BRANSON/LAKES AREA MAJOR MILESTONES 1907 - 2003

[MRC 81]

1900's

1907 Harold Bell Wright’s novel, “The Shepherd of the Hills,” is published.
1913 The Ozark Beach Dam creates Bull Shoals Lake and turns a section of the White River into Lake Taneycomo.

1950's

1959 Table Rock Dam is completed, forming Table Rock Lake and transforming Lake Taneycomo into a cold water lake.
1959 The Baldknobbers Jamboree, a country music show named for a turn-of-the-century Ozarks vigilante gang, opens in downtown Branson.

1960's

1960 Mary and Hugo Herschend open a small, old-time Ozarks village attraction atop the long popular Marvel Cave.
1960 Mary and Bruce Trimble begin an outdoor pageant based on the novel “Shepherd of the Hills,” by Harold Bell Wright. Located on the site where the models for Wright’s characters lived, the pageant grows into a popular national historical drama and eventually evolves into The Shepherd of the Hills Outdoor Theatre.
1963 The Presley family begins a music show at Underground Theater (Talking Rocks Cavern).
1967 The Presley family makes history when they opened the first music show on what is today Highway 76 “The Strip.” Today four generations of the Presley family perform in the Presleys' Country Jubilee.
1968 The Baldknobbers Jamboree open a theater on Highway 76 at their present day location.

1970's

1970 Mutton Hollow, a replica of an old Country Fair featuring an antique carousel and Ferris wheel, opens.
1971 The Foggy River Boys open a music show in Kimberling City.
1974 The Foggy River Boys move from Kimberling City to Highway 76 in Branson.
1973 The Plummer Family Music Show opens on Highway 76.
1976 Bob Mabe leaves the Baldknobbers Jamboree and opens Bob-O-Links Country Hoedown.

1980's

1981 The Wilkinson Brothers Theatre, Hee Haw Theatre and first Starlite Theatre are completed.
1981 Presleys' Country Jubilee is expanded to 2,000 seats making it the largest theater in Branson.
1981 The Lowe family opens a music show on Indian Point near Silver Dollar City.
1982 Chisai Childs purchases the Starlight Theatre.
1983 The Roy Clark Celebrity Theater, the first to be permanently linked to a widely known entertainer, opens.
1983 The Lowe family moves to a new theater on West Highway 76 in Branson.
1984 The Sons of the Pioneers begin regular performances at Lowe’s Theater in Branson.
1984 The Braschler Music Show opens on Indian Point.
1984 Musicland USA opens on Gretna Road just off Highway 76.
1985 The Braschler Music Show moves to the Musicland USA theater.
1985 Bill and Janet Daily buy the Hee Haw Theatre and open as Country Music World.
1985 The Sons of the Pioneers move to the Foggy River Boys Theatre.
1986 Ozark Mountain Amphitheater opens, with seating capacity of 8,500 and featuring guest artists.
1986 The Lowe Sisters are the first Branson entertainers to appear on the Grand Ole Opry.
1986 The Sons of the Pioneers are named to the Grammy Hall of Fame.
1987 BoxCar Willie is the first celebrity entertainer to buy a theater and perform on a permanent basis.
1988 Several music shows, attractions, accommodations and other businesses stay open into November and December during the first-ever Ozark Mountain Christmas.
1989 Christie Lane purchases the Starlite Theater.
1989 Japanese violinist and entertainer Shoji Tabuchi opens a music show in the newly renovated Ozark Theater.

