new trends in preservation,project communication, and public outreach.

We would be glad to answer any questions that you may have about thisproposal. We share with you, and all who have experienced the activityand vitality of the Ozarks region, excitement and enthusiasm for this proj-ect. We are deeply committed to the promise of National Heritage Areas inour work, and would be honored to help you in crafting a practical and richlong-term vision for Ozark Action, Inc.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey L. Bruce, FASLA, LEED, ASIC, GRPPresident, Jeffrey L. Bruce & Company, LLC

FEASIBILITY S T U D Y PRO P 0 S A L

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"When we see land as acommunity to which webelong, we may beginto use it with love andrespect."

-Aida Leopold

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Letter of Interest

1. About Our Team

2. Framework

3. Previous Experience

4. Proposed Work Plan

5. Proposed Scope of Work and Budget

Appendix

A. Defining Important Terms and Planning Tools

B. Contract for Professional Consulting Services

Page 5

Pages 6-7

Pages 8-11

Pages 12-13

Pages 14-19

,,--------------------------------------~--------------FEASIBILITY

Alley Mill, Shannon County, Missouri

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ABOUT OUR TEAMOur team includes professionals from many disciplines who have success-fully worked together on past interpretive and planning projects. We continueto work together because we learn from one another, from the citizens wemeet and from the unique challenges, solutions, and successes of everyproject.

Jeffrey L. Bruce & Company, LLC (JBC), is a national landscape architec-tural firm founded in Kansas City in 1986. While serving as landscape archi-tectural consultants for the University of Kansas (KU) Campus Heritage Planin 2006, JBC met and collaborated with Frank Edgerton Martin. Fundedby the Getty Foundation, our project for KU became one of the first campuspreservation plans in the country to place historic landscapes on an equalpar with architecture. The result will guide growth at KU for generations tocome.

From the KU plan, we learned of the upcoming Management Plan for theFreedom's Frontier National Heritage Area, a 41-county region stretchingfrom western Missouri to central Kansas. We brought our multi-disciplinaryapproach to this effort and helped residents to think about how natural his-tory shaped human history. We worked with local sites to understand theirrole in a greater regional fabric of ecology and stories, how the land helpedto shape the region's stories of conflict and the aspiration for freedom.

For the past 30 years, Jeffrey Bruce has built a professional practice andfirm focused of what he calls the "Midwest Aesthetic"--a design ethic basedon the unique cultural, historical and ecological foundations of the Midwest.As he states it, "The Midwest Aesthetic is a sensitivity to the values of a cul-ture that has a traditional intimacy with the land that is unique and little under-stood outside this region." He guided our team's work both for the Universityof Kansas and for Freedom's Frontier. Jeff will serve as a point of contact forclient questions and guide our study of the region's natural history.

Richard Yates is a senior landscape architect at JBC. He served as projectmanager for both the University of Kansas and Freedom's Frontier Planshelping the team to meet schedules and to adapt our services as needed forthe best results.

Michael McGrew, a Project Manager with JBC, coordinated the day-to-daycreation of the Freedom's Frontier Management Plan and also served as alandscape architectural advisor in natural resources inventory and documen-tation. Michael will oversee civic engagement strategies, report productionand create maps and graphics for the entire project.

Frank Edgerton Martin served as landscape historian and preservationplanner for both the University of Kansas and Freedom's Frontier plans. Acontributing editor for Landscape Architecture magazine, he is also an activejournalist and writer. Frank brings significant experience in public participa-tion, and he will help to guide the writing and editing of the feasibility study.


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FRAMEWORKThe Feasibility Study is organized into five chapters plus appendixes. All of these components will requirecivic input and direction, but we want to provide you the tools and resources to assist you in crafting thisstudy. Each section is described briefly below.

CHAPTERS

Chapter 1: "Introduction" provides a brief description of the area and an overview of the study's pur-pose, history, and legal requirements. This chapter also describes the public involvement strategy andoutcomes including the vision statement, themes, and heritage resource inventory.

Chapter 2: "Study Area History and Description" includes a brief history of the area, starting from natu-ral history to the first inhabitants through today. The chapter also describes the socioeconomic environ-ment of southeast Missouri.

Chapter 3: "Theme" describes the story that is uniquely theirs that contributes to our nation's story. Italso includes the sub-themes that collectively set this landscape apart from any other and together formtheir unique "could only happen here" story. The places that inform the unique story were developedthrough a public involvement process described here and then they were aligned with the NPS The-matic Framework.

Chapter 4: "Coordination Alternatives" describes and evaluates the alternatives that were considered,their strengths and weaknesses and recommends the strongest alternative-no action, national heri-tage area, and privately organized heritage area. The chapter also evaluates coordinating entity optionsfor the national heritage area alternative. There may be an optional addition to provide a broad reviewof economic sustainability of the program, as this is rapidly emerging as a critical issue in managementplan assessments.

Chapter 5: "Application of the NPS Heritage Area Criteria" evaluates the feasibility and suitability of con-gressional designation of the study area as a national heritage area according to the four steps and tencriteria identified in the National Park Service's "Draft National Heritage Area Feasibility Study Guide-lines" (NPS 2003).

APPENDICES

Appendix A: "Legal Requirements" includes public laws, mandates and other legal documents pertain-ing to the area under study that required, defined and/or shaped any part of this study.

Appendix B: "Public Support" includes a list of organizations that have participated in the study, lettersof support and/or commitment to work together to further the area in achieving the vision, resolutions tosupport a National Heritage Area designation, specific input from residents that shaped and informedthe assessment organized by workshop, surveys, letters or phone calls intended to inform the assess-ment by the contributor.

Appendix C: "Recognized Important Places" includes all regional, state or federal listings for the Nation-al Register of Historic Places, National Landmarks and National Natural Landmarks and/or other typesof listings that recognize preservation of a contributing resource. This includes all contributing culturallandscapes that have been identified and assessed, recognized archeological sites and significant fea-

~ures that speak to the uniqueness of the place.


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Carolin

Highlight

FRAMEWORK (continued)Appendix D: "Inventory of Contributing Resources" are the resources identified through the public pro-cess that speak specifically to the overarching theme and the sub-themes. The inventory identifies theplace, its condition, whether or not it is accessible to the public, if the owner/manager permits accessand whether or not interpretation is available to visitors.

Appendix E: "Coordinating Entity Evaluation" includes the requests for information from prospective ap-plicants, selection process and factors considered and a letter from the Regional Director of the Nation-al Park Service if one of the applicants meets the capability requirements should the area move forwardin the designation process.

DRAFT HERITAGE AREA FEASIBILITY STUDY GUIDELINES

Note: We have included the guidelines from the NPS as a tool for clearly indicating how this regionmeets the requirements of the National Heritage Area program. ALL chapters will meet the require-ments in part, and will be cross-referenced in a work plan to show where these ten criteria are beingmet. We feel that Chapter 5 can clearly list these components a final time for "cut-and-dry" review byNPS.

The feasibility study criteria considers that a candidate national heritage area:

1. Is an area that has an assemblage of natural, historic, or cultural resources that together representdistinctive aspects of American heritage worthy of recognition, conservation, interpretation, and continu-ing use, and are best managed as such an assemblage through partnerships among public and privateentities, and by combining diverse and sometimes noncontiguous resources and active communities;

2. Reflects traditions, customs, beliefs, and folklife that are a valuable part of the national story;

3. Provides outstanding opportunities to conserve natural, cultural, historic, and/or scenic features;

4. Provides outstanding recreational and educational opportunities;

5. Has the resources important to the identified theme or themes of the area retain a degree of integritycapable of supporting interpretation;

6. Residents, business interests, non-profit organizations, and governments within the proposed areaare involved in the planning, have developed a conceptual financial plan that outlines the roles for allparticipants including the federal government, and have demonstrated support for designation of thearea;

7. The proposed management entity and units of government supporting the designation are willing tocommit to working in partnership to develop the heritage area;

8. The proposal is consistent with continued economic activity in the area;

9. A conceptual boundary map is supported by the public; and

10. The management entity proposed to plan and implement the project is described.

FEASIBILITY PRO P 0 S A LS T U 0 Y

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Highlight

"

F E A S

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

. "

'<:>

The National Park Service created the national heritage area program topromote and protect unique cultural, historical, and natural assets. Freedom'sFrontier National Heritage Area (FFNHA), located across 41 counties ineastern Kansas and western Missouri, is a historically significant region for theWestward Migration, Border War, and Civil War. Jeffrey L. Bruce & Company(JBC) with Frank Edgerton Martin led a team to craft a management plan forthe region detailing where, why, and how the National Heritage Area will bedeveloped.

<::

FFNHA is part of a new generation of national heritage areas that aremanaged as grassroots organizations. JBC worked with numerous groupsand individuals to craft a vision and mission statement, along with simple-to-use toolkits and operational plans to enact this vision. JBC was critical indeveloping the "Power of Place" and "Power of Story" describing the region'suniqueness. The unifying theme, utilizing landscape as an organizingelement for crafting "story ecosystems" of connected locations and events,was a revolutionary approach for a National Heritage Area and met withextremely high approval by the National Park Service, the FFNHA Boardof Trustees, and the grass roots members of the heritage area. InterpretiveSolutions provided independent peer review of several components in themanagement plan.~-----------------------------------------------------------

B T Y S T U D Y PRO P 0 S A LL

Previous Work Experience ~

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Testimonials

"It was a pleasure to work with all of you on the project. We thank youfor your leadership and flexibility in challenging times. The creativity ofyour team is second to none."--Judy Billings, Director, Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area

"Missouri Division of Tourism is impressed with the FFNHA manage-ment plan and will continue to support Freedom's Frontier."--Bob Smith, Interim Director, Missouri Division of Tourism

"It is very innovative to connect stories to landscape rather than topolitical boundaries ...very functional and easy for user groups to followwith great design graphics."-blind jury comments, Maryland chapter of the American Society ofLandscape Architects

F u R 0 PE A S B L T Y S T D Y o S A LP

Previous Work Experience

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PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

F E A S

The primary goal of this Campus Heritage Plan is to promote thestewardship of the University of Kansas' historic campus by identifying,interpretingand protecti ngthe most importantvestiges of sites, architectureand landscape design. In the long term, these historic attributes, seenas evidence of time and change, can provide the University a distinctand valued asset in drawing and enlightening future members of thiscommunity. The planning team included team members Jeffrey L. Bruce& Company, as well as an Architectural Historian, Cultural LandscapeWriter and Ecological Specialists which made for a truly collaborativeeffort.

The University of Kansas Campus Heritage Plan has made pioneeringadvances in integrating new sustainable water treatment practices andspecies diversity and sustainability while preserving historic character.Now complete, the plan is one of the first in the country to create politically-realistic management tools that value Landscape Architecture equallywith Architecture.

'----------------------------------------------------------------B L T Y S T U 0 Y PRO P 0 S A L

Previous Work Experience

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Testimonials

"One of the keys to a KU education is sustaining the traditions that makeit such a unique place. This Getty grant helps make sure the traditions ofour physical setting are maintained."-Chancellor Robert E. Hemenway

"Most planning documents only look forward; the pressure to accommo-date future needs rarely takes into account the historical dimension andaesthetic consequences. The Getty study does.

This Getty study was a huge learning experience for me, because for thefirst time I was exposed to the evolution of a campus in a very succinctmanner. So this study gives us a perspective on the campus that is reallyquite rare, and very valuable. The other thing this study did for me is, itenhanced the power of those voices that say, 'Be careful about what youbuild, and where. '

The issues it raises are very much on our radar screen. They're part ofour filter of thinking right now. "-Provost Richard Lariviere

F E A S B L T Y S T U D Y PRO P 0 S A LPrevious Work Experience

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PROPOSED WORK PLANBACKGROUND

. On October 26, 1999, in testimony before the House Subcommittee on National Parks and PublicLands, House Resource Committee, the NPS articulated its definition of a NHA, the steps to be com-pleted prior to designation, and the 10 criteria to permit the NPS, Congress and the public to evaluatecandidate areas. The NPS definition provides that:

A National Heritage Area is a place designated by Congress where natural,cultural, historic and scenic resources combine to form a cohesive, nationally

distinctive landscape arising from patterns of human activity shaped by geogra-phy. These patterns make National Heritage Areas representative of the nationalexperience through the physical features that remain and the traditions that have

evolved in them. Continued use of National Heritage Areas by people whosetraditions helped to shape the landscapes enhances the Significance.

The process to achieve designation as a National Heritage Area requires public involvement in the pro-cess to evaluate unique resources, cultural heritage, tradition, history and geographic significance. Theprocess must define a theme and create a framework for documentation and determination of nationaldistinctiveness. This scope of work will provide documentation of the feasibility of an area designationand establish the framework for approval as a National Heritage Area and authorization for develop-ment of a management plan.The work effort to date by Ozark Action, Inc. and other state and local agencies and individuals hasprovided the basis to seek creation and formulation of a feasibility study of the designated area as thenext step in the process.

The Feasibility Study:

Requires a public outreachlinvolvement strategy where all stakeholders have the opportunity to '-..--/offer input, provide comment, voice opposition;Establishes a framework for conducting public input sessions with local citizens;Identifies and establishes a framework for development of strategies for resource management,and heritage development;As appropriate, suggests alternative approaches for development, management, preservation,and conservation;Defines roles and responsibilities of management entities, partners, and other stakeholders; andOutlines a budget to realize the vision, implementing the prioritized goals and objectives.Provides flexible options and alternatives to provide extra support to meet the needs of Ozark Ac-tion, Inc..

The Planning Process:

Establishes Ozark Action, Inc. communications methods that are effective, sustainable and longlasting;Engages the public through consistent, open and inclusive communications methods;Tests and implements evaluation and progress measuring tools;Increases stakeholder commitment with initiation of Scope of Work; andSets clear expectations of each partner, including the Ozark Action, Inc. staff.

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·1

CONSULTING TEAM

The strength of this Team is not only experience in their fields, but also within the region. The Team'scollective areas of expertise include community and economic development, cultural heritage tourism,historic preservation, landscape architecture, and consensus building.

Jeffrey L. Bruce & Company, LLC (based in Kansas City, Missouri) will serve as contracting entity andproject coordinator for the planning process. The company's staff and resources will be tapped toprovide the day-to-day administration of the project. The firm's experience and expertise in landscapearchitecture, environmental assessments and resource management will be tapped for the specific plancomponents. Jeffrey Bruce, Richard Yates, and Michael McGrew are the core staff on the consultingTeam.

Frank Edgerton Martin recently served as public meeting facilitator, landscape historian and preserva-tion specialist for the creation of the Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area Management Plan andthe Getty Foundation Campus Heritage Grant for the University of Kansas and University of Minnesota-Morris. Working with Gemini Research and Miller Dunwiddie Architecture, he helped to create a vision-ary and long-term preservation plan for the entire campus landscape. His expertise in cultural land-scapes, interpretation and civic engagement will be utilized in these planning areas.

TEAM'S PHILOSOPHY

The Team brings together the diverse qualifications required to facilitate this process through bothnational and local experience. The Team's working philosophy includes a commitment to a grassroots,community-based approach to engage local citizens through facilitated conversations. The Team firmly

~.- believes in a conservation and preservation-based approach to heritage development that embodiesthe principles of both geotourism and heritage tourism.

Commitment to the Management Planning Process:

Ozark Action, Inc. and Team will each identify one representative as the contract coordinator,facilitator and final decision maker.All public presentations, handouts and review materials will be approved by the facilitating com-mittee prior to presentation.Steering committee will have at least 7 days of review time for approval of public meeting materi-als and review documents.The public feedback process will be mostly provided to the Team bye-mail or web-based to ef-ficiently facilitate gathering, organizing and producing feedback results.All items developed, whenever possible, are expected to serve as a tool throughout the life of theheritage area process, including the development of the management plan.Every product developed will be furnished to Ozark Action, Inc. in a word document, a PDF and/or whatever format needed for successful publication and dissemination.

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PROPOSED SCOPE OF WORK AND BUDGETOutlined below are the items to develop the feasibility study. The first phase of "Discovery" developsthe information needed for the study through civic engagement and Team research. The second phaseis the process of crafting the study and citizen review. As a value added service several items are out-lined which can be added to the basic scope of work to enhance communication and education of thisprocess. These items listed below can be selected individually based on the needs and desires of thestakeholder committee members.

PHASE I DISCOVERY

Task 1. Orientation

Communications System for Study Process

Create documents (i.e. meeting notes, memos) for use through the entire planning process. Doc-umentation is a critical component of the feasibility study process, particularly in terms of civicengagement.Prepare monthly reports of items completed by the team for Ozark Action reviewPrepare all public materials in web-compatible format for uploading to a website.

Option A: Orientation Session with Ozark Action, Inc.

Prepare for and facilitate a meeting in West Plains between all team members and key membersof the coalition to build a shared understanding of goals and philosophy prior to the start of thefeasibility study process.Work with Ozark Action, Inc. to craft an optimal strategy for citizen engagement.Team will recap meeting and any follow ups with notes and conference call. -, /

Option B: Media and Web Assistance

Team can provide simple website hosting and maintenance of materials and reports for citizens.Refer to http://www.ffnha-hosting.com for an example of previous services provided by the team.Preliminary assistance with press releases and alternative media resources.

Task 2. Civic Engagement Training

Training Session Development

Team will craft a series of materials tailored to the region to best provide quality civic engagementto meet the goals of the NPS heritage area program.

Training Session

Facilitate a meeting in the potential heritage area with citizens that have expressed an interest infacilitating the civic engagement process.

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The team will provide a presentation to facilitate a decentralized network of civic engagementamong members and resources to provide consistent documentation of varied results including:

What a Management Plan is and is notCivic Engagement to document our resourcesTying Our Place to our Stories and Our Stories to Our PlaceDeveloping Themes of National SignificanceFormat for Initial ExercisesLogistics (number of people and items needed to perform a session)Follow-up (gathering lists of resources from citizens, what worked, what could be improved,number of people, groups underrepresented, strategies for continued and new engage-ment)

Option C:Additional Civic Engagement Training Sessions

Facilitate a series of meetings in the potential heritage area with citizens that have expressed aninterest in facilitating the civic engagement process.

Task 3. Our Area, Our StoriesSince the work by Ozark Action has indicated grassroots eagerness by members to share stories, it maybe best to work initially from the perspective of gathering stories in initial strategies:

Civic Discovery

Cultural resources database (annual events, traditions, folklife).Civic engagement infrastructure (potential media and community outlets to promote the heritagearea)Historical Description of the Area (important events of the past that define the area). This is not anall-inclusive or comprehensive documentation of the area's history, but a method of determining ifthe broad history of the region can be reflected in its historic resources later in the feasibility studyprocess.Identifying a list of broad story groups through the civic engagement process (potentially includ-ing: self-sufficiency, agricultural and forestry heritage). This is not a comprehensive documenta-tion of every citizen's stories, but a method to develop interpretive themes later in the feasibilitystudy process.

TeamAssistance and Assessment

Assistance to facilitators through pre-determined conference calls or e-mail.Provide facilitators session materials and structure. These materials will be consistent for allfacilitators, but will be customized after feedback from facilitators on what citizen engagementstrategies have been successful and where there are areas that need additional attention.Likewise, the team will make suggestions on areas that may need additional attention or poten-tially underrepresented stories.The team will receive civic assessment findings from facilitators and document these findings.The team will not qualify civic engagement findings as being "good or bad" but may exclude


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PROPOSED SCOPE OF WORK AND BUDGET (continued)

findings if they are deemed not relevant to the feasibility study or goals of the heritage area pro-gram.The team may make an assessment on potentially underrepresented stories and document themlater in the feasibility study. These shall be separately categorized and noted. <:»

Task 4. Our Area, Our PlaceThis process primarily documents items that are commonly available and documented. This is a founda-tion for additional work in the feasibility study

Team Discovery - Natural Resources Database

The Team will develop a draft natural resources database of which potentially includes the following:Geographic Features (watersheds, rivers, dams, lakes, greenways, prairie areas, state forests,state wildlife areas, overlooks & promitories, marshes, abandoned railroads)Natural Features (endangered species, native flora and fauna, ecosystems)Historical Assets (State and Nationally registered buildings, landscapes, and places, archeologi-cal sites, cemeteries, remnant industries)Tourism infrastructure (hotels, gateways, welcome centers, visitor ready sites)Recreational infrastructure (botanical gardens, city parks, county and state parks, sports facili-ties)Educational infrastructure (schools, universities, museums, community centers, libraries)Transportation infrastructure (highways, railroads, regional trails)Demographics (by census tract, county, or entire region, 2000 census, 1900-1990 censuses)Plans (conservation plans, economic development plans, community plans, park and recreationplans, trails plans, EAlEIS projects)The team may make an assessment on potentially underrepresented stories and document themlater in the feasibility study. These shall be separately categorized and noted.

Civic Discovery

Key stakeholders will assist in reviewing and providing missing data in the natural resource data-base.

Task 5. Tying Place to Stories and Stories to PlaceTo further enhance the case for establishment of a heritage area, a critical component is to tie human

experience and activity to geography over time./I Option D: Team Facilitated Discussion - Tying the landscape to stories.

A concern is that the Team may appear too remote or disengaged with the grassroots processto the general public. We are interested in providing a facilitated discussion at one or severallocations on tying the landscape to stories. This is a critical component in the organization of aheritage area.


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Civic Discovery-Thematic Development

Integrating the broad story groups developed by separate facilitators earlier in the process andcrafting regional interpretive themes.

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(Option E: Additional Thematic Development Session Facilitated by the Team

. • The process of crafting regional interpretive themes can be facilitated by the Team in one or twovenues.

Civic Discovery-Tying Stories to Place and defining the Heritage Area

Citizen assessment of the natural resources database to determine highly valued natural resourc-es that relate to themes.Citizen review of the natural resources database to identifying "sacred places" that are not on thedatabase. These are locations where citizens feel highly relate to their stories and not included inthe database.Venues for celebrating our heritage (preliminary assessment of interpretive sites and educationalresource opportunities).Citizens will review the study area boundary map as conceptually developed by Ozark Action todetermine if it defines their "heritage area."Facilitate an exercise with the public to determine branding items such as the potential name andlogo of the heritage areaThe Team will receive civic assessment findings from facilitators and document these findings.The team will not qualify findings as being "good or bad" but may exclude findings if they aredeemed not relevant to the feasibility study or goals of the heritage area program.

Option F: Team Facilitated Branding Exercise

As an alternate, the team can facilitate an exercise with the public to determine branding items

\~ s_u_c_h_a_s_th_e_po_t_e_n_ti_a_1n_a_m_e_a_n_d_I_O_9_o_o_f_th_e_h_e_rit_a_g_e_a_r_e_a_. ~

PHASE II CRAFTING THE STUDY

Task 1. Crafting the Feasibility Study Chapters

Coordination Alternatives

The Team will provide an independent review of coordination alternatives and recommend thestrongest alternative for this potential heritage area. Coordinating entity alternatives will also beincoporated into this review.

Option G: Economic Sustain ability of the Potential Heritage Area Program

\The team can review other national heritage areas with varied resources and goals and em-pirically evaluating how applying differing monetary strategies can affect the long-term economicsustainability of this potential Heritage Area.


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PROPOSED SCOPE OF WORK AND BUDGET (continued)

Team Compilation, Facilitator Review, and Public Comment

The Team will take the findings from the previous tasks and develop a preliminary draft of the fivechapters of the feasibility study as laid out in the Framework on page 6.A committee of citizens, facilitators, and Ozark Action, Inc. will be established to review the initialdraft of the feasibility study. The draft will be provided for 30 days of committee review and input,with one conference call in that time.The team will post a revised draft of the feasibility study chapters within 14 after the committeereview period.The public shall have 30 days for review and input of the revised feasibility study chapters. Thedraft shall be available on the internet as well as in at least one location in the region.

Task 2. Crafting the Feasibility Study Appendix

Legal Requirements

If relevant, Ozark Action will assist the Team in detailing public laws, mandates, and other legaldocuments that required, defined, and/or shaped any part of this study.

Public Support

Ozark Action will work with the general public to procure letters of support as laid out in the Ap-pendix B Framework on page 6.

Team Coordinating Entity Evaluation

Team will facilitate the coordinating entity evaluation as laid out in the Appendix E framework on ,----/Page 7.

Team Compilation, Facilitator Review, and Public Comment

The Team will take the findings from the previous tasks and develop a preliminary draft of the ap-pendices as laid out in the Framework on pages 6-7.A committee of citizens, facilitators, and Ozark Action, Inc. will be established to review the initialdraft of the feasibility study. The draft will be provided for 30 days of committee review and input,with one conference call in that time.The team will post a revised draft of the feasibility study chapters within 14 after the committeereview period.The public shall have 30 days for review and input of the revised feasibility study appendix. Thedraft shall be available on the internet as well as in at least one location in the region.


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The consulting team recommends dividing the planning process into three phases implemented over 8months, from June 2010 to January 2011. Supplementary planning during the National Park Service andpublic review period for a final revised and completed document can extend to March 2011.

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FEE FOR FEASIBILITY STUDY SERVICES

To accomplish the scope of work outlined, Jeffrey L. Bruce & Company has determined a fee of $ 34,795.This flat-rate fee includes all consultation time (approximately professional hours) as well as all out-of-pocket expenses such as postage, telephone, photocopying, and printing. This does not include travelexpenses. The administration fee itemized below is for the management team to use for material costsin preparation for planned meetings and general administration outlined above.

Phase I with no optional components:OrientationCivic Engagement TrainingOur Area, Our StoriesOur Area, Our PlaceTying Place to Stories and Stories to Place

$ 2,415$ 8,360$ 5,000$ 2,320$ 4.880$ 22,795

Phase II with no optional components:Crafting the Feasibility Study ChaptersCrafting the Feasibility Study Appendix

$ 8,480$ 3.520$ 12,000

$ 34,795

$ 5,000(Reimburseable)

FEE TOTAL

Administration Fee and ExpenseTravel

Total $ 39,795

OPTIONAL COMPONENTSOption A: Orientation Session with Ozark Action, Inc. - $3400Option B: Media and Web Assistance - $1280Option C: Additional Civic Engagement Training Sessions - $2760Option D: Team Facilitated Discussion - Tying the landscape to stories. - $4560Option E: Additional Thematic Development Session Facilitated by the Team - $4120Option F: Team Facilitated Branding Exercise - $4120Option G: Economic Sustainability of the Potential Heritage Area Program- $3400

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APPENDIX A: DEFINING IMPORTANT TERMS AND PLANNING TOOLS

Ih our planning work for Freedom's Frontier and in other regions, we have learned how important it is tobegin projects with an open discussion about the meaning of words and ideas associated with culturalresource management and planning. While "interpretation," "education," "conservation," "preservation," ~and "education" lie at the heart of the NPS mission, there are many ways to define these terms-and dif-ferent disciplines apply them in different ways.

Recent enabling legislation for National Heritage Area management plans require them to:

"Provide appropriate linkages between units of the National Park System and communities, govern-ments, and organizations within the Heritage Area .... "

The Plan Requirements listed in the Request for Proposals call for:

"a description of actions and commitments that Federal, State, Tribal, and local governments, private or-ganizations, and citizens will take to protect, enhance, interpret, fund, manage, and develop the natural,historical, cultural, educational, scenic, and recreational resources of the National Heritage Area."

How can the management planning process bring these broad mandates to life in an efficient and practi-cal way? To do so is no small task.

We believe that it's essential to begin the planning process by building a shared understanding of goalsand the means to achieve them. A first step should be an open dialogue with Ozark Action, Inc., citizens,agencies and the consulting team about such key ideas as "long-term economic development" and "en-vironmental sustainability". These ideas are both means to an end and goals in themselves as we thinkof the region over the next fifty years.

Public discussion about broad ideas is an appropriate opening to the planning process because, as aNational Heritage Area, this project is imbued with a call for grass-roots citizen engagement.

