"Lost Silver Mine" Drama in Branson West

Urban exploration in Springfield, Missouri
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silverstreak
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"Lost Silver Mine" Drama in Branson West

Post by silverstreak »

I lost the thread regarding the Yocum Silver Mine Drama, and the remains of the set in Branson West, so I figured I'd post some of the pics from there while I was passing through last week. I know the building won't be around much longer, and that it is not too historically relevant, but It was a great day for photos, and it was there!

http://www.cityofbransonwest.com/historybw.shtml
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Re: "Lost Silver Mine" Drama in Branson West

Post by redox »

Cool structure, nice shots. Is that old building in context with the silver mine somehow?
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RE: "Lost Silver Mine" Drama in Branson West

Post by silverstreak »

No, Artie Ayers started the outdoor drama/play that was short lived here.This was simply a prop, and from the looks of the interior, it could not be more than 20-30 yrs old. The outside/exterior, though weathered and hand hewed, I don't believe to be extremely old, but I have been fooled before! The mine is "Lost" though many speculate if it even ever existed
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Re: "Lost Silver Mine" Drama in Branson West

Post by BROUSER »

It is heavily speculated the location of the mine is now under water, either Taneycomo or Table Rock.
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Re: "Lost Silver Mine" Drama in Branson West

Post by gimpface »

(mine never existed. Yokums sold liquor to the injuns', melted down the currency and struck their own to hide their illegal operation)
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Re: "Lost Silver Mine" Drama in Branson West

Post by BROUSER »

....but, the speculation is they headquartered their activity in a cave or abandoned mine and due to an abrupt departure on the part of the Yocums/Yokums, there would still be some silver there. Or so I've heard.
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Re: "Lost Silver Mine" Drama in Branson West

Post by White Rabbit »

Dude, there's a big abandoned (at least I think it's abandoned) outdoor amphitheater thingy about 300-400 yards on the other side of the road in the trees. I don't know if it was part of the Silver Mine deal, but I always thought it was. May be something else, though.
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RE: "Lost Silver Mine" Drama in Branson West

Post by silverstreak »

mother...i didn't even look over there...somebody closer than me (4hrs) needs to go take a few pics
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Re: "Lost Silver Mine" Drama in Branson West

Post by arkie 123 »

Did you notice the old train bridge close by? It's fun.
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Re: "Lost Silver Mine" Drama in Branson West

Post by critter »

White Rabbit wrote:Dude, there's a big abandoned (at least I think it's abandoned) outdoor amphitheater thingy about 300-400 yards on the other side of the road in the trees.
Are you looking at Google Earth? If you are, I do not see it. Is it around to Wal-Mart?
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Re: "Lost Silver Mine" Drama in Branson West

Post by lolabelle »

Hmm, so do you think the legend of these silver coins influenced the Herschend's idea of handing out silver dollars to visitors of the pre-Silver Dollar City park?

I know that the family bought the cave, and as attendance grew, they built this 1880's themed park to occupy waiting visitors, and handed out the silver coins, which resulted in the name SDC...

Could one have caused the other, or are they just two seperate stories within a very close vicinity?
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RE: "Lost Silver Mine" Drama in Branson West

Post by silverstreak »

Marvel Cave Park was formed for people waiting to enter the cave, and as demand grew, so did the park, and eventually it turned into a more lucrative business than the cave. The ideas from the Yocum mine have been incorporated into the Park. At one time there was a Flooded Silver Mine ride-Marmaros (the real town where SDC is now) Mine-the Flooded mine Ride-All from what I believe stemmed from the Silver Mines of the area. So I say folklore caused the Dollars to be distributed instead of dollar of bills.
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Re: "Lost Silver Mine" Drama in Branson West

Post by lolabelle »

Here's a section from The Yocum Silver Dollar, by Lynn Morrow, found here: http://thelibrary.springfield.missