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Nightly / Weekly Condo and Cabin
Rentals
1,2, 3, and 4 Bedrooms
1-417-598-1105 |
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 Branson, Missouri was a little
sleepy town until Harold Bell
Write wrote his book of the
"Shepherd of the Hills" in
1907. Mr. Bell would be shocked
to see Branson become the
tourist area it is but he would
be happy to know it is still a
family originated town. A town
where you can walk the streets
at night after attending one of
the 140 excellent, clean,
shows. Silver Dollar City is a
major theme park built around
the 1800's as is the Shepherd of
the Hills Theater.
The historical bridge is across
Lake Taneycomo, which set two
new state records for Trout in
2005. Each over 27 pounds. |
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Back in 1821, Missouri joined
the Union. But long before this
area was a state, settlers from
all areas come to the Ozarks in
seek of the plentiful wild game
and fertile land. As more and
more settlers come into the
area, the need for a general
store and post office was
growing. So in 1882 the first
general store and post office
was opened by a jovial
entrepreneur named Ruben
Branson. There was trouble with
the post office, the U.S. Postal
Service officially recognized
it, but the town had no name. So
the town was named Branson after
the postmaster, by general
agreement of the town folk. For
the next 15 years the town of
Branson thrived because of the
great fishing in the White
River. The locals in Branson had
great access to the River since
it was only a couple of blocks
away from downtown Branson. |
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In 1903 the Iron Mountain and
Southern Railroad was completed.
This allowed visitors from all
over to come and explore the
area. At this time Branson was
growing, with a new bank, train
depot, general store, and even a
saloon. But the area around
Branson remained untouched and
unspoiled, just like the day it
was created. Harold Bell Wright,
a Kansas minister, was drawn to
the area because of the
untouched setting of the area.
This area is where he wrote his
novel "The Shepherd of the
Hills". The book was published
in 1907, shortly after it became
his best-selling book. Lake
Taneycomo was formed in 1913
when the White River was dammed.
This allowed visitors to take a
leisurely cruise to Rockaway
Beach or the Powersite to see
the new attraction. After the
lake was formed, resorts started
showing up around the lake.
Vacationers from all over come
to enjoy the float trips down
the White River. In the 1930's
the area was know as an
inexpensive vacation spot. The
ease of access to the area
helped in increasing tourism. It
was not until 1954 that the
construction for the Table Rock
Dam got started. |
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In 1959 the dam was completed
and the Branson people were
relieved that floods no longer
threatened their town. Upon the
completion of the Dam, resorts
near Branson were encouraging
vacationers to come and enjoy
the great fishing and to see the
new attractions in the area. As
a result of building the Table
Rock Dam the water of Lake
Taneycomo, became to cold for
swimming, but it did become a
first class trout fishing lake.
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1-417-598-1105
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