Ross and Wright
In the late 1800s, John and Anna Ross homesteaded 160 acres of land just to the west of current day Branson, a seemingly insignificant occurrence, were it not for a chain of events to follow, which would forever change the face of this area.
In 1896, a Kansas minister by the name of Harold Bell Wright was instructed by his physician to seek a better climate for his health, having been diagnosed with tuberculosis, commonly referred to as consumption. Having heard about the great fishing in this area, and being an avid fisherman and nature lover, he came to the Ozarks in search of such a locale. Seeking what he thought would be temporary shelter with the Rosses, due to flooding on the
White River, Wright ultimately pitched a tent on what would come to be known as Inspiration Point on the Ross homestead. Wright spent the next several years getting to know the people and places of this unique and strangely romantic area, full of rich heritage and local customs and color. A lover of nature, he was constantly roaming the hills and streams of the Ozarks, capturing the setting and feeling of the land which he so vividly described in his book.
The Shepherd of the Hills
In 1907, Wright’s novel was published for the first time under the title of “The Shepherd of the Hills,” and his perfect description of the Ozarks scenery, along with the soon-to-be legendary characters of the novel, would draw visitors by the thousands to this larger-than-life area that lived in their imaginations as they read his epic work.
Harold Bell Wright - John & Anna Ross
Cabin & Homestead (c.1907-1910)
Many claims have been made following the book’s publication as to which fictional characters were based on actual specific individuals. Despite conflicting claims, there are several central characters that are undisputedly based on real habitants of the area, including Old Matt and Aunt Molly, who are accepted as being based on John and Anna Ross, and their son, Charles who inspired the character of Young Matt. One central character in the novel, Uncle Ike, was stated by Wright himself to have been based on the Postmaster of Notch, Missouri, Levi Morrill, who built his post office on the "Old Trail Nobody Knows How Old."
M. R. Driver
Old Matt's cabin became a very popular tourist attraction, and the Ross’ would have fifty or sixty people at a time following them around, so they finally moved across Roark Valley to Garber, Missouri. On Christmas Eve of 1910,
John and Anna sold the homestead to M. R. Driver, a physical education instructor at Fairmont College, Wichita, Kansas. Driver made "Old Matt's cabin" a wayside inn where tourists could dine, and in 1913 he added a screened dining room on the north side. John and Anna Ross attended the opening, and before the season was over that year, between six and seven hundred tourists had dined at the homestead. The Ross’ lived out their days running a store and post office in Garber, both passing in 1923, and their son, Charles, ultimately married and moved to California, where he died at the age of 58 in 1934.
Pearl Spurlock
The tourism boom to the Branson area in general, and the homestead specifically, continued in full force, and one woman who not only made a lucrative career out of guided tours to the homestead, but actually gained personal notoriety as a local figure of
prominence, was Pearl Spurlock, known affectionately by many as “Sparky.” According to her book, printed in 1936, Pearl began taking tours in her Shepherd of the Hills Taxi, traversing rugged, brutal terrain across Dewey Bald to the homestead.
Lizzie McDaniel
By October of 1926, M. R. Driver and his new wife, Sara had moved to Yolo County, California, and sold the homestead to successful Springfield banker, Horace Dewitt McDaniel for $3,000.00, who four months later deeded the property to his daughter, Lizzie McDaniel King. Ms. McDaniel, as she would later be known, had a keen interest as a school teacher in seeing the homestead preserved for its key role in both the literary world and the history and lore of the region. In 1927, Ms. McDaniel began to stage plays reenacting “The Shepherd of the Hills” on the lawn of the Ross cabin, even as the sightseeing
and tourist interest in the homestead continued to peak. In 1934, having initially lived in the Ross cabin, Lizzie had her house in Springfield dismantled, and reconstructed on the homestead, just to the east of the cabin. In August of 1934, Ms. McDaniel granted a Right of Way to the State of Missouri for the purpose of building through the homestead what is known today as Highway 76. January 10, 1936, she executed a 50-year lease to the State of 6.86 acres in the homestead to “develop and beautify a Scenic Turnout on Inspiration Hill.” This leased acreage included the Ross cabin, which was now commonly referred to as Old Matt’s Cabin.