1990's

1990 Mickey Gilley opens Mickey Gilley’s Family Theater.
1990 Mel Tillis opens the Mel Tillis Theater.
1990 76 Music Hall becomes the first theater to offer three different shows daily.
1990 Jim Stafford begins performing at the Stars of the Ozarks Theatre.
1990 Darrel and Rosie Plummer of the Plummer Family Theatre retire from the stage, selling their theater to entertainer Moe Bandy.
1991 Mutton Hollow Craft Village undergoes a million-dollar expansion with three staged entertainment facilities. The 22-year old attraction draws more than 500,000 visitors annually.
1991 Branson is featured on the CBS television news magazine show “60 Minutes.”
1991 Ray Stevens, Moe Bandy, and Buck Trent all open theaters.
1991 Construction begins on the 4,000-seat Grand Palace.
1991 Jim Stafford announces the purchase of the Stars of the Ozarks Theatre.
1992 Andy Williams opens the Moon River Theatre.
1992 Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard perform at the Ozark Theater.
1992 Dino Kartsonakis, Willie Nelson, The Gatlin Brothers and Jimmie Rodgers open theaters.
1992 The Osmond Brothers open the Osmond Family Theatre and plan an entertainment, shopping and lodging complex called Branson Meadows.
1993 Wayne Newton, John Davidson, Tony Orlando and “Pump Boys and Dinettes” theaters open.
1993 Jim Stafford moves next door into the former Lowe’s Theatre, his present location.
1993 The Grand Village, a themed shopping and entertainment complex, opens.
1993 Ozarks Discovery IMAX Theatre opens, featuring a 550-seat facility that features a six-story screen.
1993 Loretta Lynn performs at the Ozark Theater.
1993 Branson Scenic Railway offers passenger excursions into the Ozarks from its historic depot. Trains feature Vista-Dome cars and lights meals.
1993 Yakov Smirnoff begins his show.
1994 Country Tonite Theater, and Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum opens.
1994 Illusionist Kirby Van Burch and singer Doug Gabriel open shows.
1994 The Lawrence Welk Champagne Theatre opens with featured entertainers the Lennon Sisters, Jo Ann Castle, the Lennon Brothers, and many other entertainers from the late Welk’s long-running television program.
1994 Mickey Gilley opens his new theater on Highway 76. His former theater had been destroyed by fire in 1993. Entertainer Jim Owen performs morning shows at Gilley’s.
1994 The Grand Palace announces that the Radio City Rockettes will be featured in November and December when the famous Radio City Music Hall Spectacular is performed for the first time outside of New York.
1994 Bill and Janet Daily purchase the Moe Bandy Theatre from Bandy, who will continue headlining the evening shows.
1995 The $13 million Showboat Branson Belle, a football field-size showboat featuring meal cruises and live entertainment in its three-story opera house, takes its maiden voyage.
1995 The Dixie Stampede, a Dollywood project, opens a food and fun extravaganza where guests enjoy dinner, pageantry and old-south entertainment.
1995 The Braschler’s new theater, the Magical Mansion, and the Gettysburg Theatre all open.
1995 The first Hot Winter Fun is held January-March.
1996 The Hollywood Wax Museum, Barbara Fairchild, Jennifer's Americana Theatre, Wild Wild West Show, Red, Hot and Blue and The Promise open.
1997 Chateau on the Lake opens as a world-class resort featuring 302 rooms and a 32,000-foot convention center.
1997 Yakov’s American Pavilion, the Remington Theatre, and Positive Country Theater open.
1998 Pam Tillis joins her father, Mel Tillis for weekly performances at the Mel Tillis Theater.
1998 Jim Stafford, in a unique display of technology, combines rear screen projection with 3-D imagery on America’s largest stereoscopic rear screen, to create one of America’s most unusual entertainment and production shows.
1999 Silver Dollar City’s new water roller coaster, Buzz Saw Falls opens - this ride is a first of its kind.
1999 Spirit of the Dance opens at the Grand Mansion. It is a dance and musical show in the tradition of “Lord of the Dance."

