SDCFans - The Unofficial Fan Site For Silver Dollar City
General Category => Branson Talk => Topic started by: Junior on January 13, 2010, 04:24:32 PM
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I recall several attractions around Branson in the 1960's and '70's and '80's that are no longer around. Let me throw out a few names and see how many others remember them, too. Jessie James Confusion Hill/Motel/Restaurant (where the veterans museum is now) Grandpa's Farm (north of Branson on Hwy 65) Shad Heller's Corncrib Theater and Wilderness Settlement on Hwy 76, the original Mutton Hollow (where Celebration City now rots away) and Tanglewood, located on Fall Creek Road (it was owned and operated by Lloyd Durre, who played the shepherd at Shepherd of the Hills for many years) How about these old music shows...Foggy River Boys (When I was in high school, two of the Foggy River Boys went to the same church as my family) Bob-o-Links Country Hoedown (where Legends/Osmonds Theater is now) and Plummer Family (Randy Plummer is still active in the Branson music scene) Anyone have any memories of these places? How about some pictures? Post 'em and let's see what you've got!
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We always made sure to stop at the Shepherd Of The Hills book store. It was the only thing between SOTH and SDC.
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The Sammy Lane Pirate Cruise.
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When they "cleaned out" downtown Branson to build the (allegedly financially troubled) Branson Landing, we lost several old time attractions like the Sammy Lane Pirate Cruise and Mang Field, where back in the days of long ago, the St. Louis Cardinals did some spring training and off season practice. (I think that was in the 30's and 40's) There used to be a city owned swimming pool adjacent to Mang Field. The old White River Hotel was another landmark swept away with the Branson Landing project.
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^That is one of the areas of Branson I miss the most. I just can't appreciate the Landing with everything that was lost. We used to stay in the cabins at the Allendale Sharp Resort and take walks in downtown Branson past the White River Hotel, the swimming pool, the baseball field, and down to the dock where they had boat rentals, the Lake Queen, and Sammy Lane Pirate Cruise. Those are some of my favorite Old Time Attractions. I also still miss Mutton Hollow. :'(
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Same here on Mutton Holler. I miss the "long" drive from the strip to SOTH. I miss seeing "Jim Lane's" cabin. But above all, I miss that feeling you got back then. Today it is about the dollar sign. Back then, you really thought you were stepping back in time. Alright....now I'm depressed! THANKS A LOT! :D
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The Sammy Lane Resort in downtown also was lost with Branson Landing. When movie stars made personal appearances at the old Jim Owen Theater in downtown Branson, they would sometimes stay there. I seem to remember seeing some pictures of John Wayne, Gabby Hayes, and others who may have stayed in Branson in the 1940's and 1950's.
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Mutton Hollow was a great one. My Branson was pre-Dixie Stampede, Olive Garden, Titanic etc. A Branson with the Presley's, Boxcar Willie, Waltzing Waters and Helicopter rides with copters straight out of a Magnum PI episode. Not to say that all the wineries, and new acts detract from my experience, but I do not see it as the same entity. Many others would argue that this was already a time when a "real spirit " had been sold out. It is sad sometimes to see the status on Table Rock to see new and more massive structures appearing on the horizon. Harold Bell Wright put it best with this which echoes still 103 years later.
"Even as he was greeted by the strong master of the hills and his charming wife, there fell upon his ears a dull report as of distant cannon; then another, and another. They led him across the yard, and there to the north on the other side of Roark, men were tearing up the mountain to make way for the railroad. As they looked, another blast sent the rocks flying, while the sound rolled and echoed through the peaceful hills." The Shepherd of the Hills
by Harold Bell Wright, 1907
(http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/rubedugans/clip_image002.gif)
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That last bit of Shepherd of the Hills really cut to my soul the first time I read it. Harold Bell Wright seemed downright psychic in that last chapter.
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My Branson was pre-Dixie Stampede, Olive Garden, Titanic etc. A Branson with the Presley's, Boxcar Willie, Waltzing Waters and Helicopter rides with copters straight out of a Magnum PI episode.
I also relate well to that Branson. I saw the Presley's, Boxcar Willie, and Waltzing Waters growing up. I also took more than one of those helicopter rides! ;D Come to think of it, I remember how in awe I was when I heard the construction plans for the Grand Palace and Grand Village. I saw many wonderful acts at the Grand Palace growing up (Pam Tillis, Lorrie Morgan, Oak Ridge Boys, Loretta Lynn, Barbara Mandrell, Kenny Rogers, and Don Williams, to name a few). As we all know, the Grand Palace is now defunct too. :-[
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My belief is when Morley Safer did the 60 Minutes piece on Branson in the 1990's, the jackels who seek nothing but profit moved in on Branson, killed a huge number of mom and pop style businesses, and brought in corporate mentality. I remember when Red Roof Mall was built. It was great, but there were empty shops there. Then they built Tanger, and it has done well, but it too has empty shops. So someone comes along and builds Branson Meadows, and it is half empty. Then historic downtown Branson is torn down, Branson Landing opens, it's a fun place, but now it is allegedly in serious financial trouble. Branson didn't need four malls, one or two were enough. But greed rules. I remember when Branson had the six month tourist season, roughly May through October. Construction work was done in winter, when no tourists were around. When spring came and the tourists came back, Branson was newly updated, clean, trees and flowers planted, and everything was ready to go. Look at the empty buildings in town when you pass through now. Look at the half finished or abandoned construction areas. See the empty motel buildings. My brother owns a food service business in Branson, a mom and pop owned business. He had to partner with the timeshare places just to survive. Even with that, he only did half the business last year he had done in the past. It's a sorry situation, all the way around. However, I don't mean to be all negative here. If you visit Branson, and I hope you do in 2010, pause, take a good look around, visit those "core" places from years past like SDC, Shepherd of the Hills, Presley's, Baldknobbers, tour College of the Ozarks and visit the museum there, enjoy some of the new attractions and music shows. Then you will still see there is magic left in the town. It's still a place where you can take your family and enjoy a nice vacation. Five generations of my family have visited Branson for a vacation, and we will go back. I hope you and your family will,too.
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I did not take it as being negative. Progress sometimes brings these feelings of leaving the old and bringing in the new. I was at SDC the week that 60 minutes was there. It was so hot that the blacktop softened enough to make the camera equipment leave holes all over the square. My family and I would not have visited this place if someone sometime had thought to attract people to the area. Now as then, it is still about money. For me it is a place to get away from anything bothering me. Despite what is going on in the branson and in the world around us, SDC is a place to "get away". This is a place for us to share these thoughts and feelings. Some of the places we talk about that are gone bring those same happy feelings and memories, and no dozer, or conglomerate can those that away! Lets share!
I fondly remember as a child going to nearly every putt putt course on the strip. My favorite was the old west themed one that is now beneath a go cart track. My mom would always (and still does) ask "does anyone want to go play miniature golf?" when she in reality wants to go the most out of anyone!
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Progress sometimes brings these feelings of leaving the old and bringing in the new.
Very true quote. Progress almost always removes some type of "charm" when it comes to things like this.
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We all remember days past with great fondness but it was and will be again when the economy bounces back the millions of people who came through Branson that fueled the growth and lead to the changes. I truly hope that the Branson Landing survives and thrives. I hope that someone comes up with a plan to reopen the palace and pack in the fans. I hope that future planners have enough moxy in them to not let Table Rock become another Lake of the Ozarks. 1967 is never coming back. If it did, or the 70's, 80's , ever did and we could go back to SDC we would find that we miss the changes that have been made.
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We used to go down to Branson from Kansas City about 3 to 4 times a year. That was when Allendale/Sharps was around, and we could stay for $25.00 a night. We were very heartbroken when that area was all torn down for the rich people's area. We have found other places to stay, but its not as easy to go down as often.
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Another from my archives. Enjoy.
(http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/rubedugans/corncrib.jpg)
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I loved the Wilderness Settlement and the Corncrib Theater. It was a "hip" place for SDC folks to go to at night after work. I remember going in 1980 and seeing Shad, Mollie, Wayne Milnes, Jana, Jae, Jim Waddell, all were SDC employees during the day. At night at the Toby Show, they really cut loose and put on a hiliarious performance. Terry Sanders got experience there, and other top notch SDC and Branson area perfomers. Thanks, Rube for the posting...it brought back great old memories.
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I worked at Wilderness Road Clockworks in the early 90's. I primed the pump for the waterfall every morning and wound all the clocks. Back before they bypassed downtown, Reeds Spring was a happening place. Its sad how so much of it hasn't survived.
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Ah, the minigolf and assorted attractions...I took my best girl Anna to THE TRACK after prom our senior year. Was so much fun to ride in tuxedo and tails.
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Anyone remember Dinky Burger at the top of the valley in Reeds Spring? The old building is still there...looks like its about to fall any day now.
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The old wax museum...located where the present wax museum is. The old place was a typical roadside attraction from the '50's and '60's. The figures were cheap, not well made. The other exhibits were typical crap you could buy at flea markets. They had a series of crappy wax figures depicting the life of Christ. It smelled like a musty basement or attic in the place. However, it was clean, fairly well kept, and because of the booming tourist business in the 70's and '80s, always fairly busy. As a guy in my late teens, it was kind of cool, kind of creepy, to go through the place with friends and make fun of the exhibits. Also weird...like in a cheap "B" movie sense. It was quiet inside the attraction, broken by the swish and whirl of air conditioning units. You had the sense that you really didn't know what would confront you as you rounded each corner. MAN, I LOVED THAT PLACE! Great place to take a date, hold hands, and neck a little as you walked down the narrow passages. Twilight Zone stuff, really! The Old Jesse James Museum at Confusion Hill next to the Jesse James Motel (Where the Veteran's Museum is now) was another place like the old wax museum. So was the Wash Gibbs Museum adjacent to Shepherd of the Hills that old Chick Allen (An early SDC staple "Citizen") owned and operated. All these typical roadside attraction tourist traps were fading out when I was leaving high school and entering college in the late 70s, early 80s, but they were cool little cheap places to explore. Several were on the SDC employee "Pass Exchange Program" list, and we former citizens got in free...that was cool, too.
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I remember most all those places!! I have one question though. We used to camp at the city campground and do laundry in the strip mall across from Jesse James museum hotel/huge slide/rearing horse. My sister and I would walk across 76 and check out the gift shop while our parents did the laundry. One thing we never did was go into the cave/mine under the store. Anyone remember what was in there? All these years and it still makes me wonder. LOL. Gosh I miss old Branson. I think it was a lot funner and homier than what it currently is!
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Anyone remember Dinky Burger at the top of the valley in Reeds Spring? The old building is still there...looks like its about to fall any day now.
I remember Dinky's also. If you go to the Underground Ozarks website they explored the old place. I still have a plastic cup from when we would eat there.
http://www.undergroundozarks.com/dinkys.html
Also, the Shepherds Bookstore was always a favorite place for us to spot as we drove along. It always just looked so lonely. I ventured up one of the broken highway segment in 2006 and found the ruins of the old store.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skinnytie/250878159/in/set-72157594296835039/
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I never knew how the Old Shepherd's Book Shop ever made a go of it...Everytime I drove by there would never be more than one to three cars parked out there. I know it was there for a long, long time...and even today when I go through old flea markets and used book stores searching for out of print books on the ozarks, I will occassionally find something that still has the Old Shepherd's Bookshop pricetag inside the cover! Some books were stamped with an Old Shepherd's Bookshop stamp, too. I've got a few books from there that I bought second hand that are autographed by the author! So I guess the shop had found it's niche, and did well for many years. I was broken hearted when I drove by there a few years ago and saw it had been bulldozed away. Another childhood memory gone.
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Anyone remember Dinky Burger at the top of the valley in Reeds Spring? The old building is still there...looks like its about to fall any day now.
I remember Dinky's also. If you go to the Underground Ozarks website they explored the old place. I still have a plastic cup from when we would eat there.
http://www.undergroundozarks.com/dinkys.html
Also, the Shepherds Bookstore was always a favorite place for us to spot as we drove along. It always just looked so lonely. I ventured up one of the broken highway segment in 2006 and found the ruins of the old store.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skinnytie/250878159/in/set-72157594296835039/
I believe it was officially called "Dinky's Diner." I remember it well, even if you don't readily pass through Reed's Spring nowadays. I never remember it actually being open, though. Either I don't remember or I'm not old enough. :)
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Does anyone remember Cardinal Cove resort?? My grandparents owned it in the late 50"s to sometime in the 70's, Bill and Vera Hoke were the most wonderful grandparents in the entire world......I miss the branson of my youth and everytime I visit I remember the ol saying that you can never go home again
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_MKS3-MYcYA8/TM2zeoVvG_I/AAAAAAAAC4U/iMa4M9KFSWk/s144/cardinal_cove.JPG)
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Where was Cardinal Cove located?
