Ozark Living

e Complexity of Crawford County e Forgotten Foothills of the Ozarks are made up of some beautiful and unique towns that are unlike any to the north or south. It doesn't matter if you cross into Crawford County from the river or the Bobby Hopper Tunnel, you always seem to be coming through a portal of sorts. A portal to the past, or a simpler way of life. While the cities that sandwich the county have boomed in economic growth and development, the area seems almost untouched by modern technology. Cellphone service is nonexistent or limited in many areas still, especially outside of town limits. Like many others in the region, and even as a Millennial, I grew up on water from a well, a woodstove for heat, and fans in the window to cool off in the summer. I was taught to "widdle, sow and bake." My children were toddlers running barefoot around the family business. ings you won't see or hear of in modern developed towns. Yet unless you choose to become a farmer or a homesteader, there's not much way of work and personal development. So those of us who choose to continue with a quieter way of life must travel for higher paying jobs either north to Fayetteville or south to Fort Smith. Meaning that while in our evenings and weekends are spent home, away from the hustle and bustle of the cities, our 9-5 is spent in an urban environment, creating a forever estuary of cultural mix between the two regions here where we reside. While much hasn't changed since the original founding, a lot has, even since I was a child in the '90s. I remember when the closest grocery store was Sherman's at the top of Log Town Hill where the police station now is in Van Buren, until Walmart Super Center was built and we made national news for having the only Walmart with a cow pasture on either side. I remember the only way to get to Fayetteville was up highways 59 or 71. I'll never forget the awe riding in the car with my family driving through a tunnel for the first time. Now we have the eventual completion of I-49. So, why are the "forgotten foothills of the Ozarks" forgotten? Because we wanted it that way. For centuries we have enjoyed our country, backwoods, salt of the earth lifestyle. Where we can see thousands of stars at night and hear the song of the whippoorwill. However, with the eventual completion of I-49 converging two of the busiest interstates in the United States, connecting North, South, East to West with us at the center, how long will we stay "forgotten"? We may not be able to keep our secret hideaway from the rest of the world a secret much longer. We can't control everything, but we can control ourselves. Instead of fighting economic growth, help mold it into positive development that highlights our amazing communities. We can preserve our history the way Clara Eno did many years ago. We can support locally owned businesses. Leave no trace when we spend time in nature. We can't stop the world from changing, but we can be the change we wish to see in the world. In one article it's hard to cover the simplicity yet complexity that is Crawford County. A melting pot between Western heritage, Ozark folk ways, hippies, hillbillies and the Indigenous cultures that came first. Follow along, if you will, as we dive deeper into the past, present and future of each of the unique villages within its confines, so that maybe the best parts of these place won't be forgotten. Somewhere, Over the River is the untold stories of the "forgotten foothills of the Ozarks." For more information visit our website at www. SomewhereOvereRiver.com, where you can also subscribe to our e-newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, TikTok or Instagram. We print monthly in the River Valley Democrat-Gazette and Ozark Living. You can also pick up a copy at your favorite stores across Crawford County. Topography of Crawford County OZArK liViNG • April 2023 • 31

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