We are committed to this dialogue, and we offer the following definitions based on our own understandingof the enabling legislation and our knowledge of the region. They are not intended as answers, but as thebeginning of a conversation that should continue throughout the planning process-from the refinementof a Foundation Statement in Phase 1 to the completion of the management plan document.

"Action plan"A plan that describes how to implement interpretation. It includes:

Priorities: a description of what actions what should happen first, next, and later.Approach: a description of where and how the region's themes will be conveyed to visitors.Evaluation strategy: a plan to assess effectiveness and adjust interpretive programming and ser-vices.

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"Authenticity in Cultural Landscape Preservation"In our work from Freedom's Frontier NHA, our team talked with residents a great deal about how they

".defined "authenticity" in historic preservation and in interpretive sites. The following is adapted from our.~ work with them as presented in the final FFNHA report. We would work with Ozark Action, Inc. to develop

a similarly detailed, but perhaps different definition as suited to your needs.

Working definitions of "Authenticity" from Freedom's Frontier

[We] define "Authenticity" as experiences and settings that are accurate, clear, compelling,and relevant to the region. Understanding authenticity can help you to select the ideal preser-vation treatment approach for a landscape, building, or site.

Authentic and quality historic preservation requires a verifiable link to the region as a uniqueHeritage Area with nationally significant stories.

Authenticity implies an original experience of being in a historic place with an engagement ofall the senses. Authenticity in stewarding a site or building means more than re-creating its ap-pearance during the 19th century. An authentic historic preservation project must be truthful,not just to the facts, but also to the place in which it is told, the people whose lives it recounts,and the technologies available to them.

The following statements typify authentic and successful historic preservation efforts:

Offers a genuine, accurate, and verifiable link to the regional past.Provides a direct connection to one or more of the NHA subthemes.Engages the senses.Helps to connect with the surrounding landscape and the natural resources that may have shapedevents.Is located near to historic events and stories that are interpreted.Contains several layers of time that may express how the building or site evolved over time withdifferent uses and residents.Expresses the background and ethnicity of the groups who lived or worked there.

"Civic Engagement/Citizen Engagement"As a philosophy, a discipline, and a practice, it can be viewed as a continuous, dynamic conversation withthe public on many levels that focuses on achieving an agreed-upon vision, builds a sense of place, andwelcomes and encourages diversity of opinions and backgrounds. It involves activities such as informing,consulting with, engaging, collaborating with, and empowering residents and stakeholders in planning,decision-making, and building relationships around a shared stewardship mission.

"Cultural Landscape"A geographic area, including both the cultural and natural resources and the wildlife or domestic animalstherein, associated with an historic event, activity, or person, or exhibiting culture or aesthetic values.There are four non-mutually exclusive types of cultural landscapes: historic sites, historic designed land-scapes, historic vernacular landscapes, and ethnographic landscapes.

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"Foundational statements".The intellectual framework for interpretive plans. They are:

Significance statements: statements describing the national, state, or local significance of theregion.Interpretive themes: themes that identify and organize the region's stories.Audience: An analysis and descriptions of the ways audiences will experience a region.

"Interpretation"The art of sharing with others the meaning and relevance of the world around us. For the Ozark region,interpretation can be communication that reveals meanings and relationships of cultural and natural heri-tage, usually through first-hand involvement with an object, artifact, landscape, or site.

Interpretation helps people to connect intellectually, emotionally, or spiritually with the ideas, principles,beliefs, and values embodied in our world. Interpretation is based on facts and goes on to reveal what anobject, place, or event means and why it matters-why it is relevant to today.

Effective interpretation shares basic characteristics.It is based on sound, objective scholarship.It is presented within a thematic framework to provide focus and structure and to reinforce linksand connections.It provides experiences that enhance audience connections to authentic natural and cultural re-sources.It is intellectually and physically accessible to people with various abilities, learning styles, andlevels of experience.It is culturally sensitive, and explores topics from different points of view.It makes people think.It engages the senses, not just the mind.

"Interpretive Plan".A management document that outlines and guides decisions about a region's interpretive programming.It is created through an interdisciplinary, collaborative process that is enhanced with active partner andstakeholder participation, and takes place within a larger planning context, like a General ManagementPlan, a Feasibility Study such as that for Ozark Action, Inc., or other overarching planning initiative.

An interpretive plan should evoke a strong "sense of place" (see our definition below), engender partnerbuy-in, and motivate public support. It should identify compelling stories, and find practical and affordableways to convey them. In this way, a interpretive plan helps to guide managers, partners, and visitors torewarding interpretive experiences throughout a region.

There is no single template for an effective plan, but plans generally include components that are orga-nized into: a) foundational elements, and b) action plan.


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"Management"Specified actions, policies, strategies, taken to meet the goals and recommendations of the heritage

- area.

"Media"Means, methods, devices, or instruments by which the interpretive message is presented to the public.

"Natural Resources"Physical properties, materials, and on-going ecological processes that include but are not limited to airand water atmospheric resources, marine and freshwater systems; geologic features and processes;biological entities and systems; natural sound; day and night sky features and relationships; seasonaland celestial fluctuations; and natural interactive processes.

"Resource Protection"The act or process of preventing, eliminating, or reducing human-caused impacts to natural resourcesand natural processes.

"Resources"The people, materials, technologies, money, etc. required to implement the strategies or processes. Thecosts of these resources are often depicted in the form of a budget.

"Sense of Place"Sense of place is a widely used phrase that can mean different things to different people. Following thewritings of many geographers and historians, we define "sense of place as something more than scenicbeauty, or historic events, or landmark architecture.-_.........•

Sense of Place means the conscious awareness of how a region is unique.

For an Ozark National Heritage Area, "sense of place" is important because it can instill a sense of localpride. It can inspire citizens to become involved and to stay involved in the organization and its outreach.Sense of place is achieved for many reasons including: the region's natural history, social activism anddebate, open sky, and a long-term tradition of community involvement. Some historic sites and land-scapes are valued for many reasons: for their natural history, how it shaped human history, its scenicbeauty today, and vitality of its social life. When people are aware of their uniqueness as natural andsocial places, they have a stronger sense of place and they can begin to connect the strands of historyfor themselves and others.


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APPENDIX B: CONTRACT FOR PROFESSIONAL CONSULTINQ SERVICES

May 28,2010

Mr. Bryan AdcockExecutive DirectorOzark Action, Inc.710 East MainWest Plains, Missouri 65775

REF: Feasibility Study for Ozark Action, Inc.Contract for Professional Consulting Services

References to the term PRIME CONSULTANT shall herein this document refer to the firm of Jeffery L. Bruce &Company, L.L.C. References to SUBCONSULTANT shall herein refer to Frank E. Martin.

1. PROJECT DESCRIPTIONDevelop a National Heritage Area Feasibility Study for a 10- county area defined by the following counties; Howell,Douglas, Ozark, Wright, Texas, Shannon, Dent, Ripley, Oregon, and Carter with the possible addition of Reynolds.The scope of work shall define and administrate a process involving public participation, determination of contributingnational heritage themes, cultural heritage themes and natural landscape resources, refinement of a conceptualheritage area map; conceptual resource plan, and prospective business plan for the envisioned Ozark FrontierNational Heritage area.

This project shall include a process for oversight and approval by the Ozark Action, Inc. (Ozark Action, Inc.)steering committee on a phase by phase approach which shall be reviewed and approved by the Ozark Action, Inc.committee. It shall be assumed that upon receiving approval from the steering committee the JBC team membershave met the requirements of the Ozark Action, Inc. committee and any requested revisions after approval shall beconsidered additional services and subject to the provisions in paragraph 5 of this document.

For the purpose of this proposal and scope of work the JBC team will establish a basic scope of work with anitemized listing of additional scope of work items which can be added to the basic scope as approved by the OzarkAction, Inc. steering committee.

2. SCOPE OF SERVICESThe proposed basic scope of services is included as Scope of Services Exhibit ("Basic Scope"). In the performanceof its duties and responsibilities under this Agreement, PRIME CONSULTANT agrees to exercise the same degreeof care, skill and diligence in performance of the Services or Deliverables as that possessed and exercised bysimilar professionals under similar circumstances. Any services beyond the Basic Scope of Services includedin Exhibit A shall be invoiced separately as Additional Services for which the PRIME CONSULTANT shall beseparately compensated in accordance with paragraphs herein. The Basic Scope of Services shall include deliveryof documents in format suitable for posting on Ozark Action, Inc. website and for reproduction/distribution.

3. COMPLETION TIMEWe propose to complete the heritage area feasibility study by December 2010, provided there are no delays causedby agencies which are not under the control of the Prime Consultant and conditioned upon the Owner performingall of its obligations under this Agreement.

4. COMPENSATIONI PRIME CONSULTANT will provide professional services for this project in accordance with the scope of services\~nd terms and conditions of contract listed in this Agreement on a Fixed Fee Basis as set forth below. If the project

F E A SIB LIT Y S T U D Y PRO P 0 S A L

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scope or timeline is changed by issues outside of the PRIME CONSULTANT's control, including Owner directedissues, the PRIME CONSULTANT reserves the right to re-negotiate aspects of the agreement affected by that

.. change.

As part of this agreement the Owner shall not authorize the Prime Consultant to proceed with work unless thefunding for the phased work is in place.

Phase One (Tasks 1 through 5)Phase Two (Tasks 1 through 2)Administration Fee and ExpenseTravel ExpensesTotal

$ 22,795$ 12,000$ 5,000

Reimburseable$ 39,795

Please initial those options selected as part of the contract:

$3400 JJl-$1280 -1!-$2760

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$4560 --M-$4120 -M-$4120 ___I1t_$3400 --&l-

Option A: Orientation Session with Ozark Action, Inc.

Option B: Media and Web Assistance

Option C: Additional Civic Engagement Training Sessions

Option D: Team Facilitated Discussion - Tying the landscape to stories.

Option E: Additional Thematic Development Session Facilitated by the Team

Option F: Team Facilitated Branding Exercise

Option G: Economic Sustainability of the Potential Heritage Area Program~-.

The Owner shall make monthly partial payments to PRIME CONSULTANT for work completed to date as describedon invoices submitted by PRIME CONSULTANT.

Transportation, reasonable travel related expenses, photocopying, courier, and postage or other reasonable modeof transmission of plans, and other writings or documents, and any and all other disbursements related to theanticipated base services described herein shall be a part of the base fee for the project as identified above.

5. ADDITIONAL SERVICESPRIME CONSULTANT may provide additional professional services to the extent properly licensed to do so inaddition to the Basic Scope of Services when requested and authorized by the Owner in writing including: servicesbeyond the approved base services as defined by each phase of work described in the scope of services exhibit;services involving significant changes in the general scope of the project affecting its size or complexity, changesin the project schedule, and revisions to previously accepted work. If the Consultant's duties, obligations andresponsibilities are materially changed after execution of this Contract, a scope and compensation basis shall benegotiated with the Owner and approved in writing before the initiation of any additional work. A change in scopemay include the following:

A. Services beyond those described in Proposed Scope of Work.B. Services requested by the Owner that change, modify or require rework of previously approved work.

Additional services will only be provided when the Owner and the PRIME CONSULTANT have agreed in writing toLump Sum Amounts or an hourly compensation basis for the specific tasks requested.

F E A S PRO P 0 S A LB LIT Y S T U D Y

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6. SERVICE BY AND PAYMENTS TO OTHERSAny work authorized by the Owner other than what is included in this Agreement, performed by other than thePRIME CONSULTANT, in connection with the proposed scope of services, shall be paid for by the Owner direct tothe third party or parties, provided that such authorized work must be authorized in writing by the Owner. This shallinclude necessary permits, licenses, advertising, and other special costs when required. Fees for such extra workshall be subject to negotiation between the PRIME CONSULTANT, the Owner and the third party. Fees shall beapproved prior to the execution of any extra work.

7. TERMINATIONThis Agreement may be terminated by either party upon Thirty (30) days prior written notice to the other party inthe event of substantial failure by the other party to fulfill its obligations under this Agreement through no fault of theterminating party. It shall not be considered the fault of the Owner if, at some point, Ozark Action, Inc. is unable toraise adequate funds to continue work under this agreement. The Steering Committee of Ozark Action, Inc. pledgesthat it will use all reasonable efforts to acquire adequate funding well ahead of the payment schedule recommendedin this agreement. The Ozark Action, Inc. Steering Committee also understands that time is of the essence inperforming under this contract and will provide assurances on a monthly basis to the Prime Consultant relating toany substantial exigency issues.

In the event of termination, as provided in this Article, PRIME CONSULTANT shall be paid as compensation infull for services performed to the date of such termination. Such amount shall be paid by the Owner upon PrimeConsultant's delivering or otherwise making available to the Owner all data, reports, summaries, and such otherinformation and materials as may have been accumulated by the PRIME CONSULTANT in performing the servicesincluded in this Agreement, whether completed or in progress. Owner agrees that the use or re-use of such materialsshall be at the Owner's sole risk and expense, and without any liability whatsoever to the PRIME CONSULTANT.

8. ASSIGNMENTSThis Agreement shall not be assignable except at the written consent of both parties hereto, and if so assigned shallextend to and be binding upon the successors and assigns of the parties thereto.9. CONFIDENTIALITYThe PRIME CONSULTANT agrees to maintain the confidentiality of information specifically designated asconfidential in writing by the Owner under this Agreement. PRIME CONSULTANT agrees to require of the PRIMECONSULTANT's sub-consultants, if any, similar agreements to maintain the confidentiality of any informationspecifically designated as confidential by the Owner.

10. OWNERSHIP OF WORKThe PRIME CONSULTANT shall be deemed the author and owner of the PRIME CONSULTANT's Instruments ofService and shall retain all common law, statutory, and other reserved rights, including copyrights.

Upon execution of this Agreement, the PRIME CONSULTANT grants to the Owner a non-exclusive license toreproduce the PRIME CONSULTANT's Instruments of Service for the purpose of administering, and maintaining theProject. Any termination of this Agreement prior to completion of the Project without payment of services renderedat time of termination shall terminate this license.

If the Owner has performed its obligations under this Agreement, the Owner shall have the non-exclusive licenseto copy, use, modify, and distribute the Works described in this section for its own use, including use by its agentsor representatives, for purposes of the Project, but not for commercial resale to third parties without prior writtenapproval by PRIME CONSULTANT, subject to the terms of this Agreement..

Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, PRIME CONSULTANT shall retain its rights in preexisting maps, databases, computer software, and other proprietary property, as well as its rights in other intellectualproperty developed during the performance of the Services not specifically granted to the Owner herein. TheOwner's license, as set forth in this Agreement, shall not prohibit or limit the PRIME CONSULTANT from future use


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of standard sections used in the Services and Deliverables produced by the PRIME CONSULTANT in the ordinarycourse of its business.

»<>; 11. MEDIATIONThe PRIME CONSULTANT and Owner shall endeavor to resolve claims, disputes and other matters in questionbetween them by mediation which, unless the parties mutually agree otherwise, shall be in accordance with theAmerican Arbitration Association currently in effect. Request for mediation shall be filed in writing with the otherparty to this Agreement and with the American Arbitration Association.

12. LIMITATION OF LIABILITYOwner agrees to notify PRIME CONSULTANT promptly of any negligent error or omission claimed by the Ownerin writing. Upon receipt of such notice, PRIME CONSULTANT agrees, so long as the Owner is not in default of theOwner's obligations, at no charge, to re-perform, or rework any Services or Deliverables which do not conform tothe requirements of this Agreement.

13. INDEMNITYPRIME CONSULTANT agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Owner and its officers, agents and employeesfrom and against all suits, actions or claims of any character brought because of any bodily injury or personalproperty damage received or sustained by any person, persons or property arising out of or resulting from a negligentact, error or omission of PRIME CONSULTANT or employees, but only to the extent caused by that negligent act,error or omission. PRIME CONSULTANT is not required hereunder to defend the Owner, its officers, agents, oremployees, or any of them from assertions that they were negligent, nor to indemnify and save them harmless fromliability based on Owner's negligence.14. PRECEDENCE OF THIS AGREEMENT

, Additions and Amendments to this Agreement shall be made by written Amendments to this Agreement, of which theAmendment shall become part. All provisions of this Agreement shall remain in force unless specifically modifiedby written Amendment.

15. LIMITED SCOPE OF ENGAGEMENTNo duties, responsibilities, or liabilities of the PRIME CONSULTANT stated in any contract or conditions governingthe work of any third party to this agreement shall be binding upon the PRIME CONSULTANT, unless the PRIMECONSULTANT shall consent in writing to be bound to the terms thereof.

16. ENVIRONMENTALPRIME CONSULTANT shall have no responsibility for the discovery, investigation, reporting, presence, abatement,replacement, handling, storage, discharge or removal of, or exposure of persons or property or the environment to,hazardous materials in any form at the Project, including, but not limited to, asbestos, asbestos products, PCB's, orany other toxic, carcinogenic, pollutant or hazardous substances, contaminants or materials; and the Owner agreesto indemnify and hold PRIME CONSULTANT, its agents, sub consultants, employees, and representatives, harmlessof and from any and all liability, damage, injury or loss, arising from the error or omission of the Owner, its agents,contractors, subcontractors, its or their representatives or employees. Nothing in this indemnity shall be construedto indemnify the PRIME CONSULTANT from PRIME CONSULTANT's own negligent errors or omissions.

17. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE OWNERThe Owner shall:

a) Provide the PRIME CONSULTANT with the Owner's Criteria for this project;b) Review any Documents provided by or through the PRIME CONSULTANT requiring the Owner's decision,

and shall make any required decisions in a timely manner;c) Afford the PRIME CONSULTANT access to the HERITAGE AREA sites and to the Work as may be

reasonably necessary for the PRIME CONSULTANT to properly perform its services under this Contract;and

d) Perform the Owner's duties set forth in a timely manner.

FEASIBILITY PRO P 0 S A· LS T U 0 Y

27

Page 642

18. NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES··Nothing contained herein shall create any relationship, contractual or otherwise, with, or any rights in favor of, anythird party.

19. FORCE MAJEURENeither party hereto shall be liable for its failure to perform hereunder due to contingencies beyond its reasonablecontrol, including, but not limited to, strikes, riots, war, fire, and acts of God, not including normal weatherconditions.

20. SEVERABILITYIn case anyone or more of the provisions contained in this Agreement shall, for any reason, be held to be invalid,illegal or unenforceable in any respect, such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability shall not affect any otherprovisions of this Agreement; this Agreement shall be construed as if such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisionhad never been contained herein.

21. CHOICE OF LAWThe terms of this Agreement shall be interpreted and enforced pursuant to the laws of the State of Missouri.

22. EXHIBITSThe following Exhibits are attached to and made a part of this Agreement.

Proposed Work PlanProposed Scope of Work and BudgetAppendix A: DEFINING IMPORTANT TERMS AND PLANNING TOOLS

In witness whereof, Ozark Action, Inc. (Owner) and Jeffrey L. Bruce & Company, LLC (PRIME CONSULTANT),and by their authorized representatives have hereunto subscribed their names to this agreement the th dayof May, 2010. /

Jeffery L. Bruce & Company, LLC.PRI CONSULTANT

Ozark Action, Inc.Committee (Owner)

B··~---- ~y. --,/!k-o-.------------

Title: Chair /G >r~~'H-~

Date: __ ~~/ ~~ _

By:

Title: Managing Principal

ATTEST:

By: _

Title:- /1)-

--- ----~~

F E A SIB LIT Y PRO P 0 S A LS T U D Y

28

Page 643

Kathleen Morrissey

From:$ent:

):uc:Subject:Attachments:

Mike McGrew [[email protected], July 13, 20102:21 PMKathleen MorrisseyRichard Yates; Jeffrey BruceTraining in West Plains \FeasibilityStudy-lntroduction.doc.pcf Heritage Tourism-Economic Development.pdf; Civic ~Engagement questions.pdf; Hints for Great Civic Engagement.pdf

Kathleen,

Enclosed are the finalized documents, including the civic engagement questions. We will be providing the Post-it Notes foreveryone's use in the CE process. Please let me know if you need anything else.

Just to confirm, we are having a session at 2PM and a repeat session at 6PM. I would like to confirm whether we arehaving a meeting on Thursday morning or not as I would like to schedule an overnight hotel room in the appropriatelocation.

Please contact me if you have any questions or thoughts.

Thanks,

-Mike

Michael McGrew, President Prairie Gateway Chapter ASLA

Jeffrey L. Bruce & Company, LLC1907 Swift Street, Suite 204North Kansas City, Missouri 64116

Visit us at www.jlbruce.comFind chapter news at www.pgasla.org

t: 816.842.8999 ext. 105f: 816.842.8885

Confidentiality Notice: This message is confidential, intended only for the named recipient(s) or entity(ies) and may contain information that is privileged, confidential andexempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you are not the intended recipient(s), you are hereby notified that the dissemination, distribution or copying of this message isstrictly prohibited, and you are requested to notify us immediately by email or by calling Jeffrey l. Bruce & Company at 816.842.8999, and delete this message forthwith. Thankyou for your cooperation. .

1

Page 665

Kathleen Morrissey

.oject:

Mike McGrew [[email protected]]Friday, June 04, 2010 11:55 AMMorrissey, Kathleen F; Kathleen MorrisseyJeffrey Bruce; Richard YatesConfirmation of Contract and Kick-off Meeting .

From:Sent:

~~.

Kathleen,

I wanted to inform you that we received the signed contract yesterday. I also wanted to confirm that we will be availablefor a kick-off meeting in West Plains on the afternoon of the is" and the morning of the is". Please let us know if youneed anything else.

Thanks,

-Mike

Michael McGrew, President Prairie Gateway Chapter ASLA

Jeffrey L. Bruce & Company, LLC1907 Swift Street, Suite 204North Kansas City, Missouri 64116

Visit us at www.jlbruce.comFind chapter news at www.pgasla.org

t: 816.842.8999 ext. 105f: 816.842.8885

Confidentiality Notice: This message is confidential, intended only for the named recipient(s) or entity(ies) and may contain information that is privileged, confidential andexempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you are not the intended recipient(s), you are hereby notified that the dissemination, distribution or copying of this message isstrictly prohibited, and you are requested to notify us immediately by email or by calling Jeffrey L. Bruce & Company at 816.842.8999, and delete this message forthwith. Thankyou for your cooperation.

1

Page 666

Kathleen Morrissey

From:Sent:To:

~ject:\

Jeffrey L. Bruce & Company [[email protected]]Wednesday, October 20,20104:17 [email protected]"Fall" Into Landscape Architecture!

1

Page 668

2

Page 669

3

Page 670

Forward emailEmail Marketing by. -:,~4,cq

~tContact'TRV IT FREE

Jeffrey L. Bruce & Company I 1907 Swift St. I Suite 204 I 816-842-8999 I North Kansas City I MO I 64116

r8I SafeUnsubscribe@This email [email protected]@ilbruce.com.Update Profile/Email Address I Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribeTM I Privacy Policy.

4

Page 671

What is a National Heritage Area FeasibilityStud?

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Page 674

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Page 697

MACAA 2010 Retreat Speakers' Biographies

Our Presenters

Randy Gray is the President of Special Place Development ~.The consulting firm develops creative approaches to distinguish places by enhancingtheir authentic features to make them attractive for economic development and as aspecial place for residents and visitors.

Mr. Gray's twenty-three (23) years of experience includes providing assistance inMissouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Kentucky, Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas and Florida tomore than 400 public and nonprofit entities in community planning, heritage tourism,downtown revitalization, public art, fund raising, historic preservation, organizationalcapacity building and economic development strategies and activities. Clients includecity governments, downtown development programs, chambers of commerce, main

street programs, neighborhood and not-for-profit organizations, and state and local development groups.

Mr. Gray has been a guest lecturer in Place Making in Community Design at the University of Missouri andLegal & Economic Principles of Historic Preservation at Southeast Missouri State University. In April 2008,Randy was appointed to the Columbia Downtown leadership Council and chairs their design guidelinessubcommittee. For six years he was the volunteer chairperson of the Columbia Public Art Committee, servedthe longest consecutive term on the City of Columbia Cultural Affairs Commission and is a member of theColumbia Art league and Columbia Committee for the Advancement of the Arts. Randy was a member of the"Avenue of the Columns" development committee and the City of Columbia Community Development'";ommission. In 2007, he co-led a series of eight Downtown Vision Institutes as part of the Missouri DREAM.Oowntown Revitalization and Economic Assistance for Missouri) Initiative.

~Mr. Gray served as the state coordinator for the Missouri Main Street Program for twelve (12) years and alsoheld positions with the Neighborhood Assistance Program and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)program while at the Missouri Department of Economic Development. Prior to employment with the MissouriDepartment of Economic Development, Randy worked as a Community Development Specialist with the MarkTwain Regional Council of Governments. He earned a B.A. in History/Political Science from Culver-8tocktonCollege.

Sue Greenberg, Executive Director, St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers andAccountants for the Arts, St. Louis, MO

Sue has been with VlAA since 1986. During the summer, she is the company manager at The Muny. Sueteaches stage management and arts administration at Washington University and legal issues in the arts forWebster University's Arts leadership graduate program. Also a freelance writer and playwright, her numerousplays for children have been produced in Missouri, California, Indiana and South Carolina. She is a graduate ofWashington University where she majored in Arts History and Urban Studies.

Page 699

Central MO. Ozarks Development Project Implementation Plan:

ARRA- FY '09

J. Folklorist & Director will work to insure all content is created and deliveredon time. (Content delivered.) (November, 2009 and ongoing.)

Page 700

Ozark Action, Inc. t .

OACiiOn.PARTNERSHIPHelping People. Changing Lives.

710 East Main Street·West Plains, Missouri 65775-0588Phone: (417) 256-6147· Fax: (417) 256-0333Mo. Relay: 800-735-2966 (TDD) 800-735-2466 (voice)HttpJlwww.oaiwp.org

THE OZARK:SHERITAGE PROJECT: A BRIEF INTRODUCTION

The Ozarks Heritage Project, initiated in December 2009, represents a collaboration between theWest Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA), Ozark Action, Inc. (OAl), a community action agency(both WPCA and OAI are 501 (c)3 entities) and Missouri State University - West Plains. Thiscollaborative venture unites WPCA's long-term commitment to the sustainability of regional folkculture with OArs objectives of fostering economic opportunity, environmental sustainability, andimproving the quality of life within our region. The university strives to further a mutually beneficialrelationship between the world of higher education and the cultural region it serves. The areasserved by these three entities overlap to a great extent; the Ozarks Heritage Project in particularaddresses Ripley, Oregon, Carter, Shannon, Dent, Texas, Howell, Wright, Douglas, Reynolds,Wayne, Iron and Ozark counties in southern Missouri.

The Ozarks Heritage Project is funded with federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act(ARRA) funds received from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) providedby the Missouri Department of Social Services, Family Support Division. The funds received fromthe Family Support Division are all federally funded. Additionally, WPCA has received ARRAfunding with an "Arts Transform Missouri" grant from the Missouri Arts Council, funded by theNational Endowment for the Arts. Missouri State University-West Plains is collaborating byproviding access to university personnel to fill key positions.

The Ozarks Heritage Project's official implementation plan calls for the accomplishment of threespecific goals over the course of the funding period. One is the initiation of a feasibility studyregarding options for linking cultural conservation with economic opportunity in our region. Oneoption being considered is the attainment of a National Heritage Area designation that incorporatesthe counties in our project area. This feasibility study will represent a major step forward in aprocess started more than five years ago by WPCA with funding from the National Endowment forthe Arts. A second goal is the development of a website that will serve as a comprehensive sourceof information about artistic activity, cultural resources, and cultural tourism opportunities withinour region. There are, of course, many online sources of information about these subjects, but thereis no single website that presents this knowledge in a systematic, integrated way; consequently, ourcultural region's ''Web presence" is fragmented. We hope to remedy this situation by creating awebsite that will give potential visitors (and potential purchasers of cultural products from thisregion) a more comprehensive understanding of what the region has to offer. In doing so, we willlook to the web sites of existing National Heritage Areas, cultural trails, and regional tourismprograms as potential models. The third goal is to develop and begin implementing strategies formarketing the work of regional traditional artists and promoting the region as a potential destinationfor cultural tourists, and culturally engaged prospective retirees, especially those of the "BabyBoom" generation.