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Anyone remember Dinky Burger at the top of the valley in Reeds Spring? The old building is still there...looks like its about to fall any day now.
I remember Dinky's also. If you go to the Underground Ozarks website they explored the old place. I still have a plastic cup from when we would eat there.
http://www.undergroundozarks.com/dinkys.html
Also, the Shepherds Bookstore was always a favorite place for us to spot as we drove along. It always just looked so lonely. I ventured up one of the broken highway segment in 2006 and found the ruins of the old store.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skinnytie/250878159/in/set-72157594296835039/
We placed a geocache in that area to tell people about the old book store.
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Good thread, even if it makes me a little sad. Branson is slowly becoming just another place, but it's still great. Mutton Hollow was big loss to our family. Also, Uncle Joe's BBQ was a major blow as well. My Grandpa loved the place from its early days. Dad says they used to go there when it was just a shack. (Not sure if it was originally in a different location or if they just updated their building and was always where it was when it closed?) We went there every visit and continued to do so after Grandpa died. Was a terrible day when we pulled in and saw it was some race-themed burger joint, and now the tex mex restaurant. >:(
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I remember Uncle Joes BBQ! That place was great! So was the vittles at Hillbilly Inn. I still miss Mutton Hollow. Sammy Lane's had the best frozen chocolate strawberry pie, and Aunt Parthenes Pie Parlor always had hot pie that just came out of the oven (at least that's what she said). And who doesn't miss Sammy Lane's Pirate Cruise?? What I miss most is my grandparents house on Table Rock. I probably spent a lifetime of years walking up and down that hill to their boat dock. Nothing was better than sleeping on the screened in porch and listening for critters and the engines from late night boaters. The last time we looked for it their little summer house was surrounded by mega mansions. But the boat dock is still there in very poor condition.
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Uncle Joes was a real treat and will be remembered. I felt right at home there and the food was great! I miss the ridge runner dune buggies that were at the big bend. Driving one of those beasts down the hill through the trees before I even had a license was an absolute thrill. I remember the employee stopping me and giving me a hard time for knocking over one of his precious orange cones. "But sir, me and Johnny was just racin'!" And I also dearly miss the fire lookout tower. It was a great show of lights right along the strip at night. I miss the old Track I too on the first curve off 65. Boy, seein' that always made me so excited because I knew then that we had arrived to the good stuff and SDC was just ahead. And of course, Waltzing Waters and Hee Haw, which was so before its time. And how 'bout the Rockaway Beach waterfront amusements? Frankly, we could go on and on (hopefully we will), but time marches on and Branson keeps chuggin' along. Can I get an amen?!
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Amen! Preach it brother
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Uncle Joes had the best ribs and beans ever. I miss the place. After it had been sold two or three times, each sucessive owner made worse and worse food. I ate there once with my wife in the late 90s, and the food was ho hum. I see for the last several years it has been a Mexican joint.
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Who remembers when the only shows on the strip were the Presleys, the Baldknobbers and the Foggy River Boys? While you were in the shows, they had people in the parking lot putting their bumper sticker on your car! Heck, back then we would travel to Branson without any reservations to a motel!!! Then came the trip where the entire town was booked and we couldn't find a room. We ended up staying in a primitive cabin on Indian Point. From that point on, mom always made sure we had reservations at the Pines Motel.
Junior- I remember the old Wax Museum as well. Pretty bad by todays standards, but back then we thought it was cool!
