Ep. 242 - The Old Ozarks - Willie French Goes a-Hunting (S2:E6)

Welcome to the Old Ozarks with Dr. Brooks Blevins... This week, we're a-huntin' and a-fishin' through the diary of a Shannon County farm boy who came of age just as the Ozarks' wildlife paradise was slipping away. We'll start with "a-prefixing," that old Ozark and Appalachian habit of putting an "a" on the front of a verb — straight out of 18th-century English nursery rhymes like "A-Hunting We Will Go" and "The Twelve Days of Christmas," and still alive in hollers today. Then it's on to the long sweetenin', the teenage hunting diary of Willie French, who logged every possum, muskrat, and rabbit he and his brothers brought home around 1907. We'll trace the boom-and-bust story of Ozark wildlife from Daniel Boone's sons hauling out a thousand beaver pelts, to Zebulon Pike's men dropping 32 deer in a week, to the lean, small-game-only woods Willie actually grew up hunting — a hunter's paradise that had already vanished a century before he ever picked up a .22. It's a story of market hunters, deer hunting fever, and a long road back to the restocked elk and turkey of today's region. Let's dive into this episode of The Old Ozarks... What is The Old Ozarks? The Old Ozarks is your gateway to the forgotten history of the Ozarks. Hosted by renowned historian Dr. Brooks Blevins (the leading authority on the region’s history), this podcast explores the lives, legends, and landscapes that have shaped this unique region. Whether you’re a native Ozarker, a new resident, or a curious listener, join us as we share the stories that make the Ozarks special and connect us to our past.