The history of the Ozarks is varied and rich, and you can learn about it all on the Springfield-Greene County Library’s Local History & Genealogy blog. Rather than repackaging established local history, Local History & Genealogy staff use the platform to share new insights on the Ozarks that they have found using the same resources that the Library makes available to the public. Here’s a look at a handful of articles recently published on the blog:
In the 1950s, new dams on the White River created Table Rock Lake and Bull Shoals Lake, submerging the towns of Oasis and Old Forsyth in the process. Archivist Madison Holt brings these lakebed communities back to the surface with photographs, newspaper articles and local poetry in her article, “The
Lost Villages of the White River.”
Do the words “airish,” “fritter-minded” or “willipus-wallipus” mean anything to you? If so, then you may be one of the last speakers of a quickly fading dialect. Copywriter Brandon Broughton journeys into the region’s linguistic identity in his article, “Can You Speak Ozarks? The ABCs of the Ozarks Dialect.” This introduction to the Ozarks dialect features an interactive quiz, so that you can put your backwoods vernacular to the test.
Many sports icons have passed through the Queen City, but few can compare to the Mick himself. In “Mickey Mantle: A Yankees Legend in Springfield,” Historian Michael Price highlights Mantle’s connections to the Ozarks, from his minor league days with the Joplin Miners to his extended stay in Springfield’s Burge Hospital. This article includes footage from a 1986 interview of Mantle by KY3 Sports Director Ned Reynolds, presented in partnership between the Springfield-Greene County Library District and KY3.
There’s so much more to discover on the Local History & Genealogy blog. Whether you’re interested in Wild West shootouts, the mysterious Missouri cheese caves or the science behind the Ozarks’ erratic weather, you’re sure to find something for you on the Local History & Genealogy blog. Discover more at thelibrary.org/localhistory or check us out in person at the Library Center, 4653 S. Campbell Ave.
Brandon Broughton is a local history copywriter at the Springfield-Greene County Library. He can be reached at brandonb@thelibrary.org. To learn more about the Springfield-Greene County Library District, visit thelibrary.org.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Unearth hidden Ozarks history at the Springfield-Greene County Library
