Changes

==History==

==History==

Branson was hard to get to until 1903 when the Missouri Pacific Railroad came through. The town was a originally center of the lumber industry, which faded after 1930. Paved highways were built in the 1920s, making Branson a jumping off point for city folk who made recreational trips to the mountains, lakes and fishing spots.  Entrepreneur Jim Owen opened the Hillbilly Theater in 1934, revealing the demand for live entertainment with an Ozark theme.  Chicago businessman Hugo Hischend opened a cave attraction in the 1950s. After his death his family, inspired by Disneyland, opened the Silver Dollar City theme park in 1960. Besides numerous rides, it continues to feature a chapel, regular church services and a saloon that serves only soft drinks.  Two country music theaters opened in the late 1950s. The city emerged in the 1980s as the country music perfomance capital, second perhaps only to Nashville.

Branson was hard to get to until 1903 when the Missouri Pacific Railroad came through. The town was a originally center of the lumber industry, which faded after 1930. Paved highways were built in the 1920s, making Branson a jumping off point for city folk who made recreational trips to the mountains, lakes and fishing spots.  Entrepreneur Jim Owen opened the Hillbilly Theater in 1934, revealing the demand for live entertainment with an Ozark theme.  Chicago businessman Hugo Hischend opened a cave attraction in the 1950s. After his death his family, inspired by Disneyland, opened the Silver Dollar City theme park in 1960 that replicates an old mountain village. Besides numerous rides, it continues to feature a chapel, regular church services and a saloon that serves only soft drinks.  Two country music theaters opened in the late 1950s. Starting with Roy Clark's Celebrity Theater in 1983, country music became dominant. Country musicians rushed to Branson, seeing the opportunity to set up their own theater.  Johnny Cash, Louise Mandrell, Glen Campbell, Kenny Rogers and many others came, often looking for a second chance after their earlier stardom had peaked. As more performers arrived, more tourists came and attended the other shows as well.  By the early 1990s Branson was the world's country music performance capital, second perhaps only to Nashville.

The area remains a major outdoor recreation center. Thousands of city folk have summer cabins in the area, and retirement homes are growing. Factory outlet stores have grown. A major new airport opens in spring 2009, making Branson more accessible to distant visitors.

The area remains a major outdoor recreation center. Thousands of city folk have summer cabins in the area, and retirement homes are growing. Factory outlet stores have grown. A major new airport opens in spring 2009, making Branson more accessible to distant visitors.

===Baldknobbers===

===Baldknobbers===

[[Image:Branson2.jpg|thumb|350px|The Baldknobbers in Branson, circa early 1960s]]

[[Image:Branson2.jpg|thumb|350px|The Baldknobbers in Branson, circa early 1960s]]

The mountain roots offer the promise and possibility of relating to the unhurried, happy-go-lucky lifestyle of the hillbilly.<ref> The word "hillbilly" dates to 1900, when the ''New York Journal'' explained that "a Hill-Billie is a free and untrammelled white citizen of Alabama, who lives in the hills, has no means to speak of, dresses as he can, talks as he pleases, drinks whiskey when he gets it, and fires off his revolver as the fancy takes him." Quoted in Archie Green, "Hillbilly Music: Source and Symbol." ''Journal of American Folklore'' 1965. 78: 204–227. The term "hillbilly music" was first noticed in the 1920s, and became "country music" in the 1930s.</ref> It is a way of life far removed from the complexities of the outside world. Branson celebrates them as "baldknobbers," with suggestions of the old popular image of barefoot, lanky country "hicks" standing beside ramshackle outhouses, wearing overalls, sporting toothy-grins, and clutching corncob pipes and jugs of moonshine.<ref> "Baldknobber" comes from the name of a vigilante group in Branson in the 1880s that tried to stamp out criminal gangs that preyed on travelers in the isolated area.</ref>

The mountain roots offer the promise and possibility of relating to the unhurried, happy-go-lucky lifestyle of the hillbilly.<ref> The word "hillbilly" dates to 1900, when the ''New York Journal'' explained that "a Hill-Billie is a free and untrammeled white citizen of Alabama, who lives in the hills, has no means to speak of, dresses as he can, talks as he pleases, drinks whiskey when he gets it, and fires off his revolver as the fancy takes him." Quoted in Archie Green, "Hillbilly Music: Source and Symbol." ''Journal of American Folklore'' 1965. 78: 204–227. The term "hillbilly music" was first noticed in the 1920s, and became "country music" in the 1930s.</ref> It is a way of life far removed from the complexities of the outside world. Branson celebrates them as "baldknobbers," with suggestions of the old popular image of barefoot, lanky country "hicks" standing beside ramshackle outhouses, wearing overalls, sporting toothy-grins, and clutching corncob pipes and jugs of moonshine.<ref> "Baldknobber" comes from the name of a vigilante group in Branson in the 1880s that tried to stamp out criminal gangs that preyed on travelers in the isolated area.</ref>

Branson entrepreneurs wove Christian sentiment into a fabric of nostalgia, romantic traditionalism, and whitewashed rusticity that downplays the extreme hardships of mountain life and plays up 21st century family values.<ref> Jerry Rodnitzky, "Back To Branson: Normalcy and Nostalgia in the Ozarks." ''Southern Cultures'' 2002 8(2): 97-105. 1068-8218 </ref>   

Branson entrepreneurs wove Christian sentiment into a fabric of nostalgia, romantic traditionalism, and whitewashed rusticity that downplays the extreme hardships of mountain life and plays up 21st century family values.<ref> Jerry Rodnitzky, "Back To Branson: Normalcy and Nostalgia in the Ozarks." ''Southern Cultures'' 2002 8(2): 97-105. 1068-8218 </ref>