The actual population of Branson, Missouri is somewhere around 7,000. However, a great many people also call the mountain areas surrounding Branson home. It was these mountains that greeted and served as home for Branson’s initial entertaining families in 1959, beginning with the Mabe brothers.

The Mabe brothers started as a Branson family who performed twice a week in a converted roller skating rink on Lake Taneycomo in what once was downtown Branson. This trailblazing Branson foursome blended popular country tunes with traditional Ozark Mountain music. They also treated Branson, Missouri visitors to a bit of comedy for further entertainment.

In 1968, the Mabe brothers built a theater on Highway 76, which runs through Branson, Missouri. Here, their act and audience flourished further. Today, the ‘Bald Knobbers,’ as they called themselves, are recognized for having the longest continuously running show in Branson, Missouri.

However, the Bald Knobbers weren’t Branson, Missouri’s only family with entertainment on their minds. In 1960, Hugo and Mary Herchend fulfilled plans to open a small, old-time Ozark village attraction in Branson, Missouri. The attraction was established on top of Marvel Cave, nearly 10 miles west of Branson on Highway 76.

Marvel Cave, which was located where Silver Dollar City theme park now sits, was the first attraction to draw visitors to the Branson, Missouri area over a century ago. Although various stars, mainly country music singers, began coming to the Branson, Missouri area in the 1980s, the city’s long, rich history shows itself in Branson entertainment – even today.

Visitors began being drawn to the Branson, Missouri area over 100 years ago, enticed by Branson’s inspiring natural beauty and plentiful outdoor recreation activities. However, people did not arrive then in the droves that now make Branson, Missouri one of America’s most popular family vacation destinations.

The early beginnings of the Branson, Missouri area involved minister Harold Bell Wright, who moved to the Ozarks in 1898. While in Branson, Wright lived at the homestead of John and Anna Ross. He later immortalized them as “Old Matt” and “Aunt Mollie” in his famous novel, “The Shepherd of the Hills.” Published in 1907, the novel offers tales of the strong, self-sustaining people Wright encountered in Branson, Missouri and its wooded valleys, among other interesting local discoveries and details.

The book, set in Branson, Missouri, sold millions of copies in multiple languages. It was so famous, in fact, that four movies were filmed – including a version in 1941 that featured John Wayne. It was Wayne’s first Technicolor film. Following the publication of “The Shepherd of the Hills” and particularly upon the release of the movies, Branson, Missouri residents began noticing a greater onset of visitors.

Lake Taneycomo was created with the building of the Ozark Beach Dam (also known as Powersite Dam) in Branson, Missouri in 1913. At this point, the Branson area became even more attractive to outdoor enthusiasts. The Branson area and such Branson resorts as Chateau on the Lake Resort & Spa continue to attract vacationers who prefer fishing, boating, swimming, hunting and enjoying the rugged natural beauty of the Ozark Mountains and Branson, Missouri’s plentiful lakes.