Page 701

Carolin

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WEST PLAINS, Mo. - "Telling Stories" is the theme of the fourth annual Ozarks Studies

Symposium set for Sept. 23-26 at the West Plains Civic Center.

The event will celebrate and examine the distinctive culture of the Ozarks. It will encompass

presentations and performances by representatives of the academic world and the public and private

sectors addressing various aspects of life in the Ozarks. It is being sponsored by the Missouri State

University-West Plains academic affairs office and the West Plains Council on the Arts. The event is

made possible with generous funding from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency; the Missouri

Humanities Council; and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Admission is free and open

to all.

Leigh Adams, assistant professor of English at Missouri State-West Plains and one of the event

organizers, said this year's theme was chosen for several reasons. "First, we knew 'Journey Stories,'

the Smithsonian/Museum on Main Street exhibit, would be here at the Harlin Museum during this

year's symposium, and we wanted to support that because it connects with what we try to do with

the symposium," she explained. "But we also chose the theme because it also could be interpreted

as 'stories that tell' - stories the reveal who we are and what we are as a culture. The variety of

presentations scheduled reveals this was a good theme for this year's event."

The symposium will begin with an opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 23, at the

Harlin Museum, 505 Worcester St. Sponsored by the West Plains Council on the Arts, the reception

will give those attending the opportunity to view the "Journey Stories" exhibit. A jam session will

take place at the museum beginning at 7. The jam session will emphasize old-time, bluegrass, and

traditional country music, but musicians of any stylistic orientation and any level of technical ability

will be welcome to participate.

The keynote address will be given at 3:50 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24, by Bonnie Stepenoff, professor of

history at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. Her presentation is entitled

"History and Story: Big Spring Autumn." Stepenoff believes that the elements of a good story are

the same in history and in fiction, although historical accounts have to be factually true. She will

discuss how, in writing history, authors often discover truths about themselves, as she did while

writing about Depression Era workers at Big Spring in the eastern Missouri Ozarks. Stepenoff is a

specialist in American social history, women's history and labor history, and is the author of five

books, including Big SpringAutumn: A Journal (Truman State University Press, 2008).

Several other scheduled presentations may be of particular interest to area residents, Adams said.I

They include the following:

Page 702

• "How Forrestina Campbell Became White River Red" by Susan Young, outreach coordinator at

Shiloh Museum of Ozark History in Springdale, Ark., from 10:25 to 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 24.

Forrestina Campbell was born in Louisiana in 1891, grew up in Hannibal, Mo., and spent most of

her adult life in northwest Arkansas, where she died in 1973. But who she was depended on who

was telling her story, according to Young. Campbell was known as a generous woman with

mysterious wealth who took a special interest in stray animals and forgotten people, as well as the

carnival worker White River Red who cussed a blue streak, dressed like a man and carried a .45

caliber pistol on her hip. The presentation will explore both the folklore and the facts of her story.

• "Stories Through Pictures: Showing Religious Communities' Commonalities Through

Photographs" by Mara W. Cohen Ioannides, an instructor in the English Department at Missouri

State University-Springfield, from 12:20 to 12:55 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24. The presentation will

examine the impact of the Seeing Traditions photography exhibition, which was displayed in the Meyer

Library on the Springfield campus for three months, on its viewers. The exhibit, part of the Telling

Traditions Project funded in part by the Missouri Arts Council Folk Arts Program, is designed to

document the legacy and preserve the living traditions of the Ozarks' Jews. The presentation

examines the most commented-on images in the exhibition, seen with a PowerPoint presentation;

what was said about them; and what exhibition visitors learned about Jews in the Ozarks and

themselves. Adams pointed out a companion exhibit can be seen on the civic center mezzanine

from Sept. 20 through Oct. 3.

• A panel discussion en tided "A Century of Change in South-Central Missouri Agriculture" from

2 to 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24. It will focus on major transformations in agriculture in this region in

the past 100 years and their social and economic effects.

• "The Amazing Story of the 1912 Ozark Dawg Song War, with an Account Ranging from Local

Skirmishes to Global Conflict" by Dr. Sue Attalla, associate professor of English/ developmental

studies at Tulsa Community College, Tulsa, Okla., from 9 to 9:35 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 25. The

presentation will take a look at the 1912 hit song "They Gotta Quit Kickin' My Dawg Aroun'," a

silly ditty recounting the tale of a "hillbilly" and his houn' dawg abused by "townies," that sparked a

statewide, national and international debate over its true origins.

• "Legends of Our Hillbilly Selves: Outlaw Mistique in Daniel Woodrell's Give Us a Kiss by Dr.

Craig Albin, professor of English at Missouri State-West Plains, from 9:35 to 10:10 a.m. Saturday,

Sept. 25. In this examination ofWoodrell's 1996 "country noir" novel, Albin will examine the way

the book's narrator, Doyle Redmond, negotiates between his public self as a writer and his private

Page 703

self as a member of a clan of Ozarks outlaws. The presentation also will examine how Redmond's

narrative reveals the power and influence of storytelling in outlaw psychology and focus on the way~,

certain family stories, or their interpretation, lead to Redmond's deterministic sense of fate and his

willingness to become that fate.

• "Not So Plain Pictures" by Jan Roddy, associate professor in the Department of Cinema and

Photography at Southern illinois University-Carbondale, from 3:30 to 4:05 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25.

Combining short poetic prose pieces and visual images, Roddy will show several short digital

cinema/video pieces to weave a sense of people and place relative to the Ozark region. The title

derives from a saying of Roddy's aunts that a particular photograph was "a plain picture," meaning

one could clearly see the people and place in the image.

Additional presentations include the following:

"Justice Justin Ruark and the Ozark Image in Law" by Dr. Michael Dougan, Professor Emeritus

of History, Arkansas State University in Jonesboro (Friday, 9:10AM); "Sharing a Glass: Moonshine

and Community in the Ouachita Mountains" by J. Brett Adams, Professor of History, Collin

College-Preston Ridge Campus (Friday, 9:50 AM); "Beyond Tourist Poetry: Learning How to Live,

Write, and Teach in the Missouri Ozarks" by Dr. Jane Hoogesttaat, Professor of English, Missouri

State University in Springfield (Friday, 11:10 AM); "A Reading from Rocky Comfort' by Wayne

Holmes, author and Professor Emeritus of English, Drury University (Friday, 11 :45 AM); ''Buried

Histories: Telling Tales from the Grave" by Dawn Stricklin, doctoral student in anthropology,

Southern illinois University at Carbondale (Friday, 3:00 PM);

"Migration from the Missouri Ozarks to the Gateway City and Its Impact upon American Roots

Music" by Matt Meacham, folklorist, West Plains Council on the Arts and Ozark Action, Inc.

(Saturday, 10:10 AM); ''Ballad Genres ill the Ozarks" by Julie Henigan, folklorist and cultural

scholar, Springfield, MO (Saturday, 11:00 AM); "Deconsttucting Evangelicalism: The Postmodern

Turn, the Emerging Church, and the Ozarks" by Matthew Gallion, student in religious studies,

Missouri State University in Springfield (Saturday, 11:35 AM); a panel discussion entitled "The

Storyteller's Craft and the Regional Historian's Craft" (Saturday, 1:45 PM); ''Winter/Spring

Precipitation in Northern Arkansas and the Risk of Decreasing Reptilian biodiversity by Rapid

Reservoir Inundation: A Classic Story of the Eastern Collared Lizard, Crotaplytus collans" by Stan

Trauth, Professor of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University in Jonesboro (Saturday, 2:55

PM).

Three of this year's presenters, Albin, Roddy, and Hoogesttaat, also have had pieces published in

--- ------------------------------------~-------------------

Page 704

-------------------------------- ---

the university's literary journal Elder Mountain: A Journal oJOzarks Studies, Adams pointed out. The

symposium served as inspiration for the journal and helps to preserve some of the information

presented at the symposium each year, she explained.

Missouri State-West Plains published the first volume of the journal in spring 2009 and the

second volume this past summer. Copies of both will be available for purchase for $10 each at the

symposium, as well as at Drago College Store on the Missouri State-West Plains campus, she added.

The symposium will conclude with an "informance" (a performance with contextual commentary)

entitled "The Many Sides of Shape Notes" from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25. The presentation

will encompass various branches of and styles within the tradition of shape-note singing. "The

Many Sides of Shape-Notes" is funded by a generous grant awarded to the West Plains Council on

the Arts by the Missouri Folk Arts Program.

For more information about the symposium, including a full schedule of events, visit the website,

http://ozarksymposium.wp.missouristate.edu/, or search Facebook for "Ozarks Studies

Symposium."