SOTH was also very different back then. Just the ticket office, a gift shop and Aunt Molly's Cupboard the best I can remember. Old Matt's Cabin and the old barn were the only structures on the west side. Up the hill from the cabin, under the pines, were the statues of The Shepherd and Little Pete along with Brave. Riding down the hill to the Old Mill Theater always gave me an eerie feeling as a kid. Don't know why, maybe just my imagination running wild about the baldknobbers along with the glow from the yellow lights hanging in the trees. Ah...the good old days. :'(
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Who remembers when the only shows on the strip were the Presleys, the Baldknobbers and the Foggy River Boys? While you were in the shows, they had people in the parking lot putting their bumper sticker on your car! Heck, back then we would travel to Branson without any reservations to a motel!!! Then came the trip where the entire town was booked and we couldn't find a room. We ended up staying in a primitive cabin on Indian Point. From that point on, mom always made sure we had reservations at the Pines Motel.
Junior- I remember the old Wax Museum as well. Pretty bad by todays standards, but back then we thought it was cool!
SOTH was also very different back then. Just the ticket office, a gift shop and Aunt Molly's Cupboard the best I can remember. Old Matt's Cabin and the old barn were the only structures on the west side. Up the hill from the cabin, under the pines, were the statues of The Shepherd and Little Pete along with Brave. Riding down the hill to the Old Mill Theater always gave me an eerie feeling as a kid. Don't know why, maybe just my imagination running wild about the baldknobbers along with the glow from the yellow lights hanging in the trees. Ah...the good old days. :'(
Actually I remember it being The Baldknobbers, Presleys and The Plummer Family. I remember the name The Foggy River Boys, but cannot remember where they were. I also remember the year one of the Mabes got into a P***sing contest with the other brothers and opened his own theater. Bob O links Was the name of the show I think. Where Clay Cooper is now.
Now, Does anyone remember the semi permanent Rodeo that was located where Whitewater is now?
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We always stayed in the tent area of Treasure Lake (area C?) and you could hear the guns from SotH after dark. Then when you woke up, you could hear the whistle from the train off in the distance. ;D Happy memories of time spent with family
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The semi permanent rodeo was called The Heart of America Rodeo, and it was held in Mutton Hollow where Celebration City now is. I think It ran from about 1977 to about 1980. My stepfather, an executive by day, was parking lot manager there by night for part of the 1979 season, and my brother and I parked cars. Our pay was $20 per night, and free admission to the rodeo. Mutton Hollow was beautiful and unspoiled then, not so now.
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The semi permanent rodeo was called The Heart of America Rodeo, and it was held in Mutton Hollow where Celebration City now is. I think It ran from about 1977 to about 1980. My stepfather, an executive by day, was parking lot manager there by night for part of the 1979 season, and my brother and I parked cars. Our pay was $20 per night, and free admission to the rodeo. Mutton Hollow was beautiful and unspoiled then, not so now.
I remember that one also Junior, but there was another at one time in the early 70's that was located in the general area of whitewater. I remember the stockade style fences as you rounded the curve.
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Could be, I did not arrive in Branson to live until 78. Interesting.
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Up the hill from the cabin, under the pines, were the statues of The Shepherd and Little Pete along with Brave. Riding down the hill to the Old Mill Theater always gave me an eerie feeling as a kid. Don't know why, maybe just my imagination running wild about the baldknobbers along with the glow from the yellow lights hanging in the trees. Ah...the good old days. :'(
I got married in front of those statues! ;D
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Always loved the carnival and mini golf in front of the 76 Music Hall back in the 60-70's.
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That carnival was called FUN SPOT. I always was puzzled as to the sucess of the place, because it was a carnival. I was attracted to the waterslides, museums and theme parks. But people from small towns who did not get to experience carnival much loved the place.
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I thought it would be a harbinger of great success for Celebration City, but alas it was not to be.
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That carnival was called FUN SPOT. I always was puzzled as to the sucess of the place,
The same man owns that 76 music hall complex that always has. Talk about a Branson success story. He changed and built and did what he had to keep up with the demands of the public. I am pretty sure he was the first indoor water park in town. He also secured some of the best entertainers that SDC used to employ for his shows that have proven to still pull a crowd. Pretty smart cookie!
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Fun spot was a common gathering place for us kids in the 90's. I have lots of fond memories of that place.
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The 76 music hall complex used to be the only Walmart in town.
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Wasn't that next to Engler's Block?
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There was a pizza hut next to Englers Block. Englers was the site of Lugene's, where many pieces of tourist novelties were made. The location is the current site of the new auto and farm tractor museum.