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How was Life in the Ozarks during the Civil War?

Dr. Brooks Blevins, Noel Boyd professor of Ozarks studies at Missouri State University, talks about Ozarks history to a crowd at the Springfield-Greene County Library Center.
Bob Linder, Missouri State University
Dr. Brooks Blevins, Noel Boyd professor of Ozarks studies at Missouri State University, talks about Ozarks history to a crowd at the Springfield-Greene County Library Center.
Dr. Brooks Blevins, Noel Boyd professor of Ozarks studies at Missouri State University, talks about Ozarks history to a crowd at the Springfield-Greene County Library Center.
Credit Bob Linder, Missouri State University
Dr. Brooks Blevins, Noel Boyd professor of Ozarks studies at Missouri State University, talks about Ozarks history to a crowd at the Springfield-Greene County Library Center.

Spreading across roughly 40,000-45,000 square miles, the Ozarks covers much of the southern half of Missouri and a large part of northern Arkansas. It also extends into northeast Oklahoma and southeast Kansas.

There are many stereotypes about the Ozarks and Ozarkers. They range from frontiersmen to hillbillies and moonshiners.

With his research on Ozarks history, Dr. Brooks Blevins tries to dispel those misconceptions and present the most complete portrait of the region. 

About six years ago, Blevins, who is the Noel Boyd professor of Ozarks studies at Missouri State University, started to write a comprehensive history of the Ozarks. It resulted in a trilogy. “A History of the Ozarks, Volume 1: The Old Ozarks” was published last summer. “A History of the Ozarks, Volume 2: The Conflicted Ozarks” came out this summer. Volume three is in the works.

Blevins discusses his research and shares highlights from volume two of his trilogy.An interview with Dr. Brooks Blevins.

Read the full transcript

Volume two is available for purchase online.

Copyright 2021 KSMU. To see more, visit KSMU.

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A native of Malaysia, Emily moved to Springfield in 2010 and started working at Missouri State University in 2014. She’s currently the public relations specialist in the office of university communications. She has a BA in Mass Communications from Colorado State University-Pueblo and a Master of Journalism from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.