Page 705

lutitf· .l1utI~.(!luill7th year No. 184 WEST PLAINS, HOWELL COUNTY, MO. TUESDAY,'SEPTEMBER 21: 2010 Single Co y 50¢

~~~tsb:Ol~llt~:l~~O~-·;;:;"lS-;::Z,·;:::,;;:ne;.":tc;;:"· 1iil, ;~"','~,,'",f;nt~::'~,~,:::;,";-li~e'-jlin~g'~Siories'''-iliemeof-~·-··,'.idmg March 1" 2010, city's general fund rev- ';'\":~1:~;(~'.!.f;,~f~~!~{~,, " ' ,nd the .city has a suf- enue was $11. 9 million '""",-1" "c<' ..' us-. •. '.".-~ .. o ,

clent reserv~ bal~ce of at the end of the fiscal". , ',."', ' ' .: . l!" ", : '''':'I'';:)¥"'"':';'JYI'' ,i'jf'fii' 0 k S d· S ' .bout $5 million m the year down $250 000 r:';';,'Y\t,~"'"'::';;''':;,i,,''',','}'!'?,''' ,:.,t~i~"!;il"B,,:,',';'l,';Jjf"~~fii~7;;.~J,.)gil zor tu res ymposlume~~~~ f~~~, the report frorr: 2009. The year~end ~~~i~a."\~~~81t~~t({ .,'~~~6~;m~~¥rifl~-if;;~~,~:;;r..~Wi;!: ' ,," ,.uditor Andy Marmouget balance was $5.3 million. .,'f Davis Lynn and Moots The overall tax revenue.f Springfield presented to was down $650,000, theouncil members In a city majority of that from theneeUng Monday at city, city's sales taxes. he said.iall, 1910 Holiday Lane. With expenditures.' this

Council members. Lou left a balance of $5.3 mil-;itro, Jack Pahlmann, lion. ,30b Burtrum, Brenda Total net assets for'Srnlth and Mayor JoePaul Evans were present.

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See AUDITOR.Page 7

Information soughton theft of park signs .

West Plains Parks Di-rector Stuart Tapson re-ports two signs along theGalloway 'Creek NaturePark walking' trail were.stolen over the weekendand asks that they bereturned,

The 'park is on CountyRoad 1770. north of cityhall.

City Public InformationOfficer Laurel Thompsonsaid several Eagle Scoutprojects tdentlfytng theBoy Scout who did theproject and what it dealtwith have been destroyedor stolen.

He said there also havebeen break-Ins r' ''1ebarn on the pr ' ( 'Jwooden doors Lg

replaced with steel doors,He said the' city Is

constdertng 'installingadditional lighting In theparking lot area. install-ing an alarm system andIncreasing police patrols.

Tapson asks that any- SARA COLLINS, 3, top photo, curtsied andone having information' showed everyone her bloomers during the cos-about the signs or seeing tume parade at Hootln' ~N' Hollarln' this pastanyone tampering with weekend in Gainesville in Ozark County. She Issigns call the police de- the daughter of Lois Clayton, right, and Shanepartment at 256-2244. .conms. In bottom photo are festival queen Darlan

Sept. 13. The' Quill' Amlx, right, and princess Hannah Childress. Thereported three stop signs two led the younger children in the parade. Thishad been stolen' from Is the 50th year for the event. For more photos,Intersections In the city, see Pg~7. Quill online subscribers can click onStreet Department Super-"" ' (0 111!Whltvisor Brian Mitchell said video to see some of the events. u e-anyone with Information side)is asked to call police orcity hall. 256-7176. WS,' cityadministn

"Telling Stories" is the theme of the fourth annual'Ozarks Studies Symposium set for Thursday eveningand all day Friday and Saturday at the West PlainsCivic Center. ' ,

It will celebrate and examine the distinctive cultureof the Ozarks and encompass presentations and per-formances by representatives of the academic worldand the public and private sectors addressing various

,aspects of life In the Ozarks, Admission Is free. ''It is sponsored by the Missouri State Untversrty-

West Plains IMSU-WP}academic affairs office and theWest Plains Council on the Arts, and made possible byfunding from the Missouri Arts Council. the MissouriHumanities Council and the National Endowment forthe Humanities.

, Leigh Adams, assistant professor of English atMSU-WP and one of the event organizers, said of thetheme: "First, we knew 'Journey Stories,' the Smith-sonian/Museum on Main Street exhibit. would be atthe Harlin Museum and we wanted to support thatbecause It connects with what we try to do with thesymposium. But we also chose the theme, because Itcould be Interpreted as 'stories that tell' - stories thatreveal who we are and what we are as a culture."

The opening reception Is set for 5 to 7 p.rn, Thursdayat the Harlin Museum. 505 Worcester St. Sponsoredby the Council on the Arts, ItwUI Include a jam seseston beginning at 7. emphastztng old-time, bluegrassand traditional country music, all musicians invitedto participate.

The keynote address, "History and Story: Big SpringAutumn.' will be given at 3:50p.m. Friday by BonnieStepenoff, professor of history at Southeast MissouriState University In Cape Girardeau. Stepenoffbel1eves

See SYMPOSIUM.Page 5

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Page 706

Tuesday; September 21, 2010

.S'fMPOSIUM----

WEST PLAINS DAILY QUILL, WEST PLAINS, MO.

-Coniinued frotti Page 1

"-that the elements of a good story are the same in his- Adams, professor of history, Collin College-Prestontory and in fiction, although historical accounts have Ridge Campus; 9:50 a.m. Friday; "Beyond Touristto be factually true. She will discuss how, in writing Poetry: Learning How to Live, Write and Teach in thehistory, authors often discover truths about them- Missouri Ozarks" by.Dr. Jane Hoogestraat, professorselves, as she did while writing about Depression Era of English, MSU-Sprtngfield, 11:10 a.m. Friday; .workers at Big Spring in the eastern Missouri Ozarks. "AReading from "Rocky Comfort" by Wayne Holmes,

Other scheduled presentations include: author and Professor Emeritus of English, Drury Urn-- "How Forrestina Campbell Became White River versity, 11:45 a.m. Friday; "Buried Histories: Telling

Red" by Susan Young, outreach coordinator at Shiloh Tales from the Grave" by Dawn Stricklin, doctoralMuseum of Ozark History in Springdale, Ark., from student in anthropology, Southern illinois University10:25 to 11 a.m. Friday. Forrestina Campbell was at Carbondale. 3 p.m. Friday;born in Louisiana in 1891. grew up in Hannibal, Mo., "Migration from the Missouri Ozarks to the Gate-and spent most of her adult life in northwest Arkan- way City and Its Impact upon American Roots Music"sas, where she died in 1973. by Matt Meacham, folklorist, West Plains Council on

- "Stories Through Pictures: Showing Religious the Arts and Ozark Action, Inc., 10: 10 a.m, Satur-Communities' Commonalities Through Photographs" day; "Ballad Genres in the Ozarks" by Julie Henigan,by Mara W. Cohen Ioannides, 'an instructor .in the folklorist and cultural scholar, Springfield, 11 a.m.English Department at MSU-Springfield, from 12:20 Saturday;to 12:55 p.m. Friday. The presentation will examine "Deconstructmg Evangelicalism: The Postmodeni.the impact of the "Seeing Traditions" photo exhibi- Turn, the Emerging Church, and the Ozarks" bytion, which was in the Meyer Library on the Spring- Matthew Gallion, student in religious studies, MSU-field campus for three months. The exhibit, part of Springfield, 11:35 a.m. Saturday; a panel discussion,the Telling Traditions Project funded in part by the "The Storyteller's Craft and the Regional Historian'sMissouri Arts Council Folk Arts Program, is designed Craft," 1:45 p.m. Saturday; "Winter / Spring Preciprta-to document the legacy and preserve the living tradition in Northern Arkansas and the Risk of Decreasingtions of the Ozarks' Jews. Adams said a companion Reptilian Diodiversity by Rapid Reservoir Inunda-exhibit can be seen through Oct, 3 at the civic center. tion: A Classic Story of the Eastern Collared Lizard,

- A panel discussion, "A Century of Change in Crotaphytus Collarts" by Stan Trauth, professor ofSouth-Central Missouri Agriculture," from 2 to 3 p.m. Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University inFriday. It will focus on major transformations in agn- Jonesboro, 2:55 p.m. Saturday.culture in this region in the past 100 years and their Albin, Roddy and Hoogestraat, have had piecessocial and economic effects. published in the university's literary journal "Elder

- "The Amazmg Story of the 1912 Ozark Dawg Song Mountain: A Journal of Ozarks Studies:" The sympo-War, With an Account Ranging from Locai Skirmishes srum serves as inspiration for the journal and helpsto Global Conflict" by Dr. Sue Attalla, associate to preserve some of the information presented at theprofessor of English/developmental studies at Tulsa symposium each year, Adams said. Copies of bothCommunity College, Tulsa, Okla., from 9 to 9:35 a.m. volumes will be available for purchase for $10 each..Saturday. It will take a look at the 1912 hit song "They The symposium will conclude With an "informance"Gotta Quit Kickin' My Dawg Aroun'," a ditty recount- (a performance with contextual commentary) titledmg the tale of a "hillbilly" and his houn' dawg abused "The Many Sides of Shape Notes" from 4:30 to 6 p.m.by "townies," that sparked a statewide, national and Saturday.international debate over its true origins. Visit http.,' /ozarksymposium.wp.missouristate.

- "Legends of Our Hillbilly Selves: Outlaw Mistique edu or search Facebook for "Ozarks Studies Sympo-m Daniel Woodrell's "Give Us a Kiss" by Dr. Craig srum." .Albin, professor of English at MSU-WP, from 9:35 to10:10 a.m. Saturday. In this View ofWoodrell's 1996"country noir" novel, Albin will, examine the way thebook's narrator, Doyle Redmond,' negotiates betweenhis public self as a writer and his private self as amember of a clan of Ozarks outlaws.

- "Not So Plain Pictures" by Jan Roddy, associateprofessor in the Department of Cinema and Photogra-phy at Southern illinois University-Carbondale, from3:30 to 4:05 p.m, Saturday. Combining short poeticprose pieces and Visual images, Roddy will show sev-eral short digital cinema/Video pieces to weave asense of people and place relative to the Ozark region.

ADDITIONAL PRESENTATIONS

"Justice Justin Ruark and the Ozark Image inLaw" by Dr. Michael Dougan, Professor Emeritusof History, Arkansas State University in Jonesboro,9: 10 a.m. Friday; "Sharing a Glass: Moonshine andCommunity in the Ouachita Mountains" by J. Brett

A TOTAL OF $170,000 .has been donated byseven area banks to the Ozarks Medical cen-.~!"~ae.it ••1 Can:tp"Jqr".,~hi£b...b~ll~fiY; t!'lce .ne~

-LetteTo the ed

If you ~resident, younaware of the 1November. Evedon't think 3counts... youget out. and vcProposition B.directly affect 3been funded$1. 7 million fr:state animal rtists. What's reaAnimal Right~from other sicyou what youcannot do Withsouri animals!in the ballotto help get rtcmills in Missoguise to' getIt will chang'laws that havery well for y.put most.all olprofessior(licensedand the S1-c.-/·and show brof businessmultiple dogspay and newdogs. It will deto stop animasubstandard 1;irresponsibleers that lethave litter afunwanted pulaw will not hcal shelter. Eyour local shefunded by tlSociety of 1

States (H5US:pet industry$3.4 billionMissouri's e-will not onlyowners. It is tto eliminate ;animal owne:will tell it wifarmers or cHog W,birds,sheep, ),.5""hamsters ar

Page 707

Proposal for Presentation of Heritage Project to Community ArtsConference, St. LouisThe West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) has long been privileged to serve the south-centralMissouri Ozarks, whose long history of involvement in traditional arts, music and culture has beencalled one of Missouri's hidden treasures. It is also a region characterized by poverty, high levels ofunemployment and inadequate available income. Much of our mission over the past 20 yearsincluding the annual Old-Time Music Ozark Heritage Festival has been devoted to bringing culturaltreasures to light. Ozark Action, Inc. is a Community Action Agency which operates federal andstate funded social action programs in a six-county region and is dedicated to combating the causesof poverty through education, job training, and other social action programs.

Over the past ten years, WPCA's focus has sharpened, now seeking ways to develop a broader, morepermanent basis for the sustainability of folk culture in our region. Likewise, changing times andcircumstances have moved Ozark Action, Inc. to search more creatively for ways to improve thequality of life of area citizens. Recognizing that support of traditional arts and culture might alsoaddress the problems created by pervasive poverty, Ozark Action, Inc. sought the support of WPCAto investigate the link between cultural sustainability and economic development.

In fall of 2009, Ozark Action, Inc. in partnership with the WPCA designed and implemented aproject to determine whether cultural conservation can serve as a basis for economic development

~, and economic development might provide an incentive for ongoing cultural conservation. Fundedby the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), this project, called the Central OzarksDevelopment Project (CODP) will continue at least through September 2010, and has been chargedto achieve some important goals. Specifically, over the next ten months we will complete afeasibility study toward the attainment of a National Heritage Area designation and a MissouriOzarks Cultural Center for our region. Another goal is the development of a comprehensivewebsite to provide information about artistic activity, cultural resources, and cultural tourismopportunities within our region.* The third goal is to develop and implement strategies to marketthe work of regional traditional artists and promote the region as a potential destination for culturaltourism. We hope to also attract culturally engaged prospective retirees of the "Baby Boom"generation.

Reporting on the progress of the Central Ozarks Development Project are Kathleen Morrissey,project director for the CODP and Matt Meacham, CODP folklorist Morrissey is WPCA presidentand Meacham is also that agency's folklorist. They will discuss our approach to regional culturalsustainability, report on the progress of this project, and offer thoughts on the natural symbiosisbetween cultural conservation and economic development. We will invite our fellow participants tocontribute insights based on their own experiences, especially regarding the perennial question ofhow to market traditional art and promote it as a basis for economic development withoutfundamentally altering its character or the social contexts from which it emerges.

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*There are, of course, 1nany online sources of information about artistic activity, cultural resources,and cultural tourism opportunities, but there is no single website that presents this knowledge in asystematic, integrated way; consequently, our region's "cultural presence" on the Web is fragmented.We hope to remedy this situation by creating a website that will give potential visitors (and potentialpurchasers of cultural products from this region) a more comprehensive understanding of what theregion has to offer.

Page 709

Kathleen Morrissey

From:Sent:

0:~I)ject:

Meacham, Matthew W [[email protected]]Thursday, April 29, 2010 7:25 PMMorrissey, Kathleen F; [email protected] attempt at what you requested

Kathleen,

Below is an attempt at what you asked me to write. I don't know whether it's exactly what you were looking for,and I'm afraid it isn't especially good, in any case, but maybe it will suffice for present purposes (?). If you'd like meto add or change anything, just let me know.

Thanks,Matt

Traditional artistic activity in the Ozarks of south-central and southeast Missouri reflects various aspects of theregion's historical geography, including its settlement patterns, residents' relationship with their naturalenvironment, and the region's relative geographic isolation and its economic implications.

The phase of the region's settlement history that has had the most prevalent influence upon traditional artisticactivity here is the extension of the pattern of Anglo/Celtic-American migration that largely defined the UplandSouth into the Missouri Ozarks in the first half of the 19th century. Many of the region's vernacular artistictraditions belong decidedly to the Upland South. These include the tradition of string music that encompasses whatis now described as "old-time" music, as well as the more recent musical genres of bluegrass and traditions countrymusic; the music of Evangelical Protestant church traditions, including Southern gospel, country gospel, and the

-<oraditions of white spirituals and folk hymnody that predate gospel music; square dance and jig dance traditions; ade variety of material arts and crafts, ranging from furniture making to basketry to quilting; rural Upland Southern

.oodways; and verbal art and oral literature of various kinds. Other ethnic communities that have settled in thisregion throughout its history have also made their marks upon the artistic traditions already mentioned andcontributed some of their own. These include the Cherokee, Osage, and other Native American communities,African-Americans, the French Colonial legacy, German-Americans, and a variety of more recent immigrantpopulations.

Many of the folk artistic traditions found here reflect residents' knowledge and use of the region's naturalresources. This region is known for its handmade turkey call traditions, as well as gardening (including heirloomseeds), independent farming, hunting, and preparation of locally produced or obtained foods. Some of the region'sartistic traditions that are closely linked to the natural world serve to distinguish the culture of this region within thatof the Upland South as a whole. These include the traditions of johnboat building, paddle making, fish gigging, andarchery fishing that developed from residents' efforts to make the most of the region's streams and rivers, includingthe Current, the Jacks Fork, the Eleven Point, and the North Fork of the White.

In many instances, skills and activities that we now describe as traditional arts developed not for artistic reasonsbut for entirely practical ones: quilting, gardening, hunting, training of mules and horses, boat building,blacksmithing - the list could go on. They have been conserved and sustained here to a greater extent than in manyother regions of the country for various reasons, one of the foremost being the region's relative geographic isolationthroughout much of its history. This comparative isolation limited the degree to which external influences couldmake an impact upon the culture of this region, and it also limited the quantities and kinds of goods and services

~ailable here, rendering many traditional crafts practical necessities here even after they had been replaced by otherhnologies and methods in many other places. Though the economy here has become much more diversified

.ice the mid-20th century, many such components of the region's folklife are still conserved and valued because oftheir cultural significance, and aesthetics have overtaken functionality as the primary motivation for ongoing activity

1

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within many of these traditions (though many of their practitioners will hasten to point out the functional worth oftheir products and practical advantages that they offer over mass-produced, commodified alternatives).

2

Page 711

Kathleen Morrissey

From:Sent:0:

~''Jject:

Meacham, Matthew W [[email protected]]Thursday, April 29, 20104:53 [email protected]; Morrissey, Kathleen FExcerpts from summer 2007 report re: gigging and so forth

Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, several features of the area's occupational folklife and material

culture are notably idiosyncratic and contribute to its distinct profile within the Upland South as a whole. Among

these are methods of archery fishing and archery hunting collectively known as ''bow gigging" or "bowing-and-

spiking" that were prevalent in and near the Eleven Point River, Current River, Jacks Fork, and other major

waterways of the southeast and south-central Missouri Ozarks during the late 19th and early zo- centuries.i''

Another distinctive method of fishing particularly associated with (if not unique to) the Current River and environs

is gigging, the use of a fork-like implement fastened to a pole to impale fish, particularly small bottom-dwellers, such

as suckers, most often in autumn and winter. Yet another artifact of the area's riverine folklife is the Ozark

johnboat, a narrow flatboat typically suitable for one to three passengers that is used for fishing (including gigging)

and other instances of river transport. The traditional Ozark johnboat belongs to a family of small flatboats, several

types of which are known as johnboats, that are indigenous to the watersheds of the Mississippi River and its

tributaries. Traditional Ozark johnboats, however, are often narrower and longer than johnboats made elsewhere.

The Ozark johnboat is strongly identified with south-central and southeast Missouri, where it frequently was used~,

. transportation before the widespread construction of roads. Though most traditional (wooden) johnboats have

been replaced by mass-produced fishing boats - the designs of which were influenced, in many cases, by those of

traditional johnboats - the art of johnboat building is still practiced in this area, and handmade Ozark johnboats are

still valued highly by many area residents.Y' ...

Two obvious instances are the making of fish gigs and of johnboats. (See the overview for a discussion of the

role of fish gigging and johnboat use in the material and occupational folklife of this region's residents in past

generations.) A century ago, area residents fashioned fish gigs and archery spikes from any available scrap metal out

of the need to obtain sources of protein.iii[l] Today, such craftspeople as Ray Joe Hastings of the Doniphan area

maintain their blacksmithing skills and produce gigs and spikes because of those objects' historical significance and

collectibility. Mr. Hastings has done extensive research on the history of archery fishing in the Current River and is

writing a book on that subject.iv[2] Don Foerster of Van Buren is now teaching teenager Nathan Dazey, also of Van

Buren, how to build johnboats in an intentional effort to transmit what was once regarded as a practical skill but is. d v[3]now recogruze as an art. ...

~One distinctive aspect of this region's foodways is the development of methods of frying small, bony, bottom-

dwelling fish harvested by gigging, especially suckers, in such a way as to make them palatable.Y' Recent research1

Page 712

on traditional cooking in Oregon County conducted by Brenda Bell of the University of Missouri Extension and

others suggests that residents of that county have a particular affinity for dumplings and regard them as emblematic

of their traditional foodways. Dumplings are consumed throughout the South and Midwest, but they seem to have

1. especially prominent role in the traditional Oregon County diet. Local residents prepare both rolled dumplings

and drop dumplings and combine them either with meat, such as chicken or squirrel, or with fruit, such as.. "'----.-/

blackberries, making something resembling a soft cobbler.Vll[2] Both brown beans and white beans are common in

this region. Brown beans are often prepared in essentially the same manner as they are in much of southern and

central Appalachia; white beans often appear in ham and beans, a dish found in the Upland South but perhaps more

closely associated with the Midwest. At least three homemade breads are components of the area's traditional

cuisine: cornbread, biscuits, and sourdough bread prepared with a "starter."viii[3]

i[l] Dana Everts-Boehm, ''Buildin' Boats, Giggin' and Foolin' Around Is All Fun: Traditional Material Culture of the Ozark Waterways,Featuring Johnboat Builder Cecil Murray and Gigmaker Paul Martin," Missouri Masters and Their Traditional Arts series, Missouri FolkArts Program of the Missouri Arts Council, University of Missouri-Columbia, 1996; Diane Cooke, Ray Hastings, Tracey Holden, LynnMaples, and Tasha Miller, interview with the author, Current River Heritage Museum, Doniphan, MO, March 27, 2007; James E. Price,"Bowin' and Spikin' in th' Jillikirts," in Ozarks Watch IV/3 (Winter 1991), 12-15.ii[2] Dana Everts-Boehm, "The Ozark Johnboat: Its History, Form, and Functions," Missouri Masters and Their Traditional Arts series,Missouri Folk Arts Program of the Missouri Arts Council, University of Missouri-Columbia, 1991; Ray Burson, conversation with theauthor, pioneer homestead site, Doniphan, MO, April 28, 2007; Cooke, Hastings, Holden, Maples, and Miller, interview, March 27,2007;Gary Nash, interview with the author, Salem, MO, March 23,2007.

lill] Price, ''Bowirt' and Spikin' irt the Jillikirts."

iv[2] Cooke, Hastings, Holden, Maples, and Miller, interview, March 27, 2007.v[3] Nathan Dazey and Don Foerster, conversation with the author, Big Spring, rural Van Buren, MO,June 9, 2007.

v[l] Kathleen Morrissey and other residents of this region, conversations with the author, March-June 2007.

vii[2] Brenda Bell, notes from a group discussion with residents of Oregon County, Alton, MO, November 13, 2006; Janice Richardson,interview with the author, Alton, MO, March 7, 2007.viii[3] Brenda Bell, Justine Cotton, and Nancy Reed, conversation with the author, Alton, MO, May 2, 2007; Cooke, Hastings, Holden,Maples, and Miller, interview, March 27, 2007.

2

Page 713

Conversation wi Marsha Boone:

Put your request in an e-mail attachment, in as simple terms and as specific as possible,and I will deliver it to the deputy director. Not more than a page and a half.It should include a description of what you are doing, what you want from us and whyyou need it. We need a specific idea of what you're asking for.And be sure to address the question in terms of how it would be of benefit to have morepeople using the facilities of the area, especially the state parks. That's a major concernright now because attendance is down.Is it a question of the potential environmental impact of tourism or are you needingtechnical data from the standpoint of hydrology, clean air, etc.Out of town until Thursday (April 1) but will forward your information when I get back.

Draft of DNR request:

We are seeking assistance in assembling a feasibility study for consideration of our 10-county area ofthe Missouri Ozarks as a potential candidate for National Heritage Areastatus. These counties are Wright, Douglas, Ozark, Texas, Howell, Shannon, Oregon,Carter, Dent, Ripley and possibly Reynolds. We are hoping the Missouri Dept. of NaturalResources may help us answer the following questions as part of the EnvironmentalAssessment (EA) required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).Generally an EA is sufficient for NHA feasibility studies to meet NEP A compliance,rather than a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), as significant negative impactas a result ofNHA designation is not expected.

Here are the questions we would like DNR to address:

1. Can we safely say that designation of the Ozark Highlands National Heritage Area willnot have an significant impact on the air and water quality of the study area?

2. Will cultural tourism have a significant and positive economic impact on the studyarea?

3. How will NHA designation have a significant positive impact on the current and futurecondition of natural resources in the study area?

4.Describe DNR's function in overseeing the state's natural resources, including parks andrecreation areas and natural landmarks.

5. Does DNR maintain a list of threatened or endangered plant and animal species in thestudy area, and if so, what does that list contain?

6. Does DNR maintain a comprehensive list of all plant and animal species to be found inthe study area, and if so, what does that list contain?

7.List current attendance figures or estimates at the state parks, forests, historic sites and

Page 714

recreation areas in the study area, and how those compare with years past,

8. Might inclusion in a National Heritage Area increase attendance at these sites?

9.Does DRN or the state parks system host events, tours and/or re-enactments in thestudy area?

10. Please identify districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects that are significant inAmerican history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, and culture within the studyarea as listed by DNR's State Historic Preservation Office.

11. List any historic trails or byways in the study area.

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More notes, these I think from meeting wi Marsha Boone. Web guy in Springfield is JimTeeters. Website needs the flexibility to change and grow as needs are identified. Needs

,~ to be mix and match. Include tour packages, make it interactive.

Need an Internal strategic plan to identify areas where something needs doing, and todecide who does what, when. Also a team of resource people. Don't get people on boardtoo soon. We must guide the schedule. If everybody else is on the bus, one person can'tblock things from happening.Keep the goals in each area to a minimum.Do asset mapping to identify what's already there that you can build on.

Focus on smart growth, back to the land ecologically. Look at BryantWebsite,

Self sufficiency and common sense.Make a sustainability plan. Safe water. Good handling of waste water. .

Make up a market tour. Include state parks on your tours.Sustainability light.Sustainable Ozarks. Learning through tough lessons, like clearcuts and wastewater issues.Now working to keep pristine, make it worth a bus tour.

People are looking to hold onto something that's real. The right website could get tourismdept. into it.'-, Notes on the way home:The theme is the saying:Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do or Do without.

What people are having to learn now, the Ozarkers have always done. We made it byadhering to the edge. We were always green. We've been passing down that knowledge.The economy changing may function to bring communities together and sustain them.

Try to see what has sustained the Ozarks. What worked, what didn't. The lessons learned.The story of the region. People are still living that story.

Parks, historical places. In the long term, they are about how to live.Identify what parks are in the area. The NHA designation would give us national andinternational presence.

We are the only one with sustainability historically and looking to continue.

PartnersBasic resourcesMarketing strategy for the region.Direct phone line

,~ $ for technical support

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Ozarks IngenuityGenerate more real tourism to appreciate what's here. Smart, reasonable growth withoutland grab or tearing up the resource. Invite people to come back home. Tour companiesand networking to bring people in.

Look for partners, like Emery Strom of River Hills Traveler.Debbie Schnook' of Ozark TravelSmith FlooringPreserve America designation

OPl - strategic planningRuss and Michael Hinton - guerilla marketingKris - economic development, 10-county outreach, public meetingsCarol Silvey - feasibility studyColin - Ozarks CenterKathleen, Marideth & Matt - writing text to support all the processes.

Ruth Hawkins ASL, director of Delta Initiative ProjectFunding from Scenic Byways.

Preserve AmericaLiason wi state Historic PreservationSurveysReviews of Best Places to LiveAction citiesReview of Best Rural Communities to RetireBaseline study of Howell Co.OCEDA on-line

Colin: - Need clear-cut focused end game. Needs to have something in it for everybody.Talk about the people who came here because of the rivers, and their descendents.Decide what we're going to be when we grow up before we see if it's feasible. People willcome to the same conclusion if they get the same facts.

Remember our tenacity and ability to weather all difficulties.

Setting up 4-H youth in 4 counties.Creating on-line version of survey of community people.Working on themes and subthemes

Need list of all county commissioners in the study area.Start looking at management entityContact Dr. Flader (I'm reading her book on Leopold now)" the MSU mussel guy

Talk to steering committee about Management entity. Say it's OAl, through WPCA.Update Lisa and Nola. Look at Leopold Foundation, Drey Foundation

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From Poverty to sustainability through self reliance.From Hardscrabble through entrepreneurism and Ozarks ingenuity to Innovation. DefmeOzarks Ingenuity. Give examples. (My GF's walnut cracker and nutpicks) .

What are the best uses of technology to save the Ozarks stories?The lessons learned here could save the world.The story here is deeper than you can believe. There's no use trying to look at it. It iswhat it is. Can't be explained, has to be experienced.

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DOUGLAS COUNTY - A PART OFTHE OZARKS HERITAGE PROJECT

I just recently learned that Douglas County is one of ten counties in a project areaknown as the Ozarks Heritage Project. I didn't know anything about this project until I "-,~/received visits from representatives from Ozark Action, Inc. & the West Plains Councilon the Arts.

So, what is the mission of the Ozarks Heritage Project?

1. Complete a feasibility study for National Heritage Areadesignation (funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and theNational Endowment for the Arts)

• sustain cultural continuity - the "presence of thepast within the present"

• promote economic development2. Develop a website as source of information about

what our region has to offer:• artistic activity and products• cultural resources• cultural tourism

3. Marketing our locally made products and resources regionally topromote:

• work of traditional artists• locally grown or made products• conserve regional folklife (traditional music, art &

skills, etc)

This initiative is being promoted by:• West Plains Council on the Arts (501 c 3) - Mission: a

commitment to the sustainability of regional folk culture.• Ozark Action, Inc.( 501 c 3 ) - Objective: fostering

economic opportunity, environmental sustainability, andimproving the quality of life within our region.

• Missouri State University-West Plains - Mission: toimprove accessibility to post-secondary education andfurther a mutually beneficial relationship between highereducation and the cultural region that the university serves.

Plans are being discussed to have speakers from these organizations come to Avato address project mission and goals and how we locally can participate andbenefit from the regional marketing concept. More information will bedistributed when dates & speakers are confirmed. I have some printed

C:\Documents and Settings \kmorrissey\Local Settings \Temporary InternetFiles\Content.Outlook\779IQ8WZ\Document created by Marilyn Alms (with minorediting by Matt).docmaIms Page 1 8/14/2010

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information available at Ava City Hall. If you would like to be informed of thedates for the speakers, contact me at City Hall, phone 683-5516, Ext. 204.

Funding has been provided from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act(ARRA), funded from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, provided bythe Missouri Department of Social Services, Family Support Division. Ozark Action,Inc., a community action agency, has been awarded funds to promote the Ozark HeritageProject. This funding will end September 2010.

~I

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Page 721

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• This·coli~borativev~nture unite~'WPCA's long-term, commitment to the sustainability of regional folkculture' with OAI'~objectives offo~tering economic ','Qill)ortunity and improving the quality of life within theregion that it serves.

Page 722

CASS----------BATES

---..VERNON

BARTON DADEJASPER ,~ r.RFFNF \~ .•. IWRIGHTI TEXAS

--NEWTON

MCDDNAlDi BARRY 1(' 1 TANEY • OZARK

Page 723

•

MissouriArts CouncilThe State of the Arts

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'.";lI':":~he'third principal goal is-to develop aadbegiru.:imple'll1enting strategies for marketing-the work ofregional tr~ditional artists and promoting die

, "' .. ,. ,,',I I ,;,.. . , ' ,

. region as a potential destination for cultural tourists. .

.and culturally engaged prospective retirees,especially those of the "Baby Boom" generation.

• This component of CODP will includepreparations for the sixteenth annual Old-Till1eMusic, Ozark Heritage Festival in West Plains,June 18 & 19, 2010. Planning for that event is wellunderway.

Page 728

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':ACtditilortaIly,'we 'will'mieettwith various ptiblic :officials'; eiVicleaders, and representatives of potentially interestedorganizations as theproject.proceeds .. '

a~ Acom'!'unity~flctlon .

PARTNERSHIP

Helping People. Changing Lives.

Page 732

Ozark Action, Inc. t

OAc;iii:PARTNERSHIPHelping People. Changing Uves.

710 East Main Street·West Plains, Missouri 65775-0588Phone: (417) 256-6147· Fax: (417) 256-0333Mo. Relay: 800-735-2966 (TOO) 800-735-2466 (voice)Http://www.oaiwp.org

THE OZARKS HERITAGE PROJECTA BRIEF INTRODUCTION

