Appalachia+and+the+Ozarks+2015



Post # 1 Historic Site



One of the most historic places in the Appalachian & Ozarks is the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. It was completed in 1937 and is a National Park. The Appalachian Trail is one of the longest marked footpaths in the world, measuring at about 2180 miles in length. The trail stretches from Springer Mountain in the northern part of Georgia all the way to Mount Katahdin in Maine. The trail goes through about 14 states in the northeast part of the United States. The majority of the trail is in forest or wild lands, although some portions of the trail goes through towns, roads and farms. It attracts many people around the world, and it is specifically known for attracting people known as “thru-hikers,” which are hikers that try to hike the trail in its entirety in a single season.

Post # 2 Food

Foods commonly thought to be of Appalachian origin consisted of: Corn bread, home grown vegetables that were then canned, biscuits and gravy, stews, rabbit, chicken and dumplings. The Ozarks to this day still hunt squirrels and can pickles, continuing their ancestor's tradition with a twist of modern food. In a sense, a plate of the Ozark's is somewhat similar to American Thanksgiving; consisting of protein, mashed potatoes, veggies, and corn cake. Wanting to get out of the tradition food setting, here is a clip of the Ozark's "Bizzarre Food", as Andrew addresses to it in this clip. [|BIzarre Foods]

Post #3 Appalachia Population 2014

More than 25 million Americans live in the Appalachian region—a 205,000 square-mile area that covers portions of 12 states and all of West Virginia. And while Appalachia is a distinct part of the United States, the region is far from homogeneous, covering both rural areas and major metropolitan areas such as Pittsburgh. To give you an idea, California itself has 38.8 million people as of 2014. Just imagine one state having that many people while on the other hand, the Appalachian region which consists of 12 states, only has 25 million people! Not much at all. The map illustrates the Appalachian Region population. While PA having the most people living, consisting of 30% of the population, AL only contributes 4% of the region's population.

Post # 4 Beautiful Place One of the most beautiful places in the Ozarks is called the Buffalo National River. The Buffalo National River was the first river to become a National River in the United States. The Buffalo River stretches to about 149 miles. The river is located in northern Arkansas, and flows through Newton, Marion, Searcy, and Baxter counties from west to east. The Buffalo National River is a popular camping, hiking, canoeing, and fishing destination. Visitors may bring their own canoes or rent from several independent concessionaires. The Buffalo river has many hiking trails within it. The upper section of the river has most of the whitewater rapids to be found along the river, and features dramatic topography including sink holes, caves, springs, and waterfalls, over 500 feet tall sandstone and limestone bluffs, and many rock formations.

Post # 5 Appalachian and the Ozarks Old Wives Tales Did your grandmother ever tell you that if your ears were ringing it meant someone was talking about you? There's a name for these seemingly silly superstitions. They are called Old Wives Tales and can be found in many places in the United States including the Appalachian region, the Ozarks, as well as in the Deep South. These Old Wives Tales came from a period in time and places in the U.S. where people had it hard. Daily life was about survival. Often there were struggles with disease and poverty. Often people would turn to "magical" or superstitious beliefs to explain away some of the bad or simply strange occurrences in life. Some of these Old Wives Tales have spread out across the entire country and some folks still believe in them today. Maybe you've even heard a few of these from your mom, aunt, or grandma. Here is a YouTube clip of are some of the more interesting Old Wives Tales. Wife Tales

Post # 6 Appalachian Traditional Music

Traditional Appalachian music is mostly based upon Anglo-celtic folk ballads and instrumental dance tunes. The former were almost always sung unaccompanied, and usually by women, fulfilling roles as keepers of the families' cultural heritages and rising above dreary monotonous work through fantasies of escape and revenge. These ballads were from the British tradition of the single personal narrative, but the list was selective; most of the one hundred or so variations of the three hundred classic ballads found in American tradition are to do with sexual struggles from the female standpoint. A lot of the music made in these times was very vulgar and had very nasty themes, thus most of it had to be censored and cleaned up. Three ballad types arose from the Appalachian region, one being Broadside ballads, that were sold on the streets. Two other ballad types arose from the particular American experience, one from the African tradition, reflecting an actual event or action with real historical characters, and where the flow of text was highlighted by an emotional mood of grief or celebration, rather than a plot line. The other was from the Victorian Era. Appalachian music was also greatly influenced by African Americans, The African Americans brought a distinct tradition of group singing of community songs of work and worship, usually lined out by one person with a call and response action from a group.