To begin or not to begin

To start at the  beginning of the Ozark's history would require a post on how the Ozark's were formed in ancient history. In other words....BORING. Sort of. It is actual quite interesting, however to discuss that now would cause you to loose interest in this topic and go get a bag of chips and the remote.

So, I would like to start with what I find to be one of the most interesting topics. That would be the Civil War activity in the Ozark's, and how the war was sparked years before the first shot at Fort Sumter.

The Mason Dixon Line

I really cant speak to all of the specific facts as they are very conflicting concerning Missouri's status before, and during the war. Some maps show the state being south of the Mason Dixon Line and some show it being north of the line.As you can see according to this map, Missouri is north of the Mason Dixon Line and apparently, any territory north of the line could not receive statehood as a slave state. The map below totally contradicts this. 

     Union states     Union territories not permitting slavery     Union territories permitting slavery     Bleeding Kansas, entered Union     Confederate states
And this is the reason for my confusion. And, add to this that the actual Mason Dixon Line did not extend more that 40 miles west of Pennsylvania, is cause for me not to even try to pretend to know the facts. What I can say, is apparently the settlers of Missouri and Kansas were just as confused as I, as the pro slavery state of Missouri made it a mission to insure that Kansas would receive statehood as a pro slavery state as well. But it seems that Kansas was not overall in favor of this and thus began the pre-Civil War Kansas/Missouri border wars. Not an actual declaration of war, but more of a guerrilla combat warfare.
During the war, Missouri was one of the main states that pitted brother against brother. More confusion on where the state stood? I don't know.
I'm sure that some of you reading this are more educated on these matters, and again, I must say that I will not pretend to know all of the facts. So, forgive me. My main goal is to supply information of the historic places then what actually happened. Battlefields, hidden cemeteries, still visible entrenchments dug out by the soldiers.....That kind of information.
I wont even try to discuss the areas in chronological order of the events as they happened. Just interesting areas and some "Tidbits" of facts.
I think I will start my next post with the battle of Lexington Missouri which although is not technically in the Ozark's, it is close and plays an important role in other events in the Ozark's.
Until then, Thank you for reading.
 

Ozark history and legends overview.

Ozark's history and legends overview:

Growing up in the north-woods of Wisconsin was fascinating. However, that is another story. Equally, if not more fascinating, are the experiences I have had and the things I have learned about over the last 20+ years of living in and around the Ozark's region of Missouri and Arkansas.

Follow me on this Blog to discover the beauty and wonder of the Ozark's. From its history and legends, to its secrets and lore. I will take you on a photographic journey of the Ozark's and post descriptions and/or directions of places you must visit while traveling through and exploring for yourself this ancient, yet, underrated area that has greatly impacted the traditions of the entire nation.

• The geological formation of the Ozark's area which created numerous caves, and why Laura Ingalls Wilder stated: "There really not hills, just valleys."

• Civil War history of the Ozark's including how the region sparked the war itself, historic battlefields and cemeteries, the post war unrest and tumultuous events that led to the likes of Alf Bolin's "Murder Rocks", and the vigilante group know as the "Baldknobbers"

• Travels and hideouts of Jessie and Frank James in and around the Ozark's.

• Towns long gone and submerged under lakes built by the Army Corps of Engineers.

• The lead mining of the Joplin area and the effects of the "Chat Piles" of mining waste that were left behind for the wind to blow lead dust into the yards that children play in. and also how gangsters used these abandoned mines to "Dispose of incriminating evidence" (Dead Bodies)

• Pre FBI police chases in the Four-States area of Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma that proved unfruitful as gangsters and outlaws could travel from state to state in a matter of minutes, leaving the police behind as they were not allowed to continue pursuit outside of their jurisdictions.

• And lets not forget the Hillbillies of the Ozark's!

I really could go on and on but I will hold back on any more spoilers and let you make your discoveries as I did. One by one and yet all tied together to create the History and Legends of the Ozark's.