The Ozarks Heritage Project, initiated in December 2009, represents a collaboration between theWest Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA), Ozark Action, Inc. (OAI), a community action agency(both WPCA and OAI are 501(c)3 entities) and Missouri State University - West Plains. Thiscollaborative venture unites WPCA's long-term commitment to the sustainability of regional folkculture with OArs objectives of fostering economic opportunity, environmental sustainability, andimproving the quality of life within our region. The university strives to further a mutually beneficialrelationship between the world of higher education and the cultural region it serves. The areasserved by these three entities overlap to a great extent; the Ozarks Heritage Project in particularaddresses Ripley, Oregon, Carter, Shannon, Dent, Texas, Howell, Wright, Douglas, and Ozarkcounties in southern Missouri.

The Ozarks Heritage Project is funded with federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act(ARRA) funds received from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) providedby the Missouri Department of Social Services, Family Support Division. The funds received fromthe Family Support Division are all federally funded. Additionally, WPCA has received ARRAfunding with an "Arts Transform Missouri" grant from the Missouri Arts Council, funded by theNational Endowment for the Arts. Missouri State University-West Plains is collaborating byproviding access to university personnel to fill key positions.

The Ozarks Heritage Project's official implementation plan calls for the accomplishment of threespecific goals over the course of the funding period. One is the initiation of a feasibility studyregarding options for linking cultural conservation with economic opportunity in our region. Oneoption being considered is the attainment of a National Heritage Area designation incorporating thecounties in our project area. This feasibility study will represent a major step forward in a processstarted more than five years ago by WPCA with funding from the National Endowment for theArts. A second goal is the development of a website that will serve as a comprehensive source ofinformation about artistic activity, cultural resources, and cultural tourism opportunities within ourregion. There are, of course, many online sources of information about these subjects, but there is'no single website that presents this knowledge in a systematic, integrated way; consequently, ourcultural region's ''Web presence" is fragmented. We hope to remedy this situation by creating awebsite that will give potential visitors (and potential purchasers of cultural products from thisregion) a more comprehensive understanding of what the region has to offer. In doing so, we willlook to the web sites of existing National Heritage Areas, cultural trails, and regional tourismprograms as potential models. The third goal is to develop and begin implementing strategies formarketing the work of regional traditional artists and promoting the region as a potential destinationfor cultural tourists, and culturally engaged prospective retirees, especially those of the "BabyBoom" generation.

Page 733

FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR AN OZARK NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA

AN INTRODUCTION

What is this all about?

.--<,

National Park Service?

A National Heritage Area is hot controlled from Washington DC. It is also not a National Park,not a National Monument, not a National Forest, nor even an administered unit of the NationalPark Service. No land is owned or managed by the National Park Service under this program.Their involvement is as an advisor to an independent group that is in the region. Every newNational Heritage Area has included this Private Property Protection Clause:

"Nothing in this Management Plan shall be construed torequire any private property owner topermit public access (including Federal, State, or local government access) to

such private property. Nothing in this Management Plan shall be construed to modify anyprovision of Federal, State, or local law with regard to public access to or use

of private lands. "

In short, this means that the National Heritage Area cannot force people into the program andcan't take private property in any way. The program is intended as a voluntary partnership.You don't have to participate if you don't want to.

What's in itfor me? Why should it matter to my community?

A big part of this program is about heritage: too often the Ozarks region has been defmed byothers. Now, through this program, residents can define themselves. This can be through

Introduction 1

Page 734


heritage preservation to save local stories, heritage education to make local residents proud oftheir common experiences, and through heritage tourism which allows outsiders to see the"real" Ozarks and brings in economic development dollars. The economic impact of tourismin a region can be significant, but there must be a balance.

Heritage isn't just museums and landmarks-it's about celebrating local culture and stories: arestaurant might include stories of the region on the back of a menu, a retail store may displaylocal artwork that interests visitors-the store owner can relay a story of the region through thepiece. It offers both the benefits of economic development and lets local residents feel likethey are in a special place that they and their families will care for a long time.

A National Heritage Area is not a set experience like Colonial Williamsburg, nor are residentsa "cast" of characters that all think the same way. They are citizens, voters, and volunteers in aliving region.

How does this process work?

A National Heritage Area isn't just created, there is a multiple-stage process and it must beacknowledged by Congress and signed into law. Our office, Jeffrey L. Bruce and Company, isworking with Ozark Action, Inc. to create an official Feasibility Study document that theNational Park Service will review. We are a small landscape architecture office in Missouriwith no affiliation with the National Park Service (NPS), but we have worked on NationalHeritage Area projects in the past. The NPS does have specific criteria to follow, includingresource inventories that document the significant features in a potential National HeritageArea.

In a traditional approach, the "outside experts" come, tell people how do to things, then leave.We feel this is inappropriate. Instead, we believe in citizen engagement: you know yourstories, your sites, and your values. We would rather you define yourselves than the other wayaround. If this process takes hold, you will be the ones continuing this process and celebratingyour stories. We are here to help you with tools and direction to realize your efforts-civicengagement training is one of those methods.

If you have any questions about this process, please feel free to contact Kathleen Morrissey atOzark Action at 710 E. Main Street, West Plains, MO 65775,417-256-6147, [email protected].

If you have any questions about our office, please feel free to contact us.

Thanks,

Mike McGrewJeffrey L. Bruce and CompanyNorth Kansas City, [email protected]

Introduction 2

Page 735


HERlT AGE TOURISM AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

• The Travel and Tourism industry generated $740 billion in the US economy in 2006and over eight million jobs. Since then, tourism has bucked economic trends andgrown to $770 billion in 2009 as people stay in the United States instead of traveloverseas. Missouri's share of tourism is $10.1 billion. (Source: US Dept. ofCommerce, 2009)

• 81% of US adult travelers in 2005 considered themselves "cultural travelers" as theyinclude historical or cultural activities on their trips, an increase from 68% in 1996.Heritage tourism grew at twice the rate of general tourism. (Advisory Council onHistoric Preservation)

• The Department of Commerce also reports that heritage travelers tend to spend moremoney per day ($623 compared to $457) and travel longer on average than those withdifferent travel agendas (5.2 nights compared to 3.4 nights).

• The South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism found that the mostpopular months for heritage travel are July and August.

• The Kansas Department of Commerce records that heritage tourists desire to visitplaces for "nostalgia, patriotism, and education."

--,~ Heritage Travel in Missouri (findings from Missouri Division of Tourism survey)

Missourians Want to Travel in Missouri. Of six states from which to choose forculturallheritage travel, Missourians overwhelmingly choose Missouri (75% total, 86%culturally motivated), more than double the next closest states (Tennessee: 34% total, 35%culturally motivated; Illinois: 33% total, 33% culturally motivated).

Non-Missourians Show Interest in Missouri. Among total out-of-stateresidents, Missouri (34%) places among the leaders (Texas 37%, Tennessee 36%, Illinois33%). However, culturally motivated travelers (who have been to Missouri) position it atthe top (Missouri 61%), Tennessee ranks second at a distant 49%).

Consistent Reasons Cited When Missouri Is Not Preferred. "Been there/done that" ranks atthe top for not choosing Missouri as the preferred state for both in-state and out of-stateresidents. Missouri must also fight images, both internal and external, that other states havesuperior attractions and are more beautiful and scenic. Non-residents add that there is notmuch to do in Missouri.

The Missouri Eighth Congressional district employed 8,900 people and generated $164million in travel payroll in 2006-ranking 8th out the nine congressional districts.

Introduction 3

Page 736


Heritage Tourism and Natural Resources

• 20% of the travel market is now classified as adventure travel--ofwhich 81% travel to"experience people, lifestyles, and cultures different from their own", and a similarnumber "visit small towns and rural areas." (National Geographic and TIA, 2002)

• The AARP indicates that the top ten adventure activities for Baby Boomers includesfreshwater fishing, biking, hiking, camping, motorcycling, and kayaking-all of whichcan be experienced in the Ozarks region.

How do you Promote Regional Heritage Tourism?

• Much like commercial sites like to gather around one .another to improve business,heritage sites and locations can better improve their economic environment if theyprovide multiple close options to one another. Few people will travel six hours to visita single site and return home, but many more will visit a half-dozen sites over a longweekend. Connect your stories.

• As it states in the introduction, heritage tourism isn't just museums and landmarks, itsrestaurants, retail stores, hotels, and support businesses. There are number of placesand locations that can cross-promote to create a "real" experience of the Ozarks.

• If this area becomes a full-fledged National Heritage Area in the future, it can providesignage, marketing, and branding to promote the region and its heritage resources-aswell as provide grants to assist sites in improving their resources.

Introduction 4

Page 737


Civic Engagement Leaders Packet

This region is not currently a National Heritage Area. All NationalHeritage Areas must be designated by Congress after the submissionof a formal feasibility study. This study must be performed to see:

• If the area is suitable as a National Heritage Area• If there is public support to create a National Heritage Area• If there is a grassroots network of staff and volunteers to

operate a National Heritage Area

Civic Engagement is critical to this study. It is a continuous, dynamicconversation with the public on many levels. It builds a sense of"place", develops a vision of the region, and welcomes andencourages a diversity of opinions and backgrounds. By recordingstories of the area's heritage, you can provide evidence that the areais suitable as a National Heritage Area. By performing these inmultiple places, you can make the case to see if there is (or is not)public support across a large part of the region. That's why we needas many people getting together as possible.

1

Page 738

· Central MO. Ozarks Development Project Implementation Plan:

ARRA-FY'09

k. Website completed and functional as a "web portal" to the region (web (portal completed and launched.) (September, 2010)

Page 740

The website enumerating cultural resources in a ten-county area of the MissouriOzarks is located at www.wparts.org/culture. As of late December 2010, all of theframework and much of the content of the site is in place. I will continue to addcontent to the site over the next month. When my tenure here in West Plains "'--_---,'concludes at the end of January 2011, I will give Kathleen Morrissey detailedinstructions as to how to edit the site so that she or anyone of her choosing cancontinue to add (or modify) content as she sees fit.

Matt MeachamDecember 27, 2010

Page 741

Website SpeciflcatlonsHosted Services Recommendations:Developer will provide organization with recommendations for website hosting. Hosting servicecontract will be made directly by organization, including payment of any applicable fees. Hostingservices should include, but not be limited to, database services, email accounts, unlimited disk storage,unlimited transfer, CGI scripting and server-side includes. CGIIdatabase services should support PHP,Python, MySQL, and JavaScript/DHTML. Scripting services could also include FrontPage Extensionsand FlashiShockwave support.

Hosting services should also support streaming audio and video capabilities. Hosting services shouldinclude secure e-commerce features or developer shall recommend a separate e-commerce site to servethis function.

For additional website expansion, hosting service should include support for social networking,blogging, image galleries and wiki capabilities. Domain name registration may be included with thehosting services. A hosted Content Management System may be utilized if it meets the aboverequirements.

Website Development:Developer will create a turn-key website from organization provided content. Website will provide linkto area county cultural information and resources. Website should be easy to update and maintain.Developer will work with an organization representative to determine the website's organization,structure and layout. The website should follow current web development standards separating contentfrom layout. All layout should be handled by cascading style sheets and fully functional with stylesheets disabled and across standard browsers including Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera and Safari.

The initial website should consist of at least 80 to 100 pages and should be 'live' September 1st, 2010.The developer shall work with the organization representative on creating the website style sheets tocontrol the website layout. The hosting service may provide tools for creating these style sheets.

Page 742

DRJ DESIGNS / DAVID JOHNSTON1528 Imperial Center West Plains, MO 65775

417-274-2918 [email protected] FAX

ESTIMATE / CONTRACT

FOR Ozark Action, INC. I Estimate # 2010-0520WPCAMatt Meacham I Estimate DateWest Plains, MO 05-20-2010

I Customer ID WPCAI

I

QTY ITEM UNITS DESCRIPTION UNIT PRICE TOTAL

I Creation of turn-key website. Please see next page $6,500.00 $6,500.001 Website 1 for complete description.

(this is a onetime charge)

Hosting andhttp://hostek.com/hosting/linux/cpanel/linux-cpanel-hosting-control-panel.asp $83.40jyear

Domain Name plus $10jyear for domain name

Optional Monthly1 year contract for DRJ Designs to make minor

MaintenanceIchanges, additions, modifications with 24 hour $360.00I turn-around time excluding weekends.

I $30jhour after the website is up and running.Additional Work I (includes any further work that goes beyond the

scope of the work as described above)

If Estimate is accepted, please sign and fax back to (866) 591-4724I I

Ozark Action, INC is entering into a contract with DRJ Designs for design ofI

Website as detailed on following page. All material related to the website includingdesign files will belong to Ozark Action, INC and will be hosted on their hostingserver they choose with complete access.

Payment: Ozark Action, INC agrees to pay DRJ Designs 20% deposit ($1,300.00)upon submission of Website Blueprint.On Sept. 1st, 2010, 50% of the remaining balance will be due = $2,600.00.The remaining balance, $2,600 and optional monthly maintenance plan will be dueupon completion of the website when Grant money will be available, but no laterthan November 1st, 2010. TOTAL $6,500.00

~;d'~~:r;t)}l)J r-X O.p7~AI

DRJ Designs Signature Ozark A&"n, INC Authorized Signature

? Ilo/;oDate:j

Page 743

Kathleen Morrissey

From:Sent:"o:

~:Iject:

.•achments:

Meacham, Matthew W [[email protected]]Monday, May 10, 2010 9:55 [email protected]@oaiwp.org; Morrissey, Kathleen FMaterial related to the proposed cultural resources websiteWebsite design preliminary thoughts -- Ozark Heritage Project.doc

Mark,

Thank you again for all of your help with the festival website, and thanks, also, for your interest in the possibilityof bidding on the comprehensive cultural resources website that we're hoping to put together. We really appreciateall of your help.

Kathleen asked me to send you a document that I wrote several months ago outlining my initial thoughtsabout what I think the cultural resources website will need to encompass. I've attached it.

She also asked me to send you links to several websites relating to the National Heritage Area program. Here'sthe program's main website: http://wv;rw.nps.gov/history/heritageareasl. Additionally, here are websitesrepresenting several specific National Heritage Areas:

---The Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area (Kansas and Missouri): http://wv.rw.freedomsfrontier.org/

--- The Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area (Iowa): http://www.silosandsmokestacks.org/

--- The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area (North Carolina): http://v;rww.blueridgeheritage.coml.~

If you have any questions, or if I can provide any further information, please let me know. Thanks again foreverything you're doing.

Take care,Matt

Matt Meacham

Folklorist, West Plains Council on the Arts/Ozark Action. Inc.

Adjunct instructor, Missouri State University-West Plains

(417) 256-6147, ext. 227 (office)

(417) 372-3177 (cell/home)

mmeacham@oai""'P.org

or [email protected]

1

Page 744

Kathleen Morrissey

From:Sent:'0:

. ";c:Subject:

Meacham, Matthew W [[email protected]]Monday, May 17, 2010 9:52 [email protected]@oaiwp.org; Morrissey, Kathleen FInquiry about developing a regional cultural resources website

Dear DR] Designs,

Our organization, the West Plains Council on the Arts, in collaboration with Ozark Action, Inc., hopes todevelop a website that will offer comprehensive information about cultural resources in a ten-county area within theMissouri Ozarks. Our goal is to have the site developed and online by late summer or early fall, if at all possible.

We'd like to invite you to submit a bid to design the website, and we'd be very interested in meeting with you inperson to discuss what we have in mind. Would it be possible for us to arrange a meeting with you sometimesoon? If it would be convenient for you to meet with us in our office at Ozark Action so that we could show yousome materials that we have here, that would be ideal, but we could certainly come to your office if necessary.

Thank you very much. I'll look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,Matt Meacham

Matt Meacham

L'olklorist, West Plains Council on the Arts/Ozark Action. Inc.


(417) 256-6147, ext. 227 (office)

(417) 372-3177 (cell/home)

[email protected]

or [email protected]

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Kathleen Morrissey

Jject:

Gordon, Grayson E [[email protected]]Tuesday, May 18, 2010 5:04 PMMeacham, Matthew [email protected]; Morrissey, Kathleen FRe: Specifications for cultural resources website

From:C;ent:

):~:

Sorry for the delay in responding. We are very busy with the Banner 8 upgrade scheduled for the Memorial Dayweekend.

The area web designers typically charge around $500 per webpage. That is one of the reasons that I went with a per-hour rate plus expenses.

I don't know if you will be able to find someone to do that amount of pages within the limited time frame, especially if itwill include a lot of images.

I was thinking it would be 10-20 pages max to begin with and mostly linking to existing information.

I think the main thing for this initial phase would be the setting up ofthe hosting site and database/contentmanagement system.

Thanks,

Grayson

.r=>;

,5/12/10 11:58 AM, "Meacham, Matthew W" <[email protected]> wrote:

Grayson,

Thank you very much for all of your help in planning the cultural resources website that we're hoping to develop. It'sgreatly appreciated.

I'm estimating that the number of pages (initially,at least) will be approximately 80 to 100. I've added that estimate to thespecifications that you've written, and I've attached that document to this message. Could you please send us a price estimatewhen you have a chance? Many thanks.

Take care,Matt

Matt MeachamFolklorist, West Plains Council on the Arts <http://www.wparts.org/> /Ozark Action, Inc. <http://oaiwp.org/>Adjunct instructor, Missouri State University-West Plains <http://wp.missouristate.edu/>(417) 256-6147, ext. 227 (office)(417) 372-3177 (cell/home)[email protected] [email protected]

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RE: Inquiry about developing a regional cultural resources website Page 1 of 1

RE: Inquiry about developing a regional cultural resources websiteMeacham, Matthew W

Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2010 2: 12 PM

To: David Johnston [[email protected]]

David,

Thank you very much for your work on this and for responding so quickly. We really appreciate it. I'llshare this with Kathleen and Marideth, and we'll be in touch soon.

Thanks again,Matt

From: David Johnston [[email protected]]Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2010 2:04 PMTo: Meacham, Matthew WSubject: RE: Inquiry about developing a regional cultural resources website

Matt,

I apologize for the delay. I'm also a First Responder, and last night and today has been several calls back to back.

Please find attached the estimate for the proposed website. I've tried to streamline the cost, considering thetime and amount of work required to make this live and functional by September 1st. I scaled the initial websiteback to 50-70 pages. 'believe that is the only change made that was not in your notes you gave me.

I believe I've outlined everything that we talked about yesterday. Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks!

David Johnston

Contact DR) Designs for Professional and Affordable Website Solutions(417) 274-2918 www.drjdesigns.net

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RE: Inquiry about developing a regional cultural resources website Page 1 of 1


»<>: Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 2010 1:51 PM


David,

Thank you very much for your help with this. We've decided to accept this contract, and we'll sign it andfax it to you very soon. We're looking forward to working with you. .

Take care,Matt


I apologize forthe delay. I'm also a First Responder, and last night and today has been several calls back to back.

Please find attached the estimate for the proposed website. I've tried to streamline the cost, considering thetime and amount of work required to make this live and functional by September 1st. I scaled the initial websiteback to 50-70 pages. I believe that is the only change made that was not in your notes you gave me.


Thanks!

David Johnston


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RE: Inquiry about developing a regional cultural resources website Page 1 of2


Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 2010 2:22 PM


David,

Kathleen was about to sign the contract so that I could fax it to you, but she noticed that the contractindicates that the West Plains Council on the Arts will be the purchaser of the services, when, in fact, it willbe Ozark Action, Inc. Could you please send us another version of the contract in which "West PlainsCouncil on the Arts" is replaced by "Ozark Action, Inc." in all references to the purchaser of services? I'msorry for the trouble. Thanks again for your help -- very much appreciated.

Matt

From: David Johnston [[email protected]]Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 2010 2:06 PMTo: Meacham, Matthew WSubject: RE: Inquiry about developing a regional cultural resources website

Matt,

That's great. Looking forward to the working with you on this endeavor.

Thank you.David Johnston


From: Meacham, Matthew W [mailto:[email protected]]Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 2010 1:51 PMTo: David JohnstonSubject: RE: Inquiry about developing a regional cultural resources website

David,

Thank you very much for your help with this. We've decided to accept this contract, and we'll sign it andfax it to you very soon. We're looking forward to working with you.

Take care,Matt


Matt,

hrtps:1ibearmail.missouristate.eduJowa/?ae=Item&t=IPM.Note&id=RgAAAAAseng08eRl... 8/16/2010

Page 749


I apologize for the delay. I'm also a First Responder, and last night and today has been several calls back to back.

Please find attached the estimate for the proposed website. I've tried to streamline the cost, considering thetime and amount of work required to make this live and functional by September 1st. I scaled the initial websiteback to 50-70 pages. I believe that is the only change made that was not in your notes you gave me.


Thanks!

David Johnston

Contact DR} Designs for Professional and Affordable Website Solutions(417) 274-2918 www.drjdesigns.net

https:/lbearmail.missouristate.eduiowa/?ae=Item&t=IPM.N ote&id= RgAAAAAseng08cHl... 8/16/2010

Page 750


RE: Inquiry about developing a regional cultural resources websiteMeacham, Matthew WSent: Tuesday, June 01, 20103:27 PM


Sure. Again, sorry for the trouble. Thanks for your help!

Matt

From: David Johnston [drjweb@gmail,com]Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 2010 2:29 PMTo: Meacham, Matthew WSubject: Re: Inquiry about developing a regional cultural resources website

No problem. I'm out of the office right now. Is tomorrow am ok?David

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 1,2010, at 2:22 PM, "Meacham, Matthew WIt <[email protected]> wrote:

David,

Kathleen was about to sign the contract so that I could fax it to you, but she noticed thatthe contract indicates that the West Plains Council on the Arts will be the purchaser of theservices, when, in fact, it will be Ozark Action, Inc. Could you please send us another versionof the contract in which "West Plains Council on the Arts" is replaced by "Ozark Action, Inc."in all references to the purchaser of services? I'm sorry for the trouble. Thanks again for yourhelp -- very much appreciated.

Matt


Matt,

That's great. Looking forward to the working with you on this endeavor.

Thank you.

David Johnston

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RE: Inquiry about developing a regional cultural resources website Page 10f2


»<>: Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2010 11:12 AM


Thanks, David -- very much appreciated. Kathleen will sign this this afternoon, and I'll fax it to you.Thank you again for all of your help.

Matt

From: David Johnston [[email protected]]Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2010 7:36 AMTo: Meacham, Matthew WSubject: RE: Inquiry about developing a regional cultural resources website

Matt,

Please find attached the revised contract.

Thank you.David


From: Meacham, Matthew W [mailto:[email protected]]Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 2010 2:23 PMTo: David JohnstonSubject: RE: Inquiry about developing a regional cultural resources website

David,

Kathleen was about to sign the contract so that I could fax it to you, but she noticed that the contractindicates that the West Plains Council on the Arts will be the purchaser of the services, when, in fact, it willbe Ozark Action, Inc. Could you please send us another version of the contract in which "West PlainsCouncil on the Arts" is replaced by "Ozark Action, Inc." in all references to the purchaser of services? I'msorry for the trouble. Thanks again for your help -- very much appreciated.

Matt


Matt,

~ That's great. Looking forward to the working with you on this endeavor.

Thank you.

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Page 752

RE: website check Page 1 of 1

RE: website checkMeacham, Matthew WSent: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 11:54 PM


Cc: Morrissey, Kathleen F; [email protected]

Attachments: Cultural resources webstte=Ldoc (26 KB)

Hi, David. Many thanks for your messages, and thank you very much for all of your excellent work onthe cultural resources website so far (http://drjtest.com/arts/). You've obviously put a lot of thought andeffort into it, and we really appreciate it. I've attached a list of suggested revisions (and am copying thismessage to both Kathleen and Marideth in case they have any other suggestions).

Kathleen says that she'll ask the administrators here at Ozark Action to issue you a check as soon asthese revisions are done and everyone is in agreement that this phase of the process is complete and meetsour needs. My apologies if the payment process is slower or more complicated than you were expecting; asis often the case in large organizations like this one, it sometimes takes a while to jump through all of therequisite hoops.

Thanks again for everything you're doing. It's very much appreciated.

Matt

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RE: website updates Page 1 of2

RE: website updatesMeacham, Matthew W

~ Sent: Friday, July 02, 2010 10:04 AM


Thanks, David. This all sounds good. The revisions look good, as well; thanks for doing them. Onlyone suggestion: if you could move "regional (multiple counties)" to the bottom of the "counties" drop-downmenu and move "miscellaneous" to the bottom of the "genres" drop-down menu, that would be great. Icompletely understand your need to receive payment as quickly as possible. I'll let Kathleen know that all of.the changes that you've made are fine with me and will encourage her to request payment for you as earlynext week as possible.

Thanks again,Matt

From: David Johnston [[email protected]]Sent: Thursday, July 01, 2010 1:25 PMTo: Meacham, Matthew WCc: Morrissey, Kathleen F; [email protected]: RE: website updates

Good afternoon Matt,

http://drjtest.com/arts I have your requested changes made. You may need to refresh each page to see thechanges. Again, just Howell County and Music links are active.

In answer to your other questions:

1. re: images changes, yes, they can be changed easily to be more relative to the content of the website. And ifyou already have images I can use, please email them to me.

2. Re: the background and color scheme, after viewing about 25 different relative websites, I chose this schemebecause of its fresh style. From an outside point of view, when I think of cultural resources, it's very difficult tocapture every culture in one design, so something like this design is very universal. It's clean, crisp, and most ofall simplistic.The websites I viewed were, for the most part, very cluttered with heavy graphics and thus made viewingunpleasant.

Because of the MANY pages you will have on this site, (from a designer's point of view), you need to stick with asimple design that is eye catching, and professional looking. Many designers make the mistake of trying to puttoo much on the front page, and therefore lose a lot of traffic.

Your two focus points for your website need to be the Navigational Structure ... again, simplistic; and the searchfeature. Both of these will be the "click" that takes people to what they are looking for.

I can change the scheme around some, but in my opinion, I really think this design will set you all out above the-<>. rest... at least the ones I've viewed.

3. Re: the check, I can understand the payment process. It was that way with the City of West Plains website as

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RE: website updates Page 2 of2

well. So if any expedition of the process can be made, it would be greatly appreciated. From a small businessowner's perspective, budgeting is one of my greatest challenges. That's why I write my contracts the way I do soas to have a good idea of when payments will be rolling in.So I really need to receive a check for this first part no later than this coming Wednesday please. Sooner wouldbe better. Thanks for understanding.

David


From: Meacham, Matthew W [mailto:[email protected]]Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 11:54 PMTo: David JohnstonCc: Morrissey, Kathleen F; [email protected]: RE: website check

Hi, David. Many thanks for your messages, and thank you very much for all of your excellent work onthe cultural resources website so far (http://dtjtest.com/arts/). You've obviously put a lot of thought andeffort into it, and we really appreciate it. I've attached a list of suggested revisions (and am copying thismessage to both Kathleen and Marideth in case they have any other suggestions).



Matt

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Brief follow-up Page 1 of3

Brief follow-upMeacham, Matthew W

~ Sent: Friday, July 02, 2010 10:06 AM


Just one other thing: I just noticed that "Cultural" is misspelled as "Culteral," not on the home page itselfbut on the outer frame or label (or whatever that's called -- please pardon my ignorance), so if you couldchange that, also, I'd really appreciate it. And, again, I'll do my best to expedite the payment process foryou.

Thanks,Matt

From: Meacham, Matthew WSent: Friday, July 02, 2010 10:04 AMTo: David JohnstonSubject: RE: website updates

Thanks, David. This all sounds good. The revisions look good, as well; thanks for doing them. Onlyone suggestion: if you could move "regional (multiple counties)" to the bottom of the "counties" drop-downmenu and move "miscellaneous" to the bottom of the "genres" drop-down menu, that would be great. Icompletely understand your need to receive payment as quickly as possible. I'll let Kathleen know that all ofthe changes that you've made are fine with me and will encourage her to request payment for you as earlynext week as possible.-'-....,

Thanks again,Matt

From: David Johnston [[email protected]]Sent: Thursday, July 01, 2010 1:25 PMTo: Meacham, Matthew WCc: Morrissey, Kathleen F; [email protected]: RE: website updates

Good afternoon Matt,

http://dritest.com/arts I have your requested changes made. You may need to refresh each page to see thechanges. Again, just Howell County and Music links are active.

In answer to your other questions:

1. re: images changes, yes, they can be changed easily to be more relative to the content of the website. And ifyou already have images I can use, please email them to me.

2. Re: the background and color scheme, after viewing about 25 different relative websites, I chose this schemebecause of its fresh style. From an outside point of view, when I think of cultural resources, it's very difficult tocapture every culture in one design, so something like this design is very universal. It's clean, crisp, and most ofall simplistic.The websites I viewed were, for the most part, very cluttered with heavy graphics and thus made viewing

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Brief follow-up Page 2 of3

unpleasant.

Because of the MANY pages you will have on this site, (from a designer's point of view), you need to stick with asimple design that is eye catching, and professional looking. Many designers make the mistake of trying to puttoo much on the front page, and therefore lose a lot of traffic.

'~

Your two focus points for your website need to be the Navigational Structure ... again, simplistic; and the searchfeature. Both of these will be the "click" that takes people to what they are looking for.

I can change the scheme around some, but in my opinion, I really think this design will set you all out above therest... at least the ones I've viewed.

3. Re: the check, I can understand the payment process. It was that way with the City of West Plains website aswell. So if any expedition of the process can be made, it would be greatly appreciated. From a small businessowner's perspective, budgeting is one of my greatest challenges. That's why I write my contracts the way I do soas to have a good idea of when payments will be rolling in.So I really need to receive a check for this first part no later than this coming Wednesday please. Sooner wouldbe better. Thanks for understanding.

David

Contact DR) Designs for Professional and Affordable Website Solutions(417) 274-2918 www.drjdesiqns.net

From: Meacham, Matthew W [mailto:[email protected]]Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 11:54 PMTo: David JohnstonCc: Morrissey, Kathleen F; [email protected]: RE: website check

