|
|
|
As the Mayor of
the City of Hollister, it is my job to
protect this rich history while guiding the
Board of Aldermen and staff in moving
forward .
Have a good time as you browse through
information about our little town nestled in
the Ozark Mountains of Southwest Missouri.
But, I guarantee you to have a better time
if you personally come see us in Historic
Hollister, Missouri…the Southern Gateway
City to the Tri-Lakes Region.
Mayor David G. Tate
 |
 |
|
|
|
With the
establishment of the first US Land Office in
Springfield in 1835 came a migration of
rugged pioneer families into the virgin
Ozark wilderness of Southwest Missouri.
Malinda Fortner was one of these early
pioneers. Little is known of her past or why
she chose the demanding life of a
homesteader. The original 120 acre tract of
land on which she established her claim in
1867 was the beginning for a crossroads
settlement along the West Bank of Turkey
Creek in the early 1880's.
Around the turn of the century, Rueben
Kirkham opened a general store and applied
to the Post Office Department for permission
to establish a Post Office suggesting the
name HOLLISTER after the birth place of his
daughter in Hollister, California.
Permission was granted and in 1904 the name
of the Ozarks settlement was established.
With the coming of the St Louis Iron
Mountain & Southern Railroad the area was
opened to new expansion. It became the
headquarters for the Mo-Pac Agricultural
Agent of the White River Division. The area
achieved tremendous agricultural
development. Berries, vegetables, grape
vineyards, orchards, cotton and tobacco
flourished and the amount, variety of stock
and produce shipped from the station in the
early years was phenomenal.
W.H. Johnson and Professor J.W. Blankenship
platted and started the major development of
a beautiful English style village which
attracted visitors from all over the world.
Johnson's dream resulted in the row of
quaint Elizabethan structures which is now
Downing Street. His son W.W. Johnson, built
the historic Ye English Inn in 1912 and it
became a stopover for travelers with special
trains bringing visitors to a then remote
area.
Hollister was incorporated as a town in 1910
with Professor J.W. Blankenship becoming the
first mayor.
Hollister is noted for bringing to Taney
County the first major influx of tourism. It
had the first iron bridge in Taney County
which still spans Turkey Creek, the first
paved street, electric lights, movie house,
the first registered pharmacist and modern
steam heated hotel.
The colorful history of this unusual Ozark
town is fascinating and covers and era when
stock wars were waged between merchants and
stockmen. Grape carnivals promoted by the
railroad were gala affairs where men and
women of an age gone by helped to build an
unique English Village in the Ozarks. .
.Hollister, Missouri
Local Historian, Viola Hartman, is credited
with Hollister's being placed on the
National Register of Historical sites In
1978.
|
|
|
|
