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[rubedugans]

Some SOTH brochures
Pre 1971 season

1971 season

Regional guide 1971

map of the farm

[Junior]

Wow, Rube! More neat stuff I'd never seen before. You collection of material is great!

[tinmann620]

Some sad news, this week...

Earl Lewis Maggard

Funeral services for Earl Lewis Maggard, age 88 of Reeds Spring, Mo., will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, February 4, 2010 at Greenlawn Funeral Home in Branson with Rev. David Easley officiating. Burial will follow in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens in Springfield, Mo. He died at 10:51 a.m. , Monday, February 1, 2010 at Skaggs Regional Health Center in Branson, Mo. Earl was born on September 13, 1921 in Mayes County, Oklahoma, the son of William H. and Annie Roberts Maggard . He was a longtime resident of the area and for many years, was employed with Shepherd Of The Hills Farm where he was a blacksmith, tour guide and played Jim Lane in the Outdoor Theater. He was also owner and operator of Maggard Buggy Sales in Reeds Spring, Mo. He is survived by his wife, Cathy Foster Maggard of the home; three sons, Earl Leon Maggard of Kuna, Idaho, Larry Duane Maggard of California and Richard L. Maggard of Anchorage, Alaska; one brother, Robert Maggard of Eugene, Oregon; four sisters, Lea Bimat of Bakersfield, California, Dora Davis of Visalia, California, Freda Green of Texas and Thelma Braun of Branson, Mo; 17 grandchildren and nine great- grandchildren. Earl was preceded in death by his parents; a son, Danny Joe Maggard; a daughter, Bonnie Watson; and one sister, Claudia Green. Visitation will be from 6 until 8 p.m. Wednesday in the funeral home.

[marolinesdad]

Today at SOTH they announced the new Vigilante Extreme ZipRider, launching off the top of Inspiration Tower beginning Memorial Day Weekend, 2010!


I will be doing this for sure.

[History Buff]

Finally!  A use for the tower!!!

[bthomas]

The draw of SOTH has never been that big for me.  An attraction and outdoor play based upon a novel...no matter how important it was to the area....never sounded like a good time to me.  History buffs I am sure will disagree.  I did take the time, and I do mean time...2 hours, one Christmas to drive through their display.  It was definitely a been there, done that moment for me.

[History Buff]

The play is an adventure.  Don't count it out in lieu of a Christmas display or a look from the tower - not just from a historical perspective, but it's just a good, adventurous program.  You might even see Terry "SDC" Sanders and his family in some of the roles.

[orient express]

after riding fire in the hole i became interested in SOTH. im a huge fan of what they have going there but i do think they should add a few things. what to add im not sure

[HollyAnn]

LOVE the book. LOVE the play.  One of my favorite places in Branson.  I think its wonderful but strange how more people don't really know about it. 

[sdcforever]

LOVE the book. LOVE the play.  One of my favorite places in Branson.  I think its wonderful but strange how more people don't really know about it. 

Same here.  It's sad that a lot of people don't even know SoTH is there.  I've heard some visitors to SDC ask why that tower is there in the distance.

[Junior]

Please understand, that in the '60's, '70's, and early to mid '80's, Branson was a very different place. Our country-nation was in a different place. During that period, because of the folk music scene, because of a heightened interest in "getting back to the land" and in arts and crafts, HISTORICAL ATTRACTIONS like Shepherd of the Hills, Silver Dollar City, and places like Colonial Williamsburg were HOT tourist destinations. There was a big interest during that time in the Kewpie doll inventor and illustrator Rose O'Neill, who lived in Branson. This trend led to the development initially of Mutton Hollow and Lloyd Durre, who for years played the shepherd in the play, even had his own TANGLEWOOD nature trail tourist trap on Fall Creek Road (All that's left of it is a couple of hewn log cabins along side the road that have been rented out as shops in recent years.) Also, Shad Heller's Wilderness Settlement and Toby Show was a part of that era. As you all know, trends change, and interest in historical attractions has waned. Note even SDC has cut back on the arts and crafts emphasis. IT PAINS ME to read in this thread that some of you younger folks didn't even understand why Shepherd of the Hills was even there, But I understand. Anyone who wants a deeper understanding of the development of tourism in the Branson area should pick up an excellent book by Lynn Morrow and Linda Myers-Phinney titled "SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS COUNTRY: TOURISM TRANSFORMS THE OZARKS, 1880s-1930's. The book is published by the UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS PRESS and is available in book stores, or if it's not on the shelves, you can order it as it is still in print. As I said in another thread on SDCfans, last time I visited Shepherd of the Hills, my wife and I were in and out of there in 15 minutes...there were few visitors...and when we visited Bonniebrook, home of Rose O'Neill, located north of Branson, we about had the whole place to ourselves. I went to high school with Kelly Trimble, whose dad, Mark owned Shep. Hills...I said it before, and I'll say it again...Mark sold Shep. Hills at the right time in the early 80's, he saw that it was time to retire and get out...Gary Snadon, current owner, has had to jump through hoops and make many changes to the homestead to keep at least some visitors going back. The tower did that in the 80s/90's, and a zipline will do it for the next few years. Business is business, ya gotta make money to keep it all going. Somebody will come up with another new idea in a few years and places like the Shep. Hills Homestead will shift and change to meet the demands of new, younger visitors, who don't realize what the origins of the homestead are, or what the place meant to the Branson area fifty to a hundred and twenty years ago. God Bless! (Junior now gets off the soapbox, again!)

[Ozark Outlaw]

Branson just isn't Branson without the Shepherd of the Hills. Whatever it takes to keep the rich history of this area alive is something that I highly support. That is what makes Shepherd of the Hills, and Silver Dollar City more than just a generic attraction. They are both based heavily upon the real foot steps of the people that explored this great area before us.

[Junior]

...and the choir says, "Amen!" 

[jeffthephotog]

I really do love SOTH. But have you ever tried to read the book? I've tried several times, but I am not real good at reading the original King James Version. It's just too hard to understand fully. I wish they'd make a New American Standard version...(note the obvious Bible reference)

[rubedugans]

Big fan of the book. I read it long before I saw the play. My first read was around grade 11 or 12, and I haven't read it since. I did download the audio version since I cannot read in cars though does that count?