Hi, David. Many thanks for your messages, and thank you very much for all of your excellent work onthe cultural resources website so far (http://drjtest.comlarts/). You've obviously put a lot of thought andeffort into it, and we really appreciate it. I've attached a list of suggested revisions (and am copying thismessage to both Kathleen and Marideth in case they have any other suggestions).



https:/ ibearmail.missouristate.eduJowal?ae=Item&t=IPM.Note&id=RgAAAAAseng08cHI... 8/16/2010

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ARRA-FY'09

1. Feasibility Study completed and presented to the National Heritage AreaBoard for review. (Feasibility Study completed) (September, 2010.)

Page 758

!lV. :;VVJ r • LI J

C(}n~No. PG2810015

CONTRACT:PROGRAM MODIFICATION

No.2

community Services Block ·Gtant·(CSBG) Contract

American Recovery and Remvestment (Recovery Aa)

The subject contract entered into on April 10; 2009, between the FAMILY SUPPORT DMSI0N and OZARKACTlON) INe. is hereby modified as follows:

This modificatiol'ichaag~ the following:

1. The CommunityEmpowerment Collabotatm.npr.ojecf is chan,gintOzark County to Wright County.

2 The Central Ozatks QiMisSQuri Development Project is changfug Benchmark No. 3 as [0110'\0\15:

"Feasibility Study Workgroup will assist in working with U.S. Parks Service and gontractingwithettitside consultants to complete the timeline for the completed Feasibility Study by June 30, 20 IO.(Study begun.) (Benchmark 3) (January, 2010 and ongoing;)

3. The OAlLow-Income Fresh Food Access Projectisde1eting Ozark County in the amount of $15,000and is being transferred to the PD mix. The agency is re~ to re-eam the units for the entire $15,000but will only be paid $11,250 since they were already paid $3,750.

There is no change to the total contract amount.

This amendment shall beeffectiveon September 1,2010. AIi·qther terms and conditions of the contract, or anyamendments thereto, shall remain unchanged. In witness thereof, the Division and the Provider hereby executethis amendment.

Date

Page 759

Carolin

Highlight


ARRA- FY '09

m. Strategic Marketing Campaign completed; content generated and distributed tomultiple outlets. (Marketing campaign completed and results compiled.)(September, 2010.)

--,

Page 760

NOTE: These are Matt Meacham's notes for a presentationentitled "Migration from the Missouri Ozarks to the GatewayCity and Its Impact upon American Roots Music," which hepresented during the 2010 Missouri State University-WestPlains Ozarks Studies Symposium on September 25. Matt'sresearch on this subject is ongoing, and he hopes to make itthe basis of articles to be submitted to both an online blogabout rural American culture and an academic journal withinthe near future.

--- A recurring theme in narratives about American vernacularmusic is the impact that economically motivated migration fromrural places to more populated places has had upon music.

--- The history of American roots music over the past century isfull of stories in which people from rural America - often the ruralSouth - move to cities either within or beyond the region to findwork. And, in the process, they go from settings that have rich <:>

musical traditions and lively local musical networks but limitedopportunities to benefit commercially from music to settings inwhich they're able to reach much larger audiences with their musicthrough radio, recordings, performances in larger venues, etc.

--- So, economically motivated migration from the country to thecity has played a significant role in developing commercial, media-.transmitted musics from vernacular, aurally transmitted musics -or, in more recent decades, moving musicians from lower to.higher market levels.

--- We might think of iconic blues musicians like Muddy Waters,Howlin' Wolf, and John Lee Hooker, whose recording careerstook off when they moved from rural Mississippi to places such as

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Chicago and Detroit as participants in the Great African-AmericanMigration in 1940s and '50s.

--- We might think of Bill Monroe and his brothers, who left theirhome in west-central Kentucky in the late '20s to find work in theindustrial Indiana suburbs of Chicago, where they gained access toradio programs aimed at both rural Midwesterners and fellowmigrants from the rural South.

--- Musicians such as Merle Haggard and Buck Owens also cometo mind; they moved from the Southern Plains and the Southwestto the Bakersfield, California, area, where dance halls and tavernsfrequented by other migrants from those regions provided outletsfor their music.

--- However, not all of these stories of rural-to-urban migrationand its musical impact involve moving such long distances fromhome. Some of the most influential early country musicians werepeople who had moved to textile mill towns in the Piedmont ofthe Carolinas either from the surrounding countryside or fromrelatively nearby locations in Appalachia. Charlie Poole and theDixon Brothers fit into that category. One of our own Ozarkshistorians, Patrick Huber of Missouri S & T in Rolla, recentlypublished a book about this called Linthead Stomp.

--- Similarly, several prominent bluegrass and country musicianscame from families who moved from eastern Kentucky or eastTennessee to industrial centers in southern and central Ohio suchas Dayton and Columbus to find work but often returned home tovisit and maintained family and community ties there. TheOsborne Brothers, Red Allen, and Frank Wakefield - all influential

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bluegrass musicians - fit that description, and so does countrymusician Dwight Yoakam.

--- So, in some instances, symbiotic musical relationshipsdeveloped between rural places in the Upland South and citieseither within or just beyond the Upland South.

--- A very similar narrative is that of traditional musicians from theOzarks of southeast and south-central Missouri who moved to theSt. Louis area and consequently influenced music-making thereand beyond. That story, however, hasn't been told nearly as oftenas the ones I've already mentioned. In fact, I don't think I've everencountered any scholarship or journalism on country or bluegrassmusic that has specifically identified a symbiotic musicalrelationship between the eastern Missouri Ozarks and St. Louis,but there really does seem to be one, and it's had a significantimpact on American roots music. (Certainly, the roles of both theMissouri Ozarks and greater St. Louis in the careers of particularmusicians have been discussed in print, but I don't recall everreading any discussions that identify a definite musical relationshipbetween the two places comparable to the relationship betweeneastern Kentucky and the industrial cities of downstate Ohio, forinstance.)

--- So, today I'd like to discuss various aspects of the musicalconnections between the eastern Missouri Ozarks and the St.Louis area, starting with several of the most prominent musicianswhose formations and careers were influenced by thoseconnections ...

--- John Hartford - familiar with him?

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--- Brief overview of Hartford's career - mention "Gentle on MyMind," "Aereo- Plain," "Down from the Mountain"

--- Grew up in STL, came from a middle- to upper-class family,father was a physician who taught medicine at Wash U, but hadfamily ties to rural mid-Missouri; parents liked traditional musicand dancing, so he was exposed to it early in life; one of hisformative experiences was hearing a recording of Flatt & Scruggson I<MOX radio in STL on a show hosted by Roy Queen, whomwe'll discuss more later on; he took up banjo and fiddle and startedseeking out traditional musicians in STL area, many of whomturned out to be people who'd moved there from the Ozarks ofsoutheast and south-central MO for employment

--- Discuss Hamilton Ironworks

--- Discuss "Goforth's Dusty Miller" and "Dusty Miller Hornpipeand Fugue in A Major for Strings, Brass, and 5-String Banjo" -play 'em

--- Some of the musicians from whom Hartford learned whilegrowing up in STL still visited their homes in the Ozarks regularlyand remained involved in music-making there, so Hartford wasdrawn into musical networks that extended into the Ozarks, andhe often traveled w/ those musicians to Crawford, Dent, andShannon counties to perform

--- Discuss Ozark Mountain Trio (w/Don Brown and NormanFord); play examples from http://www.johnhartford.orgl.

--- The Dillards

4

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--- Brief overview of career - beginnings in Salem; moved to L.A.in 1962, were almost immediately signed to Elektra, then AndyGriffith Show; influential in BG, then country-rock

--- What's their connection to the STL area? Parents met andbegan their married life in East STL before moving to DentCounty, where mother was from. Father, Homer "Pop" Dillardwas from Burns, Tennessee, northwest of Nashville. Mother wasoriginally from Dent County; her name was Lorene Solomon, wasa descendant of the Pettigrew family,who were early settlers in theNew Hope community just south of Salem (according to KenFiebelman). Interesting that parents were from two differentplaces wlin the Upland South and met in East STL. Brothersgrew up wi traditional music from both places.

--- Jay Farrar - familiar wIhim?

--- Overview of Farrar's career - Belleville,Uncle Tupelo, NoDepression, Son Volt, solo

--- Play one or two examples - maybe "Anodyne," "Steal theCrumbs," "No More Parades," "Feel Free," "Jukebox of Steel"

--- Family ties to Dent County - James "Pops" Farrar ("MemoryMusic: Songs and Stories from the Merchant Marine"); Farrarfamily - sisters married brothers - one branch gravitated towardSTL, the other Salem area

--- Several brothers active in music in STL area; Larry Farrar (andpossibly others in Salem area)

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Roy Queen - from Pilot Knob (Iron County); appeared onI<MOX as both a performer and an announcer/DJ; was active as amusician in the STL - Roy Queen and His Ozark Mountaineers;Roy Queen and the Brush Apes

--- Play segment from I<ETC "Living St. Louis"

Cedar Hill/Frank Ray

--- Play festival clip

--- Frank Ray - comments on California Bluegrass Associationwebsite ("Hooked on BG"):

"Wow, it takes a couple minutes for me to realize that beinghooked on bluegrass is something that might not be naturally inateand common to all mankind. If not to all mankind, I think that Imight have been genetically predestined to be hooked onBluegrass. I grew up in a home where dad and an uncle playedalmost exclusively Jimmie Rogers and Bill Monroe. Being from along line of Ozarkians, the radio was used to tune in the "GrandOle Opry" on saturday nights. Then in the later fifties and earlysixties the Dillards had a radio program on saturday morning called"Hickory Holler Time", out of Salem, Mo., not far from my hometown near Eminence, Mo .. During those years I played guitar andexperimented with other kinds of music depending upon what thepeople I was playing with were into. If I had to recall a specificmoment that hooked me for good, it would probably be thesaturday night that Benny Martin and Red Rector played at theRaymondville school house about 25 miles from home. Just thetwo of them, but man the music they made was enough to reel mein for good. I felt very fortunate, because not much more than a

6

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------------------------------------- ----,

good banjo throwaway from home were a pretty good number ofgood bluegrassers. The hills and hollers around that part of theOzarks was home to the Dillards, John Hartford, the greatbluegrass fiddler Gene Goforth whom John Hartford learnedmany tunes and would mention him frequently, Ken Seaman ofthe Patriots, the Bressler Brothers, Jim Orchard, and defmately oneof our all time greats from our area was Don Brown ( I own Don'sold Loar F-S mandolin now). I know there are no doubt more thatI will think of and later say, I should have mentioned this one orthat one. Due to the popularity of Bluegrass in that part of thecountry, the greats like Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, Ralph &Carter Stanley, Reno & Smiley,Jimmy Martin, and many otherswould visit fairly often to playa school house or even better wasan old show building in Eminence that Ken Seaman's dad Carl,converted into our own country music theatre. It was called "TheCurrent River Opry", and it still is somewhat active today though ithas moved into the VFW hall in Summersville, Mo. these days. Itwas The powerful mournful whale of Ralph Stanley, and the bluseyheartfelt music Bill Monroe was able to coax out of his mandolinthat I heard from the front row in those days that set me on theirreversable course and caused me to be hopelessly hooked onbluegrass."

--- Some (not all, but some) of the specific local music venues,activities, traditions, etc. to which Frank Ray refers still exist, stillare active - can be viewed as cultural resources to be conserved,sustained, promoted

7

Page 767

Traditional artistic activity in the Ozarks of south-central and southeast Missouri reflects variousaspects of the region's historical geography, including its settlement patterns, residents' relationshipwith their natural environment, and the region's relative geographic isolation and its economicimplications.

The phase of the region's settlement history that has had the most prevalent influence upontraditional artistic activity here is the extension of the pattern of Anglo/Celtic-American migrationthat largely defined the Upland South into the Missouri Ozarks in the first half of the 19th century.Many of the region's vernacular artistic traditions belong decidedly to the Upland South. Theseinclude the tradition of string music that encompasses what is now described as "old-time" music, aswell as the more recent musical genres of bluegrass and traditions country music; the music ofEvangelical Protestant church traditions, including Southern gospel, country gospel, and thetraditions of white spirituals and folk hymnody that predate gospel music; square dance and jigdance traditions; a wide variety of material arts and crafts, ranging from furniture making to basketryto quilting; rural Upland Southern foodways; and verbal art and oral literature of various kinds.Other ethnic communities that have settled in this region throughout its history have also made theirmarks upon the artistic traditions already mentioned and contributed some of their own. Theseinclude the Cherokee, Osage, and other Native American communities, African-Americans, theFrench Colonial legacy, German-Americans, and a variety of more recent immigrant populations.

Many of the folk artistic traditions found here reflect residents' knowledge and use of the region'snatural resources. This region is known for its handmade turkey call traditions, as well as gardening(including heirloom seeds), independent farming, hunting, and preparation oflocally produced orobtained foods. Some of the region's artistic traditions that are closely linked to the natural worldserve to distinguish the culture of this region within that of the Upland South as a whole. Theseinclude the traditions of johnboat building, paddle making, fish gigging, and archery fishing thatdeveloped from residents' efforts to make the most of the region's streams and rivers, including theCurrent, the Jacks Fork, the Eleven Point, and the North Fork of the White.

In many instances, skills and activities that we now describe as traditional arts developed not forartistic reasons but for entirely practical ones: quilting, gardening, hunting, training of mules andhorses, boat building, blacksmithing - the list could go on. They have been conserved and sustainedhere to a greater extent than in many other regions of the country for various reasons, one of theforemost being the region's relative geographic isolation throughout much of its history. Thiscomparative isolation limited the degree to which external influences could make an impact uponthe culture of this region, and it also limited the quantities and kinds of goods and services availablehere, rendering many traditional crafts practical necessities here even after they had been replaced byother technologies and methods in many other places. Though the economy here has become muchmore diversified since the mid-20th century, many such components of the region's folklife are stillconserved and valued because of their cultural significance, and aesthetics have overtakenfunctionality as the primary motivation for ongoing activity within many of these traditions (thoughmany of their practitioners will hasten to point out the functional worth of their products andpractical advantages that they offer over mass-produced, commodified alternatives).

Page 768

Material for arts council newsletter Page 1 of 1

Material for arts council newsletterMeacham, Matthew WSent: Saturday, April 10, 20103:44 AM

To: Marideth G Sisco [[email protected]]

Attachments: OZARKS HERITAGE PROJECT - N1.doc (34 KB) ; Brief discussion of At the=Ldoc (23 KB)

Hi, Marideth. Many thanks for agreeing to visit with my folklore class on the 28th -- very muchappreciated.

I've attached our brief summary/prospectus-type thing about the Ozarks Heritage Project. Please use allor any part of it, whether verbatim or paraphrased, in the arts council newsletter as you see fit. I've alsoattached a brief report on our participation in the "At the Crossroads" conference. (It's rather vague andnot very exciting, but it's the best I could do this late/early.)

Please let me know if you have any questions or need anything else. I'll be gone on a field trip with thefolklore students most of the day, but I'll be back by early evening, and you can get me on my cell phone inany case -- 372-3177.

Thanks!

Matt

https:/lbearmail.missouristate.edulowa/?ae= Item&t=IPM.Note&id=RgAAAAAseng08cHl... 8116/2010

Page 769

SPRING 2010

WPCA announces formationof Ozarks Heritage Project.See details below.

Call for Proposals for FourthOzarks Studies SymposiumSubmissions deadlineJune 4Symposium, Sept. 23·25Page 2

Kelli Albin puts her gorgeous"Destinations" photos on viewMay 8 -16 at Gal/ery at theCenter.

Community Band ConcertApril 26 at Civic CenterTheater.

Page 4

THE OZARKS HERITAGE PROJECT: A BRIEF INTRODUCTION

WPCA NEWSLETTER

for linking cultural conservation with economicopportunity in our region. One option beingconsidered is the attainment of a National HeritageArea designation incorporating the counties in ourproject area. This feasibility study will represent a

. major step forward in a process started more thanfive years ago by WPCA with funding from theNational Endowment for the Arts. A second goal isthe development of a website that will serve as acomprehensive source of information about artisticactivity, cultural resources, and cultural tourismopportunities within our region. There are, of course,many online sources of information about thesesubjects, but there is no single website that presentsthis knowledge in a systematic, integrated way;consequently, our cultural region's "Web presence" isfragmented. We hope to remedy this situation bycreating a website that will give potential visitors(and potential purchasers of cultural productsfrom this region) a more comprehensiveunderstanding of what the region has to offer. Indoing so, we will look to the websites of existingNational Heritage Areas, cultural trails, andregional tourism programs as potential models.The third goal is to develop and beginimplementing strategies for marketing the workof regional traditional artists and promoting theregion as a potential destination for culturaltourists, and culturally engaged prospectiveretirees, especially those of the "Baby Boom"generation.

The Ozarks Heritage Project, begun in December2009, is a collaboration between the West PlainsCouncil on the Arts (WPCA), Ozark Action, Inc.(OAI), a community action agency (both WPCA and

AI are 501 (c)3 entities) and Missouri Stateiiversity - West Plains. This venture unites

.JPCA's long-term commitment to the sustainabilityof regional folk culture with OAI's objectives offostering economic opportunity, environmentalsustainability, and improving the quality of life withinour region. The university strives to further amutually beneficial relationship between the world ofhigher education and the cultural region it serves.The Ozarks Heritage Project includes Ripley,Oregon, Carter, Shannon, Dent, Texas, Howell,Wright, Douglas, and Ozark counties.The Ozarks Heritage Project is made possible byfunding from the federal American Recovery andReinvestment Act (ARRA) funds received fromthe U.S. Department of Health and Human Services(HHS) provided by the Missouri Department ofSocial Services, Family Support Division. The fundsreceived from the Family Support Division are allfederally funded. Additionally, WPCA has receivedARRA funding with an "Arts Transform Missouri"grant from the Missouri Arts Council, funded by theNational Endowment for the Arts. Missouri StateUniversity-West Plains is collaborating by providingaccess to university personnel to fill key positions.The Ozarks Heritage Project's plan calls foraccomplishing three specific goals over the course of"""~funding period: the initiation of a feasibility study

Page 770

SPRING 2010

""inter's Bone moviescreening at Glass SwordBased on the novel by W.P. authorDaniel Woodrell, the award-winning'Winter's Bone" will be screened at5 and 7 p.m. May 13 at the GlassSword Cinema on Jan HoweardExpressway in West Plains.The movie features many local andregional performers, includingDennis Crider and Marideth Sisco.Proceeds from ticket sales will go toWPCA. The 7 p.m. showing is $10,with music before and a O&Asession with Director Debra Granikand cast members following. Therewill also be a panel discussionafterward on methamphetamineeffects on Ozarks culture

WPCA gives Conference°resentation on Ozarksr/eritage Project

March 25 and 26, WPCAPresident Kathleen Morrissey andfolklorist Matt Meacham discussedthe Ozarks Heritage Project at"At the Crossroads: A CommunityArts and Development Convening,"hosted by the St. Louis RegionalArts Commission and CommunityArts Training Institute. Theconference featured presentations,group discussions, lectures, andworkshops addressing a widevariety of topics and issuespertaining to the facilitation andpublic presentation of arts withincommunities. Representatives ofmany non-profit and public-sectorarts organizations from Missouri toNigeria discussed projects,programs, and initiatives in whichthey are involved that are aimed atfostering public engagement withthe arts and linking artistic activitywith community service, public life,ind economic development.

Call for Proposals\\

The fourth annual Missouri State University-West PlainsOzarks Studies Symposium,

September 23-25, 2010

Theme: "Telling Stories"Deadline for submission: June 4, 2010

Please see the symposium website,http://ozarksymposium.wp.missouristate.edu,

for updates.

The Ozarks Studies Committee of Missouri State University-West Plainsseeks proposals for contributions to its fourth annual symposium. Thesymposium will take place September 23-25, 2010, in West Plains, Missouri.

The theme will be ''Telling Stories." Scholars, professionals, andstudents representing any discipline or field are invited to proposepresentations consistent with this theme. For purposes of this symposium,''the Ozarks" is defined broadly to encompass much of Missouri andArkansas and adjacent portions of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Illinois.

The theme for the 2010 symposium is intended to accommodateconsideration of a wide variety of topics and themes. Prospectivepresenters are encouraged to interpret the theme with considerable latitudeand creativity; in this context, the word "telling" could be interpreted as eithera verb or an adjective. Presentations that relate or discuss stories - fiction,non-fiction, or syntheses of both - about any and all aspects of life in theOzarks would be appropriate, as would presentations examining anydimension of the roles of narrative and rhetoric within the culture(s) of theregion. The committee hopes that this theme will lend itself to presentationsin numerous disciplines and fields, including literature, history, economics,anthropology, sociology, folklore, religion, visual and material arts, music,and physical and biological sciences.Each presenter will be allotted 30 minutes; presenters will be asked to limittheir prepared presentations to approximately 20 to 25 minutes to allow timefor questions and discussion. Presentations may take the form ofconventional conference papers or any other form suitable for such asymposium. Proposals should be approximately 250 to 300 words in lengthand should include a preliminary summary of the content of the proposedpresentation and any audio-visual or other technological requirements.They should also include the submitter's name, institutional affiliation (ifapplicable), and complete contact information.Proposals should be sent to:Leigh Adams, Assistant Professor of English, 128 Garfield Avenue, WestPlains, MO 65775, or [email protected]. Proposals must bereceived by June 4, 2010 to be given full consideration.

WPCA NEWSLETTER 2

Page 771

SPRING 2010

.~:elli Albin photos to be featured in Gallery at the Center exhibit

"Destinations" -- photographs by Kelti Albin will be on exhibit at TheGallery at the Center, on the mezzanine of the West Plains Civic

Center, from May 8 through May 16, 2010. A Meet-the Artist receptionwill be held on Saturday, May 8 at 10 am on the mezzanine. The

exhibition is co-sponsored by the West Plains Council on the Arts and theWest Plains Civic Center, and is made possible with funding from the

Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.In her artist's statement Kelti says, "Photography and travel are my

passions, so I have combined them to create this photo exhibit,Destinations.

"When I went to Italy with the Plains Singers several years ago, theancient buildings fascinated me. I loved the texture and color of them.Because extended families lived together and there was no room to buildout, they always built up. Each floor was a home to a different generationof the family. I loved to see the windows open with the curtains waftingout with the breeze. I liked to imagine what it must be like to live in thatroom just inside the window.

"In Destin, Florida as a sponsor for the Dora School senior trip, I wouldgo out every morning at sunrise to take photos ... walking along the beachwaiting for the sun to tip above the hotel rooftop. We sailed on aCatamaran, and I was mesmerized by the stark white of the sales againstthe brilliant blue of the sky, the shadows playing along the sail as the sunshone through."In New Mexico, hiking down canyons and up mesas, texture compelled

me. All around was the texture of the rock, whether it was the outcroppingof mesas, boulders nearby, or the scrubby grass with a tiny desert flower

clutched within."A West Plains native, Kelli Albin gradated

from West Plains High School in 1984. Shemajored in Commercial Art at Oral RobertsUniversity and graduated in 1987. She earnedteaching certificates in Art and Special Readingfrom MSU-West Plains, and has received herMasters Degree in Elementary Education. Albinhas taught at West Plains Elementary and HowellValley School, and is currently teaching K-12 atDora schools, in addition to teaching eveningclasses at MSU-West Plains.

The exhibit will be open during regular civiccenter hours - 8AM to 8PM Monday throughFriday, IPM to 5PM Saturday and Sunday.

In Memorium:

IMemorial Contributions have been made tothe WPCA in memory of Coralee Fukasawa

I by: Dorothy P. Oehrle, Marjorie S. Dougan, i'I! Marquitta S. Miller. Matthew M.eacham and I

Kathleen Morrissey,

Photographs by Kelli Albin

WPCA NEWSLETTER 3

Page 772

SPRING 2010

w. P. Community Band annual spring concert April 26/

The annual spring concert of the West Plains Community Band will be 7 p.m. Monday, April 26, at the West Plains CivicCenter theater.

The concert, hosted by the Missouri State University-West Plains University/Community Programs (U/CP) Department,will feature a variety of traditional concert band music, organizers said. Admission is free.

Musical selections will include "Lassus Trombone" by Henry Fillmore, a wonderful scored ragtime march written in theearly 1900s that features the trombone section; the "Third Suite" by composer RobertJager, a very challenging selection thatfeatures the entire ensemble; and the Civil War era march "Washington Grays March" by Claudio Grafulla that was written inthe late l800s. In addition, the band will feature the piece "Ghost Fleet" by Robert Sheldon as a tribute to therecommissioning of the USS Missouri currently anchored in Hawaii, organizers said.

"This is a concert you will not want to miss," said U/CP Theatre and Events Coordinator Kathleen Morrissey. Founded in2006, the West Plains Community Band provides the citizens of West Plains and surrounding communities an opportunity forinstrumental musical performances after high schooL The ensemble's focus is the rehearsal and performance of concert bandliterature. The band also seeks to advance local school band programs through student involvement and performances. "Ourgoal is to revitalize the love for music and interest in playing an instrument," said the band's directors, Rocky Long and AllysonByrd.

The West Plains Community Band meets once a week from September to May. Rehearsals are 6 to 7: 15 p.m. every Mondayin the West Plains High School band room off Olden Street. The band receives support from the West Plains Council on theArts. For more information about the band, call 417-256-6150, ext. 4315, or visit www.zizzers.org/band.

For more information about the band's April 27 performance, contact the University/Community Programs office at417-255-7966.

rVPCA receiuesfundingfrom the Missoui: ArlsCouncil. a stale agclll)!

PresortNON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE PAID

West Plains, MOPermit No. 9

~VrCA NEWSLETTERPo. Box 339

TH~stPlains, }\10 65775

A MissouriW Arts Coundl

4

Page 773

The Antique Tractor Show.com and The Ozark Heritage Welcome Center; incooperation with The City of West Plains, MO & The Heart of the Ozarks Fair Board invite you to ...

BRING TRACTORS, SEE TRACTORS!

BE A P RT OF HISTORY!Celebrate Antique Tractor Preservation Day - Sept. 23, 2010

As designated by Jeremiah W. (Jay) Nixon, Governor of the State of Missouri

ADMIT The Ozark HeritageWeicome Center2999 Porter Wagoner Blvd., West Plains, MO 65775Thurs., Sept. 23 -10:00a to 7:00p

Proclamation Presentation at 1:OOp

EVERYONE

",0 ADMISSION FEE•••FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILYISrljoythe~~~i,.stQ,qYc()~AutLJmn with Entertainment, Refreshments,.~'"",',,"<"-": ;"Yl~¥S;Face Painting and Mor~k " ,

J?'Special Thanks To:mter 11II The City of West Plains, MO g The Heartofthe OzarksFalr Board

: ::;: ' Supporting Area Businesses:~onhe Ozarks Ferguson Enthusiasts

M?uhtain Home,AR of North America (FENA)Ozarks Older Iron CILib

Branch 28 EDGE & TA; Cabool, MO

~tHeDay•••Stay for the Weekend!O;l!tHometown Hospitality and Abundant Activities!

For lodging & TourismInformation, Visit:

The Ozark Heritage Welcome Center

Attendees agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless The Antique Tractor snow.corn, The Ozark Heritage Welcome Center, The City of West Plains, MO, its affiliates, sponsors, trustees,officers, agents, and employees from and against any and all claims, suits, or causes of action of Vv'hatsoever nature and kind arising out of or resulting from: personal injury, illness; loss ofproperty; or losses or damages that occur during Antique Tractor Preservation Day event actlvhles. Attendees authorize The Antique Tractor Show.com, The Ozark Heriiage Welcome Center, TheCity of West Plains, MO to photograph and use [still and vide01 images, ineJudingwritten and oral reflections, for promotional purposes [print and elecfronlcl and future tourism and event materials,

Page 774

WEST PLAINS, Mo. - "Telling Stories" is the theme of the fourth annual Ozar s Studies

Symposium set for Sept. 23-26 at the West Plains Civic Center.

The event will celebrate and examine the distinctive culture of the Ozarks. It will fncompass

presentations and performances by representatives of the academic world and the public and private

sectors addressing various aspects of life in the Ozarks, It is being sponsored by rhe IMissouri State

University-West Plains academic affairs office and the West Plains Council on the Js. The event is

made possible with generous funding from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agencyJ the Missouri

Humanities Council; and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Admission j free and open

to all.

Lei~h Ad~s, a~sistant professor of English at Missouri State-~e~t Plains and 0,n9 of the eve~t ,

orgaruzers, said this year's theme was chosen for several reasons. First, we knew ]Orey Stones,

the Smithsonian/Museum on Main Street exhibit, would be here at the Harlin Museum during this

year's symposium, and we wanted to support that because it connects with what we r to do with

the symposium," she explained. "But we also chose the theme because it also could be interpreted

as 'stories that tell' - stories the reveal who we are and what we are as a culture. The lariety of

presentations scheduled reveals this was a good theme for this year's event."

The symposium will begin with an opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, lept. 23, at the

Harlin Museum, 505 Worcester St. Sponsored by the West Plains Council on the Arls, the reception

will give those attending the opportunity to view the "Journey Stories" exhibit. A j1 session will

take place at the museum beginning at 7. The jam session will emphasize old-time, bJuegrass, and

traditional country music, but musicians of any stylistic orientation and any level of technical ability

will be welcome to participate.

The keynote address will be given at 3:50 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24, by Bonnie Stepeno f, professor of

history at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. Her presentation is entitled

"History and Story: Big Spring Autumn." Stepenoff believes that the elements of a good story are

the same in history and in fiction, although historical accounts have to be factually true. She will

discuss how, in writing history, authors often discover truths about themselves, as she did while

writing about Depression Era workers at Big Spring in the eastern Missouri Ozarks. Stepenoff is a...

specialist in American social history, women's history and labor history, and is the author of five

books, including Big Spring Autumn: A Journal (Truman State University Press, 2008).

Several other scheduled presentations may be of particular interest to area residents, Adams said.

They include the following:

Page 775

• "How Forrestina Campbell Became White River Red" by Susan Young, outreach coordinator at

Shiloh Museum of Ozark History in Springdale, Ark., from 10:25 to 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 24.

Forrestina Campbell was born in Louisiana in 1891, grew up in Hannibal, Mo., and spent most of

her adult life in northwest Arkansas, where she died in 1973. But who she was depended on who

was telling her story, according to Young. Campbell was known as a generous woman with

mysterious wealth who took a special interest in stray animals and forgotten people, as well as the

carnival worker White River Red who cussed a blue streak, dressed like a man and carried a .45

caliber pistol on her hip. The presentation will explore both the folklore and the facts of her story.

• "Stories Through Pictutes: Showing Religious Communities' Commonalities Through

Photographs" by Mara W. Cohen Ioannides, an instructor in the English Department at Missouri

State University-Springfield, from 12:20 to 12:55 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24. The presentation will

examine the impact of the Seeing Traditions photography exhibition, which was displayed in the Meyer

Library on the Springfield campus for three months, on its viewers. The exhibit, part of the Telling

Traditions Proiect funded in part by the Missouri Arts Council Folk Arts Program, is designed to

document the legacy and preserve the living traditions of the Ozarks' Jews. The presentation

examines the most commented-on images in the exhibition, seen with a PowerPoint presentation;

~', what was said about them; and what exhibition visitors learned about Jews in the Ozarks and

themselves. Adams pointed out a companion exhibit can be seen on the civic center mezzanine

from Sept. 20 through Oct. 3.

• A panel discussion entitled "A Century of Change in South-Central Missouri Agriculture" from

2 to 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24. It will focus on major transformations in agriculture in this region in

the past 100 years and their social and economic effects.

