Happy 100th Birthday Branson!

Today is Branson's 100th birthday!  Branson was incorporated as a town on April 1, 1912.  Branson was named for its founder, Reuben Branson.  Branson was one of the first settlers to the area in 1882.  He opened a post office and general store.  When he submitted the paperwork for the post office branch to the U.S. Postal Service, he called it "Branson" and it's been called Branson ever since, with the exception of 1902-1904, when Branson's second postmaster called it "Lucia" - maybe Lucia was his wife? LOL!

In 1912, a fire destroyed downtown Branson.  In 2012, a Leap Year's Day tornado took a trip through Branson and caused damages to several theaters, homes and businesses.  Ironic, isn't it?

Branson first became a tourist attraction in 1894, when William Henry Lynch and his daughters purchased Marvel Cave (now a part of Silver Dollar City) and opened it up to tourists. Tourism started to boom in the Branson area in 1907 when Harold Bell Wright's book The Shepherd of the Hills was published and became a best seller.  People came to Branson to see the places described in the book. 

Outdoor lovers discovered Branson in 1913 when the Ozark Beach Dam was built and Lake Taneycomo was formed.  In 1959, Table Rock Lake was created when the Table Rock Dam was built. 

Branson's first theme park, Silver Dollar City, was founded in 1960 by Hugo and Mary Herschend.  It was built around Marvel Cave.  Silver Dollar City became (and still is) one of the biggest tourist draws in Missouri.

The first music show in Branson occurred in 1959, when the Mabe brothers performed twice a week in a converted roller skating rink on the shores of Lake Taneycomo.  In 1969, the Mabe brothers built a theater on Highway 76 and started calling themselves the Baldknobbers.  The Presley family began performing in 1963 in Kimberling City at the Underground Theater.  The Presleys built the first theater on Hwy. 76 in  1967, and started performing as the Presleys Country Jubilee. 

Live performances of a drama based on the book The Shepherd of the Hills began in 1959, a few miles east of Silver Dollar City, directly on the site where the book took place.  It is now the longest running outdoor drama production in history.

Branson really began to boom in the 1970's and 1980's as more theaters were built and more entertainers discovered the charms of Branson.  When the show 60 Minutes visited Branson in 1991, it proclaimed Branson "the live music capital of the entire universe."  More theaters and lodging facilities were built for all the visitors that came to town as a result.

The upscale shopping facility called Branson Landing opened in 2006.  Not only does Branson Landing have shopping, it has hotels, condominiums, and restaurants.  The Titanic Museum also opened in 2006. 

Branson has had a dynamic and exciting first 100 years.  Here's to the next 100 years!  Information for this blog post was taken from the website, Branson100.org. For more information on the 100th anniversary celebration, visit the Branson100 website. 

See you soon!  Until then -

Happy travels!
Diane