Places of Our People

The first 50 years of settlement in the White River Valley, between 1797 when John Lafferty first played the river waters in a keelboat to 1847 when the yellow fever, small pox and other illnesses drove many settlers out of West Tennessee saw the birth of the Ozark culture. Not unlike Jamestown, Virginia, the blending of the blacks, whites and Native Americans created a unique culture that is seen and heard in the dance, speech, music and the way the people of the Ozarks live their lives. While completing the 2009 Voices of Our People, the rich history of the people whose histories lay primarily in that first 50 years began revealing itself in the richness of Civil War stories told by the men who fought to their grandchildren to Mountain Meadows Massace in Utah. Phillips takes us on an exploration of history linking each story to someone who was born, raised or currently lives in the White River Valley.