Hill Folks: A History of Arkansas Ozarkers and Their Image

by Brooks Blevins

The Ozark region, located in northern Arkansas and southern Missouri, has long been the domain of the folklorist and the travel writer--a circumstance that has helped shroud its history in stereotype and misunderstanding. With Hill Folks, Brooks Blevins offers the first in-depth historical treatment of the Arkansas Ozarks. He traces the region's history from the early nineteenth century through the end of the twentieth century and, in the process, examines the creation and perpetuation of conflicting images of the area, mostly by non-Ozarkers.Covering a wide range of Ozark social life, Blevins examines the development of agriculture, the rise and fall of extractive industries, the settlement of the countryside and the decline of rural communities, in- and out-migration, and the emergence of the tourist industry in the region. His richly textured account demonstrates that the Arkansas Ozark region has never been as monolithic or homogenous as its chroniclers have suggested. From the earliest days of white settlement, Blevins says, distinct subregions within the area have followed their own unique patterns of historical and socioeconomic development. Hill Folks sketches a portrait of a place far more nuanced than the timeless arcadia pictured on travel brochures or the backward and deliberately unprogressive region depicted in stereotype.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

356 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 25, 2002

About the author

Brooks Blevins is the Noel Boyd Professor of Ozarks Studies at Missouri State University.

Reviews

[David Zierhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. Easy to stay interested.

Great read. Easy to stay interested. Very well balanced between image and facts. I feel I have a pretty good understanding of the developing region which is now my home.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book fills a void as the first in-depth history of northern Arkansas. Reviewer Lee Kirk aptly describes this as "a useful explanation of what was going on in the Ozarks while Vance Randolph http://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/enc... and others were scouring the hills for the old stories and songs, a movement that led to the Dogpatch image http://www.partyoutofbounds.com/dog.htm that the rest of the world has come to know" (Ozarks Monthly). Dr. Blevins describes the geography and chronicles the settlement, lives of the people, and economic development of the region. He includes details of in-and-outward migration, agriculture, mining and lumber industries, and the rise of the tourist industry. (lj)

[Christopher Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent balance of historical scholarship and the careful nuance of striping away the stereotypes. Great Book!