The folk culture of the Ozarks is alive and flourishing, according Dr. W.K. McNeil, folklorist at the Ozark Folk Center State Park in Mountain View, Arkansas. Traditional folkways are also constantly evolving, just as they have for almost 200 years in the scenic hills of north-central and northwest Arkansas. In his latest book Ozark Country , Dr. McNeil notes that the death of folklore has been predicted for centuries, but that regional customs live on, seemingly forever.
Ozark folklore is as diverse as the people who brought it to Arkansas.
First, the Europeans came to explore, establish trade routes, and settle along major rivers. Easterners soon followed in small groups of multiple families, primarily from Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia and the Carolinas. They often had to blaze their own roads through thick forests, ford wild streams and endure many hardships. They traveled by ox wagons, mule carts, riverboats and horseback. Many walked to Arkansas.