• "The Amazing Story of the 1912 Ozark Dawg Song War, with an Account Ranging from Local

Skirmishes to Global Conflict" by Dr. Sue Attalla, associate professor of English/ developmental

studies at Tulsa Community College, Tulsa, Okla., from 9 to 9:35 a.m, Saturday, Sept. 25. The

presentation will take a look at the 1912 hit song "They Gotta Quit Kickin' My Dawg Aroun'," a

silly ditty recounting the tale of a "hillbilly" and his houn' dawg abused by "townies," that sparked a

statewide, national and international debate over its true origins.

• "Legends of Our Hillbilly Selves: Outlaw Mistique in Daniel Woodrell's Give Us a Kiss by Dr.

Craig Albin, professor of English at Missouri State-West Plains, from 9:35 to 10:10 a.m. Saturday,

Sept. 25. In this examination ofWoodrell's 1996 "country noir" novel, Albin will examine the way

the book's narrator, Doyle Redmond, negotiates between his public self as a writer and his private

Page 776

self as a member of a clan of Ozarks outlaws. The presentation also will examine how Redmond's

narrative reveals the power and influence of storytelling in outlaw psychology and focus on the way

certain family stories, or their interpretation, lead to Redmond's deterministic sense of fate and his

willingness to become that fate.

• "Not So Plain Pictures" by Jan Roddy, associate professor in the Department of Cinema and

Photography at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, from 3:30 to 4:05 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25.

Combining short poetic prose pieces and visual images, Roddy will show several short digital

cinema/video pieces to weave a sense of people and place relative to the Ozark region. The title

derives from a saying of Roddy'S aunts that a particular photograph was "a plain picture," meaning

one could clearly see the people and place in the image.

Additional presentations include the following:

"Justice Justin Ruark and the Ozark Image in Law" by Dr. Michael Dougan, Professor Emeritus

of History, Arkansas State University in Jonesboro (Friday, 9:10 AM); "Sharing a Glass: Moonshine

and Community in the Ouachita Mountains" by J. Brett Adams, Professor of History, Collin

College-Preston Ridge Campus (Friday, 9:50 AM); "Beyond Tourist Poetry: Learning How to Live,

Write, and Teach in the Missouri Ozarks" by Dr. Jane Hoogestraat, Professor of English, Missouri

State University in Springfield (Friday, 11:10 AM); "A Reading from Roc~ Comfort'by Wayne

Holmes, author and Professor Emeritus of English, Drury University (Friday, 11:45 AM); "Buried

Histories: Telling Tales from the Grave" by Dawn Stricklin, doctoral student in anthropology,

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (Friday, 3:00 PM);

"Migration from the Missouri Ozarks to the Gateway City and Its Impact upon American Roots

Music" by Matt Meacham, folklorist, West Plains Council on the Arts and Ozark Action, Inc.

(Saturday, 10:10 AM); "Ballad Genres in the Ozarks" by Julie Henigan, folklorist and cultural

scholar, Springfield, MO (Saturday, 11:00 AM); "Deconstructing Evangelicalism: The Postmodern

Turn, the Emerging Church, and the Ozarks" by Matthew Gallion, student in religious studies,

Missouri State University in Springfield (Saturday, 11:35 AM); a panel discussion entitled "The

Storyteller's Craft and the Regional Historian's Craft" (Saturday, 1:45 PM); ''Winter/Spring

Precipitation in Northern Arkansas and the Risk of Decreasing Reptilian biodiversity by Rapid

Reservoir Inundation: A Classic Story of the Eastern Collared Lizard, Crotaphytus collaris" by Stan

Trauth, Professor of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University in Jonesboro (Saturday, 2:55

Pl\1).

Three of this year's presenters, Albin, Roddy, and Hoogestraat, also have had pieces published in

Page 777

the university's literary journal Elder Mountain: A Journal ofOzarks Studies, Adams pointed out. The

symposium served as inspiration for the journal and helps to preserve some of the information

presented at the symposium each year, she explained.

Missouri State-West Plains published the first volume of the journal in spring 2009 and the

second volume this past summer. Copies of both will be available for purchase for $10 each at the

symposium, as well as at Drago College Store on the Missouri State-West Plains campus, she added.

The symposium will conclude with an "informance" (a performance with contextual commentary)

entitled "The Many Sides of Shape Notes" from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25. The presentation

will encompass various branches of and styles within the tradition of shape-note singing. "The

Many Sides of Shape-Notes" is funded by a generous grant awarded to the West Plains Council on

the Arts by the Missouri Folk Arts Program.

For more information about the symposium, including a full schedule of events, visit the website,

http://ozarksymposium.wp.missouristate.edu/' or search Facebook for "Ozarks Studies

Symposium."

Page 778

NOTE: The following are portions of the regionally focused exhibit that wecreated to complement the Smithsonian/Museum on Main Street Journey

Stories exhibit. These pages have been resized and reformatted somewhat.

Nineteenth-Century Migrationof Anglo-Americans

from the Upland South

Whenever an empty territory undergoes settlement or an earlierpopulation is dislodged Iry invaders, thespecific characteristics of thefirst group able to effed a viable, seff-perpetuating society, are of crucial

significancefor the later social and cultural geography of the area.

--- The Doctrine of First Effective Settlement,according to cultural geographer Wilbur Zelinsky

The "first group able to effect a viable, self-perpetuating society" that persists todayhere in the Missouri Ozarks consisted of Anglo-American migrants who arrived in theearly to middle decades of the 19th century. Their arrival here represented a continuationof the general pattern of migration that largely defined Upland Southern culture. Thatpattern of migration, beginning in the second half of the 18th century, extendedsouthwestward from southern Pennsylvania through the major valleys of Appalachia,incorporating people who migrated westward from points east within Maryland,Virginia, and the Carolinas. Over time, it continued along major river valleys, such asthose of the Ohio and the Tennessee, eventually reaching the Mississippi River. Itresulted in a blending of ethnicities, including Scots-Irish, Scottish, English, andGerman, and the development of what is now called Upland Southern culture.

Anglo-Americans, predominantly from Tennessee and Kentucky but also fromother parts of the Upland South, pressed westward into the Missouri Ozarks by variousroutes, many of them crossing the Mississippi near Cape Girardeau and proceeding tothe federal land office at Jackson. They were preceded by the Colonial French, as wellas by various Native American groups whom, in many cases, they repressed oruprooted. They were followed by migrants from other parts of the United States andpeople of various nationalities and ethnicities. Nonetheless, the "specific characteristics"of these settlers who followed the Upland Southern pattern of migration into theMissouri Ozarks in the early 1800s remain "of crucial significance for the later social andcultural geography of the area." Because of the cultural foundations that theyestablished, this region is very much a part of the Upland South.

Page 779

Nineteenth-Century Migration of Anglo-Americansfrom the Upland South, continued

," 0 Cor. or he.rth a,..,

o 20CL- ...--J

Mill::.

Dif' ..•slon ROl.4tesof Cwtural Patterns

irrC:Cf<0. h.,.,h ••• .,- SUlllh~lI\ culture OIre<J boundary

- ::IIJbrcglonal bour,d;:uy

--. !IoIlJllhcrll ImulUh:HY 01 meter HISP;UHC-

AmenC.1n SE!ItICm~nl

" [J',_ TOIIIS'ltonal arca

II

\\\

!

Southern Culture Reltons

Maps by Richard Pillsbury from The Enryclopedia of 5 outhem Culture,' ed. Charles Reagan Wilsonand William Ferris (Chapel HilL- University of North Carolina Press, 1989).

Anglo-American settlement proceeded westward from the Mississippi. Anglo-Americans occupied the fertile valleys within the St. Francois Mountains, extending

Page 780

to the eastern margins of the Courtois Hills, by 1810. Settlement also advancedsouthward from the Missouri River in the first two decades of the 19th century.Occupation of the Springfield Plain, to the west, by Anglo-Americans began soonthereafter. However, Anglo-American settlement did not reach the part of theMissouri Ozarks lying between the Courtois Hills and the Springfield Plain -our own region - until considerably later. Few settlers arrived in this interior regionof the Missouri Ozarks until the 1840s and '50s, and much of this area was still verysparsely populated when the Civil War began. Scholar Milton Rafferty attributes thedelayed settlement of this region to "isolation and poverty of resources." Theruggedness of the terrain made travel to and from the region difficult, and, incombination with often poor soil quality, hindered commercial agriculture. Becauseof the relative lack of commercial farming, slavery was comparatively rare in theinterior Missouri Ozarks, but it was not entirely absent; the West Plains area has longhad an African-American population.

Page 781

The beautiful but ruggedCourtoisHills) seen here in aphotographentitled 7acks Fork River from ChalkBluJt JJ tended to inhibit settlement inthe interior Missouri Ozarks.Photograph by Chuck Bloomingburgfor the National Park Service)from theOzark NationalS cenicRiverwayswebsite:http:// www.nps.govl ozarl photosmultimedial index.htm?eid 150365 &aid=297 &root_aid=297 &sort= title&start&w=37.

Perhaps paradoxically, the same factors that account for this area'sbeing the most recently settled part of Missouri Ozarks have contributedlargely to its being a place where folk culture has been conserved to aremarkable degree. Because of its "isolation and poverty of resources,"this region tended to attract Anglo-American settlers who preferred toresist the influences of established social and economic networks.Historian Robert Flanders has described the Current River watershed inparticular as a "perpetuated frontier," where "older ways are not meresurvivals but represent conscious choices maintained in a paradoxicalprocess of vigorous and intentional cultural conservatism." Because ofthat "intentional cultural conservatism," the Ozarks has been describedeven in recent decades as a "refugium" for people of all stripes who, forone reason or another, prefer not to conform to prevailing social trends.

Page 782

Migration of Other Europeansand Euro-Am.ericans to

the Missouri Ozarks, Part 1

The Anglo-American Upland Southerners discussed in the preceding panels were not thefirst white people to settle in the Missouri Ozarks. Preceding them were the ColonialFrench. French colonists migrated southwestward from their settlements on the GreatLakes and down the Mississippi River beginning in the late 17th century. In the early 18th

century; they began to establish settlements along the western bank of the Mississippi,including Ste. Genevieve. They continued westward into the Ozarks in pursuit of furs andthe mineral wealth to be found in present-day Washington, St. Francois, and Madisoncounties, founding several small mining settlements there. Transfer of French-heldterritory west of the Mississippi to Spanish governance in 1762 had little influence on theculture of the region's white population, which remained predominantly French. Cession ofFrench territory east of the Mississippi to the English in 1763, however, resulted in aninflux of French Colonial migrants from the Illinois Country into present-day Missouri.Land grants given by the Spanish to Anglo-Americans in the late 18th centuryforeshadowed the major migration of Anglo-American Upland Southerners into theregion that would soon occur. Not long after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Anglo-Americans significantly outnumbered the French in the Missouri Ozarks, and UplandSouthern culture began to eclipse French Colonial culture.

The Bolduc House, Ste. Genevieve, Missouri,jeaturing French Colonial vertical-log construction;photograph f::yRobert Mueller from the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Dozen Distinctive Destinations website:

http://www.preservationnation.org/travel-and-sites/sites/midwest-region/ste-genevieve-mo-2008.html

Page 783

Migration of Other Europeans and Euro-Americans to the Missouri Ozarks, Part 1,continued

-~. \

German-Americans have also contributed to the culture of the Missouri Ozarks. Someof the settlers who came to the region via Upland Southern patterns of migration in the early19th century were partly or largely of German ancestry. Many other people of Germanethnicity arrived as part of the mid-D=-century influx of German immigrants in mid-America. Many of these immigrants entered the United States at New Orleans and traveledup the Mississippi on steamboats, but some arrived in New York and traveled over land.Like the initial Anglo-American Upland Southern settlers, they gravitated to the northernand eastern sections of the Missouri Ozarks along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.A favorable report written in 1829 by Gottfried Duden, an early German settler in theMissouri River valley west of St. Louis, was widely read in Europe and attracted numerousGerman-speaking immigrants to the northern reaches of the Missouri Ozarks. In the late1830s, the German Settlement Society of Philadelphia acquired land on the south bank ofthe Missouri River in Gasconade County and founded Hermann with the intention ofestablishing a community where German culture could thrive and be conserved. Around thesame time, immigrants from Saxony (part of the German Confederation) who espoused aconservative variety of Lutheranism settled near the Mississippi River in eastern PerryCounty and were instrumental in establishing the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.Soon thereafter, many German-speaking people arrived in Benton County in the westernMissouri Ozarks, becoming particularly influential in the community of Cole Camp. Thepredominantly German-American community of Freistatt was founded southwest ofSpringfield in 1874, and other German-Americans soon arrived from other parts of theMidwest and Northeast and settled nearby. The population of German-Americans in theinterior Missouri Ozarks is proportionally smaller than those in the northern, eastern, andwestern parts of the region, but some German-Americans did settle here in Howell County.

Page 784

Migration of Other Europeans andEuro-Americans to the Missouri

Ozarks, Part 1, continued

Another noteworthy migration ofEuropean-bern Americans to this part ofthe Missouri Ozarks occurred in 1859.Father John Joseph Hogan, a Catholicpriest, established a farming communityconsisting of poor Irish immigrantsfrom the St. Louis area near the ElevenPoint River in Oregon County. TheseIrish Catholics - not to be confused withpeople of Scots- Irish ethnicity, of whomthere are many in this region - hadendured discrimination and struggledsocially and economically, often workingin low-paying, labor-intensive jobs. FatherHogan wished to help them establish aself-sustaining agrarian community asan alternative to the adverse conditions inwhich they were living. Unfortunately,just as the community began to succeed,the Civil War began, and the Irish familiesendured the effects of the often brutalguerrilla warfare that occurred aroundthem. By the end of the war, thecommunity had ceased to exist. Exactlywhat happened to its residents has never

Hermann) Missouri. Photograph fromthe Hermann Visitor Informationwebsite:http://www.hermannmo.com/.

Page 785

Migration of other Europeansand Euro-Americans to

the Missouri Ozarks, Part 2

After the Civil War, the construction of railroads and towns, as well as the growth ofthe mining and timber industries in some areas, drew people from other parts of theUnited States, especially the Midwest, to the Missouri Ozarks. Scholar Milton Raffertyexplains, ''By 1890 the lower Middle West had replaced the upper South as the leadingsource of immigrants to Missouri."

Immigrants from various parts of Europe also came to the region as railroads werebuilt from the 1860s through the early 20th century, peaking in the 1870s and '80s. Manywere recruited by railroad companies that wished to establish communities along their newlyconstructed lines or by land companies that specialized in locating European immigrants.Scholar Russel Gerlach writes, "First, the main line of the Frisco [St. Louis-Sari FranciscoRailroad] to the southwest from St. Louis was a major focus of colonization. Second, theSpringfield Plain north to and beyond the border between the Ozarks and the OsagePlain was a major area of railroad settlement. Finally, several settlements were situatedalong the Ozark escarpment in the southeastern part of the state."

_---.." The first major phase of railroad settlement encompassed Danish, Swedish, Austrian,French, Swiss, and Italian immigrants who settled along the main line of the Frisco inFranklin, Crawford, Phelps, and Pulaski counties. In the second phase, Germans, Swedes,French, Bohemians, Moravians, Swiss, and Polish established railroad-orientedcommunities in the area extending from the Springfield Plain to the Osage Plain insouthwest Missouri. The third stage of railroad settlement consisted of the founding ofseveral communities in Butler, Ripley, and Oregon counties by Germans, Hungarians,Yugoslavians, and Poles.

-~'~f-:iO -;:~' -:;:-~~~~= ~~~~~~~~~

Page 786

Ma'!)l European immigrantJwere drawn to the Missouri Ozarks fry the construction of railroads, and a number ofimmigrant communities were established along newlY built railroad lines. This map is entitled "Commissioners'

Official R£iilwcryMap of Missouri" and was published fry Higgins & Co. of St. Louis in 1888;from the Library ofCongress's American Memory website: http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?gmd·2:./ tempi ~ammem_xydY::

Mining of lead, iron ore, and other materials in the Mineral Area of southeast Missouri,the Tri-State Mining District of southwest Missouri, and other locations in the Ozarks wasanother impetus for settlement by European immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th

centuries. The community of Sligo in Dent County, for instance, was home to Irish peoplewho were involved in iron mining and smelting from the 1880s through the 1920s. In 1917,approximately 700 immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe who had recentlyarrived to St. Francois County to work in the lead mining industry were forcibly expelledfrom the town of Flat River by native-born miners and residents, who marched them to thelocal depot and compelled them to board outgoing trains. Resentment over the hiring ofimmigrants led what had begun as a minor scuffle over some wisecracks made by someimmigrant miners to escalate into what is now called the Flat River Riot.

Since the 1960s, the Missouri Ozarks has experienced a substantial influx of Mennonitesand Amish who have migrated here from various parts of North America, especially theMidwestern United States. Nearby Mennonite communities are located in or near BirchTree, Grandin, Summersville, and Mountain Grove. A substantial Amish community islocated near Seymour in Webster County.

Since the 1990s, a substantial number of immigrants from Russia, the Ukraine, andother former Soviet republics have settled near Pomona here in Howell County. At ,,~present, about 400 people constitute the predominantly Russian and Ukrainian communityin the Pomona area. Many migrated to this region from the Portland, Oregon, area or fromAlberta, Canada, but some have since come directly from former Soviet republics. "Theycame originally to North America for better opportunities for advancement and to find aplace where they could have freedom to practice their religious beliefs without any hindrancefrom any oppressive government," explains GilJordan, who conducted field research withmembers of this community as part of a folklore class at Missouri State University-WestPlains in 2010. Many of them are Evangelical Christians who practice seventh-day(Saturday) worship. They work in various occupations; many operate small farms and raiselivestock. They maintain distinctive foodways and vernacular architecture.

Page 787

Native American Journeys in the Missouri Ozarks, Part 1:Up to the Louisiana Purchase of 1803

Scholars believe that the people who are known as as Paleo-Indians or Paleoamaricansmigrated from Asia to North America by way of a land mass called Beringia, which is nowcovered by the Bering Strait but was then exposed because of low sea levels during the LateWisconsin Glacial Period, linking present-day Siberia with present-day Alaska. Paleo-Indiansare believed to have been present in the Ozarks by 12,000 B.C. Evidence suggests that theearliest groups here were concentrated in the Mississippi and Missouri river valleys. Theywere primarily hunters who used weapons made of native chert. They established campsand villages on hilltops and terraces near sources of water.

A new Native American cultural orientation known as the Dalton culture graduallyemerged in the Ozarks sometime around 8,500 B.C and remained predominant until about7,000 B.C Changes in climate resulted in a wider variety of natural resources, enablingNative people to expand their diets. It was during this period that the artifacts known asDalton points were developed. Made from chert, they were used as projectile points andwere also refashioned into various tools. The Dalton period in Native American historyeventually gave way to the Archaic period, in which foraging was the principal mode offood acquisition.

A 2 3/8" Dalton point found in Butler County, Missouri. Photographfrom the Missouri Folklore Society website:http:// missourifolkloresociety.truman. edu/ native.html.

Further significant cultural transformations occurred about 1,000 B.C., when tribalgroups in the Ozarks developed a kind of elementary, functional pottery made from clay,sand, crushed bone, or crushed limestone. The practice of building low mounds for burialof the dead developed around the same time. Additionally, Native people began to use thebow and arrow for hunting and also started to cultivate small gardens. They became lessnomadic and more agricultural, remaining in one place for longer periods of time. The timefrom approximately 1,000 B.C to approximately A.D. 900 is known as the WoodlandPeriod in Native American history.

Page 788

Around 900, major cultural changes ushered in what is now known as the MississippianPeriod, which continued until about 1700. In regions immediately east and southeast of theOzarks, Native Americans began to construct fortified villages with permanent houses.They built large mounds for various ceremonial and functional purposes and developedmore sophisticated pottery. Extensive trade networks developed over large geographicareas. These innovations had comparatively less impact in the Ozarks, however. FolkloristW.K. McNeil comments, "There are many possible explanations as to why the changeswrought during this era made little impression on Ozark Indians, including a paucity ofpeople and resources, difficulty of travel in the region, and a tenacious resistance to changeon the part of these Indians. Interestingly, these interpretations are still offered to this dayby many seeking to explain the special nature of the Ozarks."

Around the turn of the 18th century, the cultural predominance of Native Americans inthe Ozarks began to wane as European settlers arrived and became more numerous.Native Americans during this period tended to live in permanent villages, made carefullycrafted pottery, used horses for transportation, and traded with the French. Some traditionalNative arts and crafts fell into disuse as Native Americans began to acquire European goods.

Of the many tribal groups present in the Ozarks in the 18th and early 19th centuries, themost numerous were the Osage, Illinois, Caddos, and Quapaws. The Osage were thelargest and most influential; by 1800, they had claimed most of the Ozark Plateau. In 1808,the Osage ceded their claims to much of their land in the Ozarks to the United Statesgovernment. They continued to hunt throughout the region, nonetheless. The IllinoisIndians lived along the Mississippi River in the easternmost Ozarks. The Quapaws occupieda small area in the southeastern Ozarks. The Caddos hunted throughout the Ozarks ofArkansas and southwest Missouri.

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, members of several other tribes, including theKickapoo, the Shawnee, the Delaware, and the Cherokee, began to migrate into theOzarks from the east. They did so with encouragement from the Spanish, who believed thata Native population favorably disposed toward them (unlike the Osage) would help it tomaintain its control of the region.

1'.10HON GO - OSAGE WOMAN

"Mo-Hon-Go, Osage Woman, ca. 1834 "from the State Historical Society of Missouri's exhibit, 'Picturing Native Americansin the Nineteenth Century: Lithographs from McKennry and Hall's History of the Indian Tribes of North America. "

Image from the State Historical Society of Missouri website: http:/ / www.shsoftnissouri.org/ cgi/ store/0 122.htmL

Page 789

Native American Journeys in the Missouri Ozarks, Part 2:After the Louisiana Purchase of 1803

In the years immediately following the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, the Osage were themost prominent Native American tribe in the Ozarks, occupying land throughout the region.There were also several substantial concentrations of Shawnee and Delaware people insoutheast and southwest Missouri, and a number of other tribes were present in the region,as well. Some engaged in trade with whites (mostly French) or used cash allotted by thefederal government to purchase European goods, thus establishing economic ties betweenNative and white communities that were often disadvantageous to the Native people. TheOsage ceded their claims to much of their land in the Ozarks to the United Statesgovernment in 1808. They continued to hunt throughout the region, nonetheless. In 1819,the government granted Kickapoo people living in Indiana and Illinois land in southwestMissouri and a monetary stipend in exchange for their lands east of the Mississippi.

Though some Native Americans came to the Missouri Ozarks in the early 19th century bychoice, others were pressured or forced to migrate here from their homes in the easternUnited States. Scholar Milton Rafferty writes, "The story of the Indians' displacement fromtheir homelands in North America is a most tragic epic ... The Ozarks first became part ofthe western dumping grounds for tribes dispossessed in the East; then, as white settlersentered the region, they again dispossessed and crowded these Indian peoples into smaller

~', and smaller land reserves further west."

According to some oral traditions maintained today by people of Cherokee ethnicity herein the Missouri Ozarks, Cherokee people have been present in this region for more than tengenerations, and historians confirm that there were Cherokees living in the lead miningregion of southeast Missouri even prior to the Revolutionary War. A series of influxes ofCherokees from the southeastern United States into Arkansas began in 1785. Some came tothe region by choice, others because of pressure from the federal government to relocate.An estimated 6,000 Cherokee people were living in northeast Arkansas and southeastMissouri by the time of the Louisiana Purchase. After the New Madrid earthquake of 1811,many moved west and settled along the White River in Arkansas. Others lived in the easternMissouri Ozarks.

The Smithsonian/Museum on Main Street [osmey Stories exhibit tells the deeply troublingstory of the Trail of Tears, in which the federal government forced Cherokee people fromthe Southeast to move to Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma under harsh conditionsduring the winter of 1838-39. Many of the Cherokees had already perished by the time themigration reached Missouri. Joan Gilbert, author of The Trail oj Tears Across Missouri, writes,"From Willard Landing in Illinois the Cherokees could see the bluffs on the west side of theMississippi, now in the Trail of Tears State Park, but they could not reach the Missouri sidebecause of ice in the river. Many died within sight of the bluffs." As the map belowindicates, the Trail of Tears followed three different routes through southern Missouri.

Page 790

Chapter 5 of The Trail oj Tears Across Missouri (Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1996),which is available for reading here in the museum on the bookshelf nearby, describes theCherokees' arduous journeys through the Missouri Ozarks in detail.

Map indicating the routesfollowed ry the Trail of Tears through Missouri, modijiedfrom a map found on the Trail of TearsNational Historic Trail website:http://www.nps.gov/trte/plat!Jourvisit/index.htm.

The U.S. Census indicates that thousands of Missourians identify themselves as NativeAmericans today. Many people in our own region have strong anecdotal evidence indicatingthat they are descendants of Cherokee people who escaped from the Trail of Tears and livedsecretly in the Missouri Ozarks or of other Cherokees or members of other tribes whoresided here prior to the Trail of Tears. Neither the federal nor the state governmentofficially recognizes any Native American communities in Missouri. However, a number ofgroups of self-identified Native Americans have formed nonprofit corporations to advocatefor recognition of Native Americans and to provide a variety of social services. They includeWestern Cherokee Tribal Services in Salem, which hosts an annual Upper Current RiverPow Wow, and the Northern Cherokee Nation in the Old Louisiana Territory,headquartered in Columbia.

From the Northern Cherokee Nation of the Old Louisiana Territory website:http:/ / ncnolt.net/.

Page 791

Traveling by Road inthe Missouri Ozarks

The gift of inaccessible roads was stolenfrom us ry exorbitant taxation. It was better when the place

was hard to get to, we liked it that wqy.

--- From "Advice to the Newcomer," a poem by Jane Hoogestraat,published in Elder Mountain: A Journal ofOzarks Studies,

Volume 1 (Fall 2009)

The earliest routes of overland travel in the Missouri Ozarks were trails followed byNative Americans in hunting, warfare, and trading. Donald Holliday, writing inOzarksWatch Maga=<jne in 1993, remarks, "'All Roadbeds in Southern Missouri Surveyed byOsage Indians' ... Well, maybe the headline is not entirely accurate, but the extent of its truthamazes ... [The Osages'] migrations left clearly defined most of the main trails in southernMissouri and central north Arkansas. And because they would rather travel a few milesfarther to use a beaten path, they made fewer trails, but trails which marked the best terrainfor travel- and much later for highway and railroad construction."

French Colonial settlers cut roads from Ste. Genevieve on the Mississippi River tothe lead mines in present-day Washington, St. Francois, and Madison counties. In thelate 18th century, the Spanish government constructed the King's Highway, whichparalleled the Mississippi from St. Louis to New Madrid by way of Cape Girardeau andSte. Genevieve. This route became the basis for Missouri's first public territorial road in1808 and later for much of U.S. Highway 61.

The Natchitoches Trace, an important roadthrough the Missouri Ozarks in the earlY19th century, is indicated in brown on thismap from Wikimedia Commons:http:// uploadwikimedia.org/ wikipedia/ commons/ 8/ 81/ Southwesttrailmappng.

Subsequently, other roads, many of them based on preexisting trails, were established tolink Springfield with points east. The most important of these was the road that connectedSt. Louis and Springfield, following the wide ridge or upland that separates the

Page 792

drainage basins of the Missouri and Arkansas Rivers. Known by various names - theOsage Trace, the Southwest Trail, the Springfield Road, and, later, the Telegraph Roador Old Wire Road - this route strongly influenced patterns of economic activity in theMissouri Ozarks. In the 20th century, U.S. Route 66 followed essentially the same route, asdoes Interstate 44 today. Another important road in the 19th century was theNatchitoches Trace, which extended from St. Louis southwestward through the leadmining region and from there to Batesville, Arkansas, and eventually to Natchitoches,Louisiana. Over the course of the 19th century, numerous wagon roads, most of them quitecrude by present standards, were constructed throughout the Missouri Ozarks. Additionally,several post roads enabled delivery of mail.

Shortly after the turn of the 20th century, the advent of rural free delivery of mail andthe development of the automobile contributed to a "Good Roads" movementthroughout rural America, including the Missouri Ozarks. Development of farm-to-marketroads and roads linking county seats began early in the century. The Missouri StateHighway Department was established in 1917 and started constructing state highwaysin 1922. Several routes that remain important thoroughfares here in southern Missouri werebuilt during the initial phase of state highway construction. They include MissouriHighway 32, which originally extended from Flat River (now part of Park Hills) to Lickingand now runs from Ste. Genevieve to EI Dorado Springs; Missouri Highway 19, the firsthighway in the state to be officially designated a scenic route, which initially ran from Thayerto Cuba and now extends northeastward to New London; and Missouri Highway 17,which originally extended from Eldon to Mountain View but now continues to the Arkansasstate line just south of Lanton, The system of U.S. highways was initiated in 1926. U.S.Highways 60, 63, 65, and 67, all of which traverse portions of the Missouri Ozarks, wereestablished the same year; U.S. 160 followed four ears}~ter.

Patrici: Bridge, a one-lane, low-watercrossingalong the North Fork of the White River inOzark County, Missouri. Fromhttp://www.waiersheds.org/places/nf/blair.html

Although construction of paved highways in southern Missouri bean early and proceededrapidly, the region is also notable for the proportion of its roads that consist of gravel orchert, as well as the number of low-water bridges still in use, even as compared with manyother rural regions of the Midwest and South.

Page 793

Matt Meacham, folklorist with the West Plains Councii on the Arts and a part-timeinstructor at Missouri State University-West Plains, comments, "MSU-WP students are

r:">. understandably sometimes unable to come to campus during inclement weather becausethey live along gravel roads, miles from the nearest paved highway, or because they have tocross one or more low-water bridges to reach a highway. Also, until fairly recently, four-lanehighways were relatively scarce in this region. From what I've been told, it sounds as thoughdriving across the southern Missouri Ozarks - from Poplar Bluff to Springfield, for example- was considerably slower and more arduous than it is now. The challenges that thesefactors have posed for travelers and visitors to the region obviously are disadvantageous incertain ways, but they have contributed to area residents' strong sense of place, identificationwith this region as home, and conservation of their rich folk culture."

OzarksWatch Magaifne published an entire issue devoted to the subject of roads andrailroads in the Ozarks in 1993-94. A copy of that issue, courtesy of MSU- WP's GarnettLibrary, is located on the bookshelf nearby. Thumb through it for some interestingstories about traveling the highways and byways and riding the rails here in the Ozarks.

Page 794

· -,f .

Who makes the best turkey calls? What makes a fine handmadequilt? Where do you take your instruments for repair? Why dolocals gather together to celebrate? How do we find theanswers? If you've got the them, and want to share, or if youwant to learn how to find the answers, this workshop is for YOLo

~

The Missouri Folk Arts Program (MFAP)is building a statewidenetwork of. "community scholars." We'll kick off a year ofreQ-ional workshops in West Plains. Join us for an intensive two

.and a half daY'-t-rair.-in-gc-ppartunity fer folks with a keen,interest in 'documenting community arts, promoting localculture, and sharing Missouri's traditions with a wide audience.

Space is limited. Travel funds available. Contact Lisa Higgins,MFAP director, at [email protected] or 573-882-6296 toreserve your spot by October 20, 2010.

NATIONALENDOWMENTFOR THE ARTS

MissouriArts CouncilThe State of the Arts « '5"

MISSOURI@FOLKARTS@PROGRAM

Page 795

Kathleen Morrissey

From:Sent:To:

~[ect:

Higgins, Lisa L. [[email protected]]Tuesday, December 14, 2010 11:20 AMKathleen Morrissey; Meacham, Matthew WBailey, Deborah A.Traditional Arts Indiana Fieldword Guide Videos on YouTube

These would be great to include on the wiki:http://www.youtube.com/user/TradArtsIN#p/u/4/HUROpZWzJqQ