The Trimbles
Upon Lizzie’s death in February of 1946, her will was probated, and she bequeathed her estate, including the homestead, to her brother H. B. McDaniel. Three months later, H. B.
sold the homestead to the Branson Civic League for the sum of $9,000.00. Three months later, in August of 1946, the Civic League sold most of the homestead to Dr. Bruce and Mary Trimble, although the Civic League maintained ownership of Inspiration Point and the cabin, and the Trimble family paid a fee to the library club in the name of the Civic League for the use of the cabin and Inspiration Point until 1966, when it was actually transferred in title to the Trimble family. Upon the death of Dr. Trimble, his son, Mark, became a driving force in the direction and future of the homestead, along with his mom, Mary, and wife, Lea. By 1950 tourism was rebounding from World War II, and the Trimbles had converted Lizzie McDaniel’s home into a second museum on the homestead.
The Drama Begins
On August 6, 1960, Mark Trimble, working with Jim Collie as script writer and director, and Lloyd “Shad” Heller as casting director, formed the Old Mill Player’s, Incorporated, and produced the first performance of “The Shepherd of the Hills Outdoor Drama” in the newly built outdoor amphitheatre on the Ross homestead. The amphitheatre had an initial capacity of 275 seats. Mark noted that in the early days they consciously and aggressively type-cast local residents in the roles they most closely resembled, and specifically put the public on notice that these were not actors, but were instead locals recreating what was arguably the most important event in their history.
In 1966, Mark Trimble bought out the other members of Old Mill Player’s, Inc., and began expanding marketing for the drama, and
attendance grew steadily. Over the coming years the theatre would undergo several expansions, with the first one occurring in 1966, and would ultimately seat 2,800 spectators. The other significant improvement to the homestead during this era was in 1977 - 78, when the Trimbles widened Highway 76 in front of the homestead, and built a tunnel under the roadway, which enabled customers to pass from the expanded parking lot on the south side of the road to the main complex on the north side, without having to cross traffic on the highway.
The Snadons
Another seemingly insignificant occurrence took place in the mid-to-late 60’s when a young man who had moved to Branson with his wife in 1965 to become the head football coach of Branson High School, was cast in the role Wash Gibbs. No one imagined that less than twenty years later, Gary and Pat Snadon
would purchase The Shepherd of the Hills Historic Homestead and Old Mill Theatre from Mark and Lea Trimble. After purchasing the homestead on November 1, 1985, Gary and Pat knew that the fifty year lease of Inspiration Point would expire in less than 75 days, and began to focus on making the most of the property and amenities for daytime visitation, as well as the nightly plays.
Inspiration Tower
While on a trip to New York, the Snadons were standing on the observation deck of the World Trade Center when Gary remarked that such an attraction was needed in Branson, and in 1989 Inspiration Tower was built on the site where Harold Bell Wright had spent his summers looking out over Mutton Hollow. The 230-foot height of the tower is the maximum that could be achieved by utilizing pre-cast construction, which Gary felt was important for aesthetic reasons.
Morgan Church
The Snadons were made aware of a small frame church in Morgan, Missouri whose congregation had disbanded, leaving the building and its contents in tact. Built in 1901, the church was most likely identical to churches in which Wright would have ministered throughout his career. So in 1990, the Morgan County Church, complete with its original, inscribed cornerstone was moved to Inspiration Point.
Another Hundred Years
On July 6-8, 2007, a Centennial Celebration was held to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the publication of The Shepherd of the Hills.
Many people have shared in making The Shepherd of the Hills Homestead and Outdoor Theatre what it is today: a legend. We invite you to experience the legend for yourself.