The rugged, timbered, and isolated hills of southwestern Missouri attracted and created hardworking, innovative individuals. In the 1830s, outsiders began arriving in the area, bringing their families and their Appalachian ways. A rich and unique Ozark culture evolved and has transcended time. McDonald County’s lush and fertile valleys, crystal-clear rivers, and vast woodland terrain allowed people to gather, cultivate, can, pickle, hunt, trap, catch, and smoke their own food. Largely isolated in small communities, the new arrivals became skilled in rural ingenuity and relying on one another. Children worked alongside parents to build homes, make furniture, harvest and preserve crops, and create their own—sometimes renowned—music. Sunday was reserved for church. The county’s residents had plenty of wealth without money and formed a legacy unlike any other. Today, this culture of caring for family, neighbor, God, and country continues to enrich the lives of those who call McDonald County home and remains forever ingrained in those who pass through the area.