The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-09-04

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doubted. as they have never been out
Of the mountains except to a nearby
crossroads to buy their. scanty Prov
sions. The men Wear-not overallss
but homemade trousers. of old flour
sacks and even burlap. If they have
shirt, they are well dressed, but the
most of them wear only trousers ana
shoes and a coat of some material,
mover fitting them.
Evidences of Poverty.
The soil is poor. naturally, and with
! the scanty heed they give IT, they can
fields have huge trees growing IN
their midst, and corn, tomatoes and
a.spuds,2seem to DE the only crops
/ grown. Their horses are poor with
projecting ribs and hip-bones, and the
| buggies are nothing but four wheels,
some of them wobbly and about to
come off
| The townsmen say that the hill
billy knows nothing of the outside
world, that his main interest is to
keep alive by as little work as pos
sibIe and also that it is impossible to
( educate him. The tourist should not
| depend upon information from hill
| billy, they do not know OF town
unless it is within five miles OF their
/ abode "Well-you-uns just keep on
going and you will get to yer spot"
| is all the directions they can and will
! give.
| : Branson, the goal from Galena, is
| town of perhaps 500 population. sit
uated on the banks of Lake fancy
como. and is one of the most popular
! places of the Ozarks. Presbyterian
| Hill. across the lake from Branson,
is alive during the summer, mostly
/ the church for which the hill is
named Three hundred and thirty
four cement steps lead down from the
hill to the lake, where a diving plat
| form and swimming beach are To-
| Gated Cottages of all sizes are scat
tered here and there on the hill and a
large tabernacle was erected two
years ago for the church services
The Marvel Cave.
The town is alive during the vaca-
ton months and a boat house owned
| nv a town character named Walker is
busy renting canoes and sailboats to
young and old. Dancing boats" river
steamers with the top deck converted
into a dancing floor, make two or
three trips a week with the young
+ people, from 8 to II in the evening
! Marvel cave, a hole of mammoth con-
! struction, is point of interest in
Branson. The trip to the cave is made
| every day by taxi drivers over ten
miles of the worst road in Missouri.
The road there however, will be i'm
proved next summer, and tourists can
reaCn the cave more easily
The Tavern Inn, in Branson, serves
meals to about 100 persons a day. and
the Commercial hotel takes care of
mum bers of touris;a and summer va
cationers. Stern N:heelers'' make the
trip from Branson up the lake to the
several camps and resorth. Rockaway
Beach. a popular resort, is located ten
miles up the lake.
The second largest hydraulic power
dam in the world, owned by the En-
pire Light and Fuel company is the
real object of the trip up the lake.
The trip to the dam takes two Nhours,
ANY many vacationers go thru every
day.
Hollister, Mo is located only five
miles from Branson, and the only rea-
son it is not a popular resort is because
it is too far from the lake. The town
has about 500 population, and the
livery stables in HOLSTER make a for
tune in the summer time renting
steeds to the riders in Branson.
On to Arkansas.
From Branson and HOLSTER the
) tourists next move should be down
} into Arkansas, thru Omaha and Har-
rlson, over thirty-five miles of convict
built road, and twenty miles of fairly
good road to Eureka Springs, Ark, a
, summer resort with wonderful oppor-
tunlties but without promoters who
! push it.
The town is built on several hills
{ and there isn't a level foot of land
IN the business district. It has two
t Ilne hote1s, one the Crescent, located
on top of the highest hill in the city
ana girls school in the winter time
Inc hotel was erected in 1884, anC
while every room does not have run
= nlng water, they are very comforta BILE
= and the rates are $3.50 a day, Ameri.
can plan The place is running to full
capacity turnout the summer. To Z
northerner or a Westerner the Ores.
cent would be a delightful place; the
women are numerous and beautiful
ana mostly from the south. The soft
southern accent is prevalent, and the
men are few Dances are given at the
hotel twice week, Tuesday and Fri
day nights, and Spring Lake a dane.
ing and swimming park, is used nearly
every night thruout the summer fol
dancing. A fine pavilion has been
erected for dancing, and the lake. fec
by a spring, contains water as pure as
crystal. The Basin Park hotel, located
in the heart of the city, is six storie:
nigh. 1t is built at the foot of hill
and from the roof garden one car
walk out on a board walk onto tbs
top of the hill. The roof garden is {
popular place, with dancing three
nights in the week.
Bella Vista.
From Eureka Springs, It is a drive
Of only 50 miles to Bella Vista, oper
ated by the Linebarger Brothers O.
Dallas, Tex. It is located five mile,
from BentonviIle, Ark, which is easiI!
reached either by train or road. Bella
Vista is, primarily, a summer resort
A hotel on the rustic order, a swim
ming and boating lake, a dancing pa
vilion and an enormous cave, are thu
attractions offered. Jimmy Conzel
mans orchestra from st. Louis, on,
of the best in the middle west. ha
just finished a three months engage
ment at Bella Vista, where they played
Every night in the pavilion, and TO
the three meals. Again the rates ar
reasonable, $3.50 a day, American
plan, and the meals are good. ST
tLouis, Springfield and Kansas Cit,
were well represented there, and tn