His toils are past his work is done, He fought the fight, the victory won. The thought provoking, often simple names of Ozark places stimulate the imagination. Some place names are self explanatory, such as Ash Tree Ridge, Cedargrove and Bat Cave. Others are a little more complicated. Today we call it the Osage orange.
Many names come from the early French explorers and trappers in the area.
The Jacks Fork River was named by later settlers. According to local legend it is named for a Shawnee Indian named Captain Jack who camped along the river with his tribe. In the early 1800's, settlers brought animal hides to the river to process them into leather. Later, the hides were removed from the vat and submerged in the deep water that is known to this day as Tan Vat Hole. Troublesome Hollow got its name during the turbulent Civil War years.