In the interim, shall I send links to our WP community scholars?

Cheers, Lisa

Lisa L. Higgins, PhDDirector, Missouri Folk Arts [email protected]

573-882-629621 Parker HallUniversity of MissouriColumbia MO 65211fax: 573-884-6029

http://maa.missouri.edu Imfap

The Missouri Folk Arts Program is a collaboration between the Missouri Arts Council and the Museum of Art & Archaeology at the University ofMissouri.

<>.

~,

1

Page 796

ruge 1 U1 L.

Chilton Project News Release RE: Thanks!Dan & Suzanne Chilton [[email protected]]Sent: Monday, November 22, 2010 4: 12 PM

To: Higgins, Lisa L. [[email protected]]

Cc: Meacham, Matthew W; Kathleen Morrissey [[email protected]]; Bailey, Deborah A. [[email protected]]

FYI: I sent my news release to local newspapers and KY3 TV in Springfield; Iadded my project at the bottom of the program's news release. I obtainedemail and written permissions for use in project credits.

NEWS RELEASEFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:Contact:Suzanne Chilton573-226-1222chiltonsr@centurytel.netwww.blueandgraycrosscurrent.blogspot.comStoryteller Participates in Regional Community Scholars WorkshopEminence, Missouri, November 13, 2010Suzanne Chilton recently participated in a community scholars workshopsponsored by the Missouri Folk Arts Program (MFAP), November 11-13, 2010 indowntown West Plains, Missouri. The statewide arts service organization,which identifies, documents, and presents Missouri traditional arts, isbuilding a statewide network of community scholars. Participants wereselected based on their interests and experience in documenting communityarts, promoting local culture, and sharing Missouri's traditions with a wideaudience. Fourteen citizens attended the intensive workshop, the first in aseries. Additional workshops are scheduled for 2011 in St. Louis andSpringfield.

Lisa Higgins, director of the Missouri Folk Arts Program, said: "The WestPlains workshop was a great kick off for this project. If the participantsin the upcoming workshops are as enthusiastic and knowledgeable as thisgroup, we can build a much stronger and broader network for the folk andtraditional arts. And, through that network, workshop participants can bothstrengthen their community-based projects and more widely promote Missouri'srich cultural heritage."

The curriculum for the West Plains workshop was specifically crafted for thesouth central Ozark region of Missouri. Topics included defining andidentifying local traditions; documenting traditions with photos, video, andaudio; and developing public presentations for local audiences. Workshoppresenters included Matt Meacham, folklorist for the West Plains Council onthe Arts and Ozark Action, Inc; Marideth Sisco, Ozarks community scholar,journalist, and musician; and Jackson Medel, a contributor to the Library ofCongress' Veterans History Project.

During the retreat, participants also gained hands-on experience in thefield. They used equipment to document local events, places, and artists,including the local Veterans Day Parade, Ozark stone buildings, a group oflong rifle builders, and a music jamboree. The event was co-hosted byCommunity Foundation of the Ozarks, Ozark Action, Inc., and the West PlainsCouncil on the Arts and was supported with grants from the Missouri ArtsCouncil, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Chil ton's proj ect communicates the stories, history, and culture of ~_//

https:llbearmail.missouristate.eduiowa/?ae=Item&t=IPM.Note&id===RgAAAAAseng08cH... 12/27/2010

Page 797

Chilton Project News Release RE: Thanks! r'age z Ul,L.

1860-1874 Shannon County via storyteller performance, a musical pageant, andan in-progress novel. The project draws from the Civil War memoirs of JohnJ. Chilton, the Chilton genealogy collection of Charles L. and MarjoryOrchard, the river history publications of David Lewis, and the Civil Warmusic collection of Kathy Barton, David Para, and Bob Dyer.

~Juring 2011, the Chilton's seek those with Civil War stories, photos, andresearch to share.

~One can't live in Shannon County for long before hearing the story ofAlexander Chilton who climbed a white oak tree and hid in the grapevinesfrom Federal soldiers encamped on the Joshua Chilton farm. Joshua'sdescendants own the farm, now home to the Cross Country Trail Rides. Ourhistory, culture, rivers, and mountains are treasures. A million or sovisitors annually attest to the fact.~ Suzanne and her ~usband Dancollaborate on the project from their home in the woods, on a ridgeoverlooking the farms of their ancestors and the hunting grounds ofsoldiers, bushwhackers, and outlaws.

Suzanne Chilton314-724-5855 mobile

-----Original Message-----From: Higgins, Lisa L. [mailto:[email protected]]Sent: Monday, November 15, 2010 11:36 AMTo: Higgins, Lisa L.Cc: Meacham, Matthew W; Kathleen Morrissey; Bailey, Deborah A.Subject: Thanks!

Thank each and everyone of you for making the Community Scholar Workshop afabulous experience. Keep in touch. We will, too.

cheers, Lisa

p.s. Follow us on Facebook, if you like:http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Missouri-Folk-Arts-Program/380611024828

Lisa L. Higgins, PhDDirector, Missouri Folk Arts [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>573-882-629621 Parker HallUniversity of MissouriColumbia MO 65211fax: 573-884-6029

http://maa.missouri.edu/mfap

The Missouri Folk Arts Program is a collaboration between the Missouri ArtsCouncil and the Museum of Art & Archaeology at the University of Missouri.

https:llbearmail.missouristate.eduiowal?ae=Item&t=IPM.Note&id=RgAAAAAseng08cH... 12/27/2010

Page 798

~--------------------------------------------------------

Bona Fide String Band

The Bona Fide String Band, an old-time group based in Hardy, Arkansas, will make its main-stage debut at this year's Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival.

Lisa Culver plays the fiddle, hammered dulcimer, and contributes lead and harmony vocals toBona Fide. Lisa, whose family moved to the Hardy area from Blytheville, has had a deep love for allthings musical throughout her life. After beginning her involvement in music as a pianist, shediscovered the fiddle and the hammered dulcimer during her teen years while working as both awaitress and a stage performer at the Arkansas Traveller Folk Theater in Hardy.

While at the Traveller, Culver learned to play the fiddle from Ralph DePriest, a cast member andlocal fiddle legend, and she was inspired to learn the hammered dulcimer after hearing Cathy Bartonplayas a guest performer at the theater. She has continued to play and sing in a variety of venues,including a number of original stage productions at the Arkansas Traveller Theater and churchactivities.

As an original member of Bona Fide, Lisa has honed her traditional music skills to a fine point,according to her fellow band members. She plays a Russian-made fiddle that originally belonged toher great-grandfather, who played it as an entertainer on Mississippi River boats. Lisa has a bachelorof fine arts degree and has been recognized as a master gardener. She and her husband, Steve enjoya country life filled with music and a variety of pets and livestock - even llamas!

Greg Cox is well-known locally as a musician and singer, having lived and played music in theHardy area since 1977.

Greg's musical roots are deep and begin with his family in southern Indiana. Music was somuch a part of his family life that he isn't even sure when he started playing. He often draws uponold-time tunes that he learned from his uncles, such as "Chinese Breakdown," also known as "TickleUnder the Chin." His grandfather gave him his first banjo, a dusty tenor that was hanging on a nailin the basement.

Cox is regarded regionally as a gifted musician and songwriter who continues the tradition ofpassing along music, always willing to share his expertise with anyone who wants to learn to play.He often plays with a variety of groups at local functions and at church and is an original member ofBona Fide. He adds to the traditional vocals of the group in both lead and harmony and plays themandolin, fiddle, banjo, and guitar.

Greg, a retired electrician, and his wife Diane live in their own Cox-built home where he enjoysgardening, cooking, and making music.

Jeff Kamps brings an old-time sound to Bona Fide with the clawhammer banjo and guitar. Jeff'sintroduction to traditional music came in the 1970s when he first encountered the music of DocWatson, Jean Ritchie, and other folk music greats. Soon, he was playing music and buildingmountain dulcimers.

A construction electrician by trade, Kamps was able to turn his hobby into a profession afterseveral years of living in Hardy. Today, he is a luthier who owns the Flat Creek Dulcimer Shop in

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Hardy, where he has been building and selling instruments since 1988. In fact, he even built one ofthe banjos that he plays.

Jeff, his wife Debbie, and their three children all worked as stage performers at the ArkansasTraveller Folk Theater in Hardy for many years. He invites listeners to ask him about his experienceas a washtub bass player! Now, he contributes the haunting old-time sound of the dawhammerbanjo and guitar to Bona Fide. Jeff and his wife Debbie live in the Hardy area where they are verybusy with grandchildren, business, and music.

Debbie Kamps, wife of Jeff Kamps, plays rhythm guitar and sings lead and harmony parts in herwarm soprano voice. Debbie maintains a longtime interest in folk music that began when she was ateenager in the late 1960s. When she saw Jean Ritche in a live performance at a coffeehouse, shedeveloped a love for ballad singing and the mountain dulcimer.

Her husband, Jeff, built a mountain dulcimer for her, and she was soon on the road to manyyears of singing and performing. She added guitar later when she began playing in groups.

Debbie performed at the Arkansas Traveller Folk Theater in Hardy along with her husband, Jeff,and their three children, singing traditional ballads and played the mountain dulcimer. As a memberof Bona Fide, she especially enjoys singing the old Carter Family songs. In addition to her musicalactivities, Debbie works as an English and social studies teacher for the Highland School District.

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Sunny Side Up

Sunny Side Up, based in Howell and Texas counties, offers a variety of old-time, bluegrass, andtraditional country repertoire. The band has performed regularly since 2004, appearing beforeenthusiastic audiences at community events, churches, political rallies, and festivals throughoutsouth-central Missouri.

Three members of Sunny Side Up - Dean VonAllmen, Sonya White, and Ed McKinney - havebeen involved in the group since its inception.

Dean VonAllmen of West Plains is recognized throughout the region for his accomplishments asa traditional fiddler, having taken second place in the Missouri State Fair fiddle contest in Sedalia inAugust 2005. His musical influences range from local fiddlers of preceding generations to KennyBaker, longtime member of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys. Fellow band member Ed McKinneycomments, "Dean brings a drive and fire to his rollicking fiddle that others try to imitate."

Sonya White of Raymondville plays string bass and provides lead and alto vocals. A medicaltechnologist at Texas County Memorial Hospital in Houston, she has been singing gospel music inchurch choirs throughout her life and has been playing bass for several years. "Sonya adds a depthof harmony to the group that is without parallel," says Ed McKinney. "Her rich background inmusic touches the hearts of her audiences."

Ed McKinney of West Plains plays guitar and mandolin and sings lead, bass, and tenor. Hebegan learning the guitar at age 12 - "some time ago," he says - and cites Mother Maybelle Carter ofthe Carter Family as a particular influence. He was awarded third place among accompanimentalguitarists at the Missouri State Fair fiddle contest in Sedalia in August 2005. He says that heespecially likes "corny songs!" <:»:>

According to Matt Meacham, folklorist and member of the Old-Time Music, Ozark HeritageFestival committee, "Ed is widely respected for his contributions to traditional music and folklife inour region. In addition to his activities as a performer and a builder and repairer of instruments, Edis a professor of history at Missouri State University-West Plains and a dedicated educator andscholar."

Several additional musicians frequently perform with Sunny Side Up, depending upon theiravailability and what the occasion calls for. One is Carl Trantham of Pomona, a longtimesongwriter, singer, and guitarist who performed as a member of the widely known bluegrass bandThe Highlanders and in his own right as a bluegrass, country, and rockabilly solo artist.

Others include banjoist David Branson, guitarist and singer George Spence, and guitarist andsinger Pansy Bond, all fixtures in traditional and bluegrass music circles in Howell, Texas, andsurrounding counties; and guitarist, mandolinist, and singer Matt Meacham, folklorist with the WestPlains Council on the Arts and Ozark Action, Inc.

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·Kent and Alex Williamson

Kent and Alex Williamson of Cabool, who participated in the Thumbpicking Guitarists'Roundtable during last year's Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival, will make their firstappearance on the festival's main stage this year.

Originally from Springfield, Kent Williamson was raised in a musical family. His mother, JeanWilliamson, played the piano, and his maternal grandfather, Thad Stoddard, was a fiddler andharmonica player. Kent himself started learning piano at age six and played violin in his schoolorchestra.

When he was eleven years old - forty years ago, according to his own calculations - Kentobtained a guitar and a songbook and began teaching himself the instrument. With a penchant formusic featuring leading country guitarists of the time, such as Don Rich of Buck Owens'sBuckaroos, Chet Atkins, and Jerry Reed, he learned much of his repertoire by listening to records athalf-speed and memorizing solo passages a few notes at a time.

At age 17, Kent joined a band led by fiddler Colonel Red Highfill, performing at fiddle contestsand country music venues. His mother played piano in the group. Soon thereafter, he became amember of a band led by Tim Nichols, who is now a Nashville-based songwriter with several majorcountry hits to his credit. With Nichols's band, Kent spent two years performing at hotels, rodeos,and fairs throughout the Midwest and Great Plains.

Since then, Kent, an officer at Cabool State Bank, has performed locally in various contexts .. Heplayed regularly with several other musicians at the Norfork Steakhouse in West Plains for fouryears. He continues to perform occasionally at weddings and social events, but he plays primarilyfor his own satisfaction, challenging himself to expand and refine his technical palette and hisrepertoire.

Alex, Kent's son, began learning the guitar at age nine. One day while Kent was practicing, Alexasked Kent if he would learn a song by the rock band Green Day and then show Alex how to play it,himself. This was the beginning of Alex's study of the guitar, Kent explained.

"It doesn't come naturally to me," said Kent. "I've always had to work at it, but it just seems tocome naturally to Alex."

Alex began teaching himself a variety of music, including rock songs that were popular at thetime, as well as repertoire from Kent's collection of music books. He became increasingly interestedin fingerstyle guitar and emulated his father's thumbpicking techniques.

In addition to playing the guitar, Alex sings and, in recent months, has begun playing the banjo.He and Kent plan to perform several selections featuring his banjo playing during their festivalappearance.

Folklorist Matt Meacham of the Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival committee observes,"Our part of the country is home to many fine thumbpicking guitarists whose style and repertoirereflect both the traditions of guitar playing that have been handed down to them locally and theinfluences of such recording artists as Merle Travis, Chet Atkins,Jerry Reed, and many others."

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"Kent and Alex Williamson are two of the foremost thumbpicking and fingerstyle guitarists inthis region," he continued. "They put their own creative stamp on the traditions that theyrepresent."

Meacham added, "I first met Alex when he was a student in a music appreciation class that I ledat Missouri State University-West Plains two years ago, but he should have been teaching me! Hisfluency on the guitar amazed me. He told me that he had learned much of his knowledge of the .instrument from his father, so I asked both of them to participate in the Thumbpickers' Roundtablethat we had during last year's festival."

The Williamsons were the only participants in that event who had not previously performed atthe festival, according to Meacham. "Their playing was enthusiastically received, so the committeeand I were eager to invite them to share their talents on the main stage his year."

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Missouri Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program to Celebrate zs- Anniversary DuringOld-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival

Missouri's Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program (TAAP) is celebrating its 25th year. Thismilestone will be observed in a variety of ways throughout this year's Old-Time Music, OzarkHeritage Festival.

The Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program pairs master folk artists with apprentices to passtraditions on to the next generation. Since 1984, the Missouri Folk Arts Program, based at theUniversity of Missouri-Columbia, has fostered 351 apprenticeships between master traditional artistsand their apprentices.

In its first year, the Folk Apprenticeship Program (as it was initially named) sponsored tenapprenticeships and focused on Missouri musical traditions such as old-time music, gospel, and jazz.In the second year, apprenticeships were nearly equally divided between music and material culture,examples of which include making saddles, chairs, woven coverlets, baskets, cabinets, andblacksmithing.

Since then, more than 500 individual traditional artists, many in underserved rural, inner-city, andethnic communities in every corner of the state, have participated in the Traditional ArtsApprenticeship Program.

TAAP is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the Missouri Arts Council,and the Museum of Art and Archaeology at the University of Missouri.

Lisa Higgins, director of the Missouri Folk Arts Program, commented, "To close out a year ofanniversary celebrations, the Missouri Folk Arts Program is excited to partner with the West PlainsCouncil on the Arts to showcase TAAP masters and apprentices from the Ozark region at the Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival."

Higgins continued, "In addition to stage performances and demonstrations, traditional artists willalso be featured during workshops at the Brush Arbor stage. There, artists will not only sharetheir techniques but tell stories about how and why they strum, bow, jig, carve, and build."

Main-stage performances that will feature musicians or dancers who have been affiliated withTAAP at one time or another include a segment spotlighting "Holt's Colts," musicians who learnedfrom the late Bob Holt of Ava, an influential traditional fiddler whom the National Endowment forthe Arts named a National Heritage Fellow (Friday at noon), and a performance by traditionalsquare dancers from south-central Missouri with traditional string-band accompaniment (Friday at 4PM).

Additionally, three Saturday performances on the main stage will include artists who have beeninvolved in TAAP: the Graves Family at 10 AM, the Colbert Brothers at 11 AM, and Travis Inmanat noon. Information about all of these performers can be found elsewhere in this publication.

Several workshops at the Brush Arbor stage will also feature current or former TAAPparticipants. Lisa Higgins and Deb Bailey, folk arts specialist with the Missouri Folk Arts Program,will talk with these artists about their contributions to the folk culture of our region and our state.

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TAAP-affiliated workshop presenters will include Don Graves, lap dulcimer player and maker(Saturday at 11 AM), fiddler Travis Inman (Saturday at 2 PM), and old-time banjoist Van Colbert(Saturday at 4 PM).

"We're grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Traditional Arts ApprenticeshipProgram's 25th anniversary. TAAP is one of the finest programs of its kind in the country, and it'scontributed substantially to the conservation and sustenance of a variety of folk arts here in theMissouri Ozarks," said Matt Meacham, folklorist and member of the festival committee.

"Many of the artists who have participated in the Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival overthe years have been TAAP masters, apprentices, or both, and the Missouri Folk Arts Program ingeneral has always been enormously helpful to and supportive of the festival. Missouriansthroughout the state benefit from the excellent work that the Folk Arts Program does," Meachamadded.

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Kathleen Morrissex •• M 1__ iiG **,

From:Sent:

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Meacham, Matthew W [[email protected]]Wednesday, January 13, 2010 11:03 [email protected]@oaiwp.orgEssay about West Plains published on blog about rural culture

Carol,

How is everything going? I thought I ought to let you know that a blog called the *Daily Yonder*, whichis maintained by the Center for Rural Strategies and is one of the major blogs covering rural American culture andsocial and economic issues, was kind enough to publish an essay of mine last week. It's essentially a rebuttal to thearticle that the *Washington Post* published last fall about the inflammatory anti-Obarna sign and the politicalclimate of West Plains. (I realize that a rebuttal to that article at this point isn't exactly timely, but I didn't learnabout that article until several weeks after it was published, so I decided to wait a year and use as an opening gambit,"It's been a year since the article was published, and *Post* readers would be surprised how different the WestPlains of today is from the one described in it just 12 months ago ...") My essay is located athttp://"\vww.dailyyonder.com/speak-your-piece-plenty-hope-after-alln01 0101/07/2511.

I'm telling you this not because I'm seeking publicity -- in fact, I'd probably be better off to avoid it (!) -- butsimply because I didn't want you to run across it or hear other people talking about it sometime and wonder why Ididn't tell you about it myself so that you'd have the opportunity to write something about it if you wish to do so.Again, please don't feel obligated to write anything about this -- anonymity is perfectly fine with me -- but if you dowant to write something, I'd be glad to talk with you about it .

...~·,ke care,ctt

Matt Meacham

Folklorist, West Plains Council on the Arts/Ozark Action. Inc.


(417) 256-6147, ext. 227 (office)

(417) 372-3177 (cell/home)

[email protected]

or matthe\[email protected]

1

--------~ ~--~ ~--~---------- ----- -----------------------------------------------------------------

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POTENTIAL PUBLIC & COMMUNITY RADIO OUTLETS FOR FESTIVAL PUBLICITY

KRCU (NPR, Cape Girardeau and Farmington) - Submit a PSA at least two weeks ahead viahttp://www.semo.edu/sepr/psa/psaform.htm; also, contact Your Folk Connection,http://www.semo.edu/sepr/programmingllocalfolkconnection.htm.

KDHX (community radio, St. Louis) - Submit information to the concert calendar athttp://www.kdhx.orglindex.php?option=com kdhxevents&Itemid=262 and/ or to the arts & eventscalendar athttp://www.kdhx.orglindex.php?option=com kdhxevents&type=kdhx arts calendar&Itemid=349;also, contact the hosts of the following programs: Lotsa A Cappella (re: shape-note program); The BackCountry; Backroads; Bluegrass Breakdown; Down Yonder, Feel Like Going Home; Mid-Dqy Jamboree; No Time toTarry Here; and Famzjy Reunion.

KZGM (community radio, Cabool) - Contact via http://www.kz88.org/news.html and Hank Dorst.

KMST (NPR, Rolla/Lebanon) - Submit to community calendar viahttp://www.kumr.org/CommunityCalendar.html; also contact Bluegrass for a Saturdqy Night, HarmonicVibrations, and Sounds Eclectic (hosted by festival emcee Jim Sigler)

KWBC (Internet "radio," Hartshorn) - Contact via http://kwbc.fm/contactus.htm. (Click on the"Contact Us" tab in the right column.)

KASU (NPR,Jonesboro, AR) - Website provides very little information as to how to contact the station- maybe by way of the ••E-mail the newsroom" link near the bottom left of this page:http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kasu/news.newsmain. Maybe try to have festival listed on artsindex: http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kasu/arts.artsmain?action=sectionIndex&sid=O. Severalprograms on the schedule appear to be relevant, but it's unclear which ones (if any) are locally produced:http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kasu/guide.guidemain.

KUAF (NPR, Fayetteville, AR) - Submit to events calendar viahttp://events.publicbroadcasting.net/kuaf 1events.eventsmain?action =submitE vent. Submit potentialPSA at http://www.kuaf.org/psa.html. Several programs on the schedule appear to be relevant, but it'sunclear which ones (if any) are locally produced:http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kuaflguide.guidemain. (Actually, Ozarks at Large is locallyproduced, but that program appears to have a specifically Arkansan focus.)

KBIA (NPR, Columbia, MO) - Submit to events calendar viahttp://events.publicbroadcasting.net/kbia/ events.eventsmain?action = submitE ven t.

KOPN (Community radio, Columbia, MO) - Contact via http://www.kopn.org/contact; maybe askabout inclusion on events calendar. Several locally produced programs might be relevant, especially Farm&Fiddle: http://www.kopn.org/contact., and Midnight Country:http:// www.kopn.org/progdesc1&u= Ipp 1woody-ai.php.

KSMU/KSMW (NPR, Springfield & West Plains) - Community calendar:http://www.ksmu.org/content/view/3231 1401; arts news/musical performances:http://www.ksmu.org/content/category/9/67/104/; several programs are relevant.

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Destination: 'A Little County Seat' t"'agel UI o

Published on Daily Yonder (http://www.dailyyonder.com)

Home> Manage Content> Destination: 'A little County Seat'

Destination: 'A Little County Seat'Image:CJ tjslansky530.jpg [1]

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["i] slanskymap320.jpg [4]

Genealogy, one of the fastest growing hobbies in the nation, eventually leads to researchin a small town. Some rural communities know their own past and are prepared to share it.

Bill Bishop T.J. Siansky explains howto read a family tree written in old German script at a genealogical meeting of TexasCzech descendants in LaGrange, August 29.

"Our ancestors were probably neighbors, and now 125 years later, we're trying to findeach other," said T.J. Siansky. He was speaking to about 50 Praseks, Kovars, Jandas andMatochas at the Fayette County (Texas) Public Library. Turning the lights down, hestepped into the projection of a family tree, its twigs laden with names and birthdates,casting an intricate tattoo across his face.

Siansky and the others had come to explore a trans-rural heritage. Their foreparents cameto the U.S. from a cluster of tiny farming villages near the Czech-Slovak border, and aftercrossing the Atlantic, they settled in likewise-tiny communities of Central and South Texas.This is the third year the descendents have held a Hovezi-Huslensky Village Reunion,sharing genealogical information and discovering how their families are entwined.

Most of the old Texas-Czech. communities like Plum, Halletsville, Moravia, and Praha,~. have declined - or vanished -- after decades of outmigration. Plum, where Siansky's

family once farmed, had two churches, two blacksmiths shops, two cotton gins, andseveral stores in the early 20th century, but by the 2000 census, population had dwindled

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to 95. (T.J. himself lives in San Antonio now.)

As in much of the rest of rural America, young people left and are still leaving for highereducation, jobs, and urban amenities. But the one thing no one can take from small townsis their history. Often led by passionate genealogists, some rural communities are plowingtheir energies into documenting family histories, reclaiming the past, and shoring up localstrengths. ~/

Tina Martinson Ordone, now living in Rayne, Louisiana, has created a world-classgenealogical website for Stephentown, New York [5], where five generations of hermother's family lived.

"To know a person's history, is to appreciate it. The same goes for a town," Ordone writes.Her Internet library of all-things-Stephentown includes Census records dating back to the1830s, many family genealogies, bios of the area's early physicians, and much more -even a recounting of the notorious "Kittle Double Murder."

"I can't begin to tell you the number of people over the course of the last seven years ...who have found family and friends because of information on my site," she writes."Contributors from literally all over the world have sent me photos and stories, genealogiesand little twigs of their family tree, and in return have found the answers to long heldquestions, because of the contributions of others."

Ordone believes that this information does more than satisfy personal curiosity."Genealogical research tends to bring small communities together, in that the discovery ofmutual ties will bond people." She credits the Stephentown Historical Society [6] with hardwork, and success, in preservation. The group has saved an abandoned MethodistEpiscopal church (c. 1870), which now holds its library, and has restored several oldcemeteries in the region.

Genealogy buff Judy Owens of Lexington, KY, contends, "If you get serious about thiskind of work, at some point you're going to have to go to a little county seat."

But aside from court documents (assuming the local courthouse never burned), what willresearchers find once they go? Could rural communities stand to benefit from buildinglocal genealogical archives?

Jean Davis of Dime Box Texas - a participant in the Hovezi-Huslensky Village reunion-says that creating a reliable archive is both fascinating and demanding work. "Most peoplecan tell their own story," she says, "but a genealogy goes back much further than that. Ittakes somebody dedicated and with blinders on. You eat, sleep and breathe this." Jean'slate brother, Albert Blaha, was such a person. Among Texas-Czechs, he was one of thefirst to undertake serious genealogical research.

After leaving the family farm and graduating from University of Texas, Blaha worked as aproject engineer overseas. In 1962, their father died and Albert "didn't make it home intime for the funeral," Davis says. ''That shook him up really bad. I'm sure that's what drovehim" - to trace the family's history all the way to the Old Country and understand hisheritage.


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Bill Bishop Atthe Hovezi-Huslensky Village reunion, held in LaGrange, Texas, people combed throughthe family scrapbook of Lucille Skarpa Rohan.

Called back stateside to work in Houston, Blaha stopped in what was thenCzechoslovakia, on his journey home. According to sister Jean Davis, he "prowled for likea month," through the mountainous Hovezi-Huslensky region. "He was in the same areaso much that the Communists stopped him, wanting to know what he was doing."

Blaha located the very house where their ancestors had lived in Huslenky, a village ofBretheran Church Protestants on the Czech/Slovakian border. Through ships records,church membership lists, and cemetery transcriptions, he began building an archive ofCzech immigration to Texas, publishing his findings and training others in genealogicalresearch. In 1982 he founded the Czech Heritage Society of Texas [7]. The organizationnow has 1600 members and 15 chapters, a third of them rural. Bringing together Blaha'sresearch collections with the work of many others, the Texas Czech Heritage Center [8]

opened last year in a new facility just east of LaGrange.

Jean Davis and her husband, after living in Dallas and Houston for many years, movedback to Dime Box just a few miles from where her parents had once farmed. In their"retirement," the Davises have worked to sustain a small historical museum andgenealogical collection in Dime Box, too. "We're just a little pimple," she says, "but evenas small as we are -- we're probably 250 people -- people come here and find thisgenealogy, a lot of them from other states." How do people discover their history center?A big mailbox stationed on a pole "sitting on Highway 21, points people to town," Davissays. "That pulls in a lat."

One of the nation's genealogical hot spots is Middlesboro, Kentucky; it lies at the Westernedge of the Cumberland Gap, where many pioneers (including Daniel Boone) venturedthrough the Appalachian Mountains.

Marsha Bratton, regent of the Daughters of American Revolution (D.A.R.) Kentucky Path

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chapter there, notes that "genealogy has been one of the fastest growing hobbies forabout 10 years." She believes in the educational benefits of genealogy to inspire youngpeople's interest and capacity for learning.

Middlesboro(KY) Daily News Members of the Kentucky Path Chapter, of the Daughters of theAmerican Revolution (D.A.R.), 17 students and several teachers from the J. WhiteAcademy, and members of the local Elks Club placed 300 flags on the graves of veteransat the Middlesboro and the Hurst Cemeteries Nov. 7, 2010. Marsha Bratton, D.A.R.regent, believes that genealogy is a vivid way to teach history and geography.

She advises parents, "If you know that your great-great-great grandfather fought in theRevolutionary War, tell your children that." American history will be much more interestingto them at school. Learning places and dates makes more sense-with a direct tie to thepast, rather than "this is what happened way off when." Likewise, Bratton says, youngpeople can discover a wider world through the family's genealogy. "They'll say 'Oh, mygrandparents came from Germany. I know where that's at.'"

~-

Most recently, Bratton brought together DAR and Elks Club members, 17 high schoolstudents, and three of their teachers to put flags on the graves of 300 veterans forVeterans Day, a living tribute to local history.

A recent study by the Economic Research Service examining rural outmigration [9] notesthat except for areas with dramatic natural attractions, "without a hometown or familyconnection, people generally are not going to be drawn to rural areas."

But without rural genealogy expertise and local centers for its dissemination, those "familyconnections" will likely become more and more tenuous as time passes. Every small town


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uesnnanon: ·A ume county oear

needs its Tina Ordone, T.J. Siansky, Jean Davis, or Marsha Bratton. Albert BlahasWanted!

Genealogy, one of the fastest growing hobbies in the nation, eventuallyleads to research in a small town. Some rural communities know their own past and areprepared to share it.

By Julie Ardery Arts and Culture Growth and Development Topic Featurefj

Source URL: http://www.dailyyonder.com/small-town-Iook-ahead-Iooking-bacl/201 0/11 /1813045

Links:[1] http://www.dailyyonder.com/files/imagefield/tjslansky530.jpg[2] http://www.dailyyonder.com/fileslimagefield/skarpabook530.jp9[3] http://www.dailyyonder.com/files/imagefield/midd lesborog ravedecoration530 .jpg[4] http://www.dailyyonder.com/fileslimagefield/slanskymap320.jpg[5] http://www.stephentowngenealogy.com/[6] h'ttp://stephentown-historical.orgl[7] http://www.czechheritage.org/CHS_HISTORY.pdf[8] http://www .czechtexas. orgl[9] http://www.dailyyonder.com/outmigration/2010/11/17/3043

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ARRA- FY '09

n. Project Final Report drafted and presented to CSBG State Office (October 1,2010) (Benchmark 4)

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ARRA= FY '09

o. Network meets to discuss lessons learned and look at future strategies tocoordinate and continue the work begun in year one.

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ozarks highlands feasibility study: private property owners beware of the feds

Documents

national heritage area

new national heritage

sheritage area national

y ozarks national area

national heritage areas

study area boundary

national forest

national monument