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Need to plan a day out that will be both fun for the whole family and educational? Well, you won’t have to go very far. Take a ride down to the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History and learn the rich history that has occurred right here in the Arkansas Ozarks. Let’s take a closer look at some of this history and show you exactly what you can expect to find on your visit to the museum.
Prehistoric Ozarks
It can be easy to take for granted the fact that people have lived in this same land for thousands of years. You’ll be astounded by artifacts left by Ice Age nomads as much as 15,000 years ago. You’ll see the hunting tools they used to take down mighty beasts such as the mastodon and the musk ox, as well as examples of the cave art these prehistoric people left behind in their travels.
As the climate in the Ozarks became warmer after the end of the Ice Age, these nomadic hunters began to settle down in one place, and their lifestyle changed accordingly. You can see the implements they used to gather nuts and berries, and the fishing tools they used to make a living off the rivers. This area was left almost entirely depopulated by disease by the time European settlers arrived here, leaving many questions that remain a mystery today.
From Early Settlers to the Civil War
As European settlers arrived along the eastern coast and in the Cherokee heartlands, Osage Indian settlers moved into the Ozarks to find new land to work. They established the area’s first farmsteads, orchards, and mills, and you’ll see tools and other artifacts leftover from this first agricultural society to dwell in our region.
In 1828 the Arkansas Territory was officially opened for settlement, driving the Osage further west. Less than half a century later, the Civil War came to Arkansas. This time period is also around when early cameras came in to use, and some of the museum’s impressive 500,000 photographs in the Mary D. Parsons Photograph Collection document the people who lived right here where our neighborhoods stand today.
Modern Times
That collection of photographs continues to document life in
the Ozarks right up until the present day. There are great examples of
memorabilia from earlier 20th century residents of the region, like a jigsaw
puzzle from the 1930s or a vintage camera that long predates digital
technology. There are also fascinating war relics, such as a World War I poster
and a “Patriot” radio used to get the latest news from the front in World War
II.
Learning this local history will show you the deep roots our community is
founded upon. We try to keep that sense of community alive with how we do
business. Come on in and see what difference that makes in your dealership experience.
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