2000's

2000 Branson Creek Golf Course opens
2000 Buzz Saw Falls opens at Silver Dollar City
2000 Raintree Island opens at White Water
2000 Bart Rocket opens at the Magical Palace
2001 Wildfire opens at Silver Dollar City
2001 Gatlin Brothers Christmas Reunion show opens at the MGH Center for the Performing Arts
2001 The Duttons purchase and rename the BoxCar Willie Theater to the Dutton Family Theater
2002 Newly renovated White House Theatre (formerly the Promise Theatre) opens.
2002 The renovation of the Kirkwood Motel into the Music City Centre opens featuring the Haygoods.
2002 The Majestic Theatre welcomes legendary stars Ed McMahon and Barbara Fairchild.
2003 The Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation’s $40 million theme park Celebration City™ opens.
2003 Russian comedian Yakov Smirnoff welcomes superstar Pam Tillis to his What a Country Theatre.
2003 Roy Rogers –Dale Evans Museum and Happy Trails Theater opens in spring.
2003 White Water adds a new double-speed slide, Raging River Rapids

[Jean]

NOW not the first part

But from 1959 on, this is certainly my childhood to growing up and brings back lots of memories!!!

I remember before Tablerock Dam was finished, my brother-in-law held me up and made me look over to what was going to be the lake, thus my fear of heights began.

I remember when Dad Presley drug my friend Janice off to the middle of no where. No one thought they would succeed as there was nothing much down there.

Wow, I could go on and on about going to Silver Dollar City when they gave you change in Silver Dollars and we usually parked right in front of the Ice Cream Parlor. I remember when the Beverly Hillbillies came to film a show. I knew as thin as I was I would grow old looking just like Granny.(HA HA HA HA) No kidding, I decided after seeing she was as thin as me, when I became a grandmother, I would be called Granny.


Camping at Mill Creek and going to see the Foggy River Boys.

Laughing with my niece when we went to the Shepherd of the Hills and saying no matter what happened funny, "Well, what would Sarah and the girls say." Come to think of it when we are together we still say that. It was our favorite line of the play back then!


I remember when Bill Anderson invited us to come to his show at the new Roy Clark Theatre it was huge!!!!! We went there the other day and it sure had gotten smaller after being in so many theatres these days.

Wow, I remember enjoying the Duttons before I knew what FANTASTIC people they really are!!!!!

Wow, thanks this was fun to remember and I won't go on and on but I could!!!

[Aurora]

So nice to see this time line.
Jean, I would love to know more, please "go on some more".

[KatyBoo1989]

I know a whole lot of that. Can't say I remember it because I wasnt around then. My Dad's family has built half of Branson, and seeing as I have been going to Branson since before I was born, I've been informed of many of the major events mentioned in the timeline. (Whether I wanted to hear or not.) It was lots of fun reading it! I think I'm gonna add my own, though.

1999- The Dutton Family performs at The Woods Resort, thus inspiring a 10 year old girl to learn to play the drums and guitar. Little did she know that it would turn into an obsession.

[Aurora]

I know a whole lot of that. Can't say I remember it because I wasnt around then. My Dad's family has built half of Branson, and seeing as I have been going to Branson since before I was born, I've been informed of many of the major events mentioned in the timeline. (Whether I wanted to hear or not.) It was lots of fun reading it! I think I'm gonna add my own, though.

1999- The Dutton Family performs at The Woods Resort, thus inspiring a 10 year old girl to learn to play the drums and guitar. Little did she know that it would turn into an obsession.

Now that's really perfect!
We should ALL add our own time line entry.

[Double Mom]

Thanks for some really good reading, I've enjoyed it!

[lindasaltlightfriends]

I printed this our and enjoyed reading it fully

[Judith Dutton]

Feb 2000
Judith Dutton meets up with Aurora and Gene for breakfast at the Grand Country Buffet

[Jean]

Jean drinks juice while that thin Judith Dutton has a little of it all!

[Aurora]

Feb 2000
Judith Dutton meets up with Aurora and Gene for breakfast at the Grand Country Buffet

Wasn't Judith Dutton brave?

Yes! She's a brave girl.
Thank goodness we now have the Dutton Deli for such meetings.

[bransoncutie]

Feb 2000
Judith Dutton meets up with Aurora and Gene for breakfast at the Grand Country Buffet

Uh-hem!!!! AND bransoncutie, thank you very much!!!!!!!

[Jean]

Remember she had already met you! We were the two newbies.

[Aurora]

Remember she had already met you! We were the two newbies.

Yeah, you need an older timeline.