Taking their name from the parts they played in the Shepherd of the Hills Outdoor Drama, they became known as the Baldknobber Hillbilly Jamboree. In 1959, the Mabe Brothers started a band that, in 1961, would become the first music show in Branson. 1959 saw the completion of Table Rock Dam on the White River, which created Table Rock Lake.
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Mayor of Branson for 12 years and entrepreneur Jim Owen built the first theater in 1934 on Commercial Street, originally called "The Hillbilly Theater", which began to attract people from far and wide to tour the area. The Harold Bell Wright Museum is located within The World's Largest Toy Museum complex. The historic farm is also the home of Inspiration Tower, the #1 rated Shepherd of the Hills Adventure Park as well as numerous other shows and attractions. The show, known as The Shepherd of the Hills Outdoor Drama continues in its 61st season for 2021. The Old Mill Theater began its first outdoor production based on the novel in 1960. The novel became an international best seller, making Wright the first millionaire author and established Branson and Southwest Missouri as a tourist destination. Harold Bell Wright published his novel about the Ozarks, The Shepherd of the Hills, in 1907. The Herschend Family modernized the cave with electricity and concrete staircases, and in 1960 the Herschends opened Silver Dollar City, a re-creation of a frontier town that featured five shops, a church, and a log cabin, with actors that played out the feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys.
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Hugo and Mary Herschend leased the cave for 99 years in 1950 and began hosting square dances in it. In 1894, William Henry Lynch bought Marble Cave (renamed "Marvel Cave") and began charging visitors to tour it. Branson was formally incorporated on April 1, 1912, and construction of the Powersite Dam nearby on the White River which would form Lake Taneycomo was completed. In 1882, Reuben Branson opened a general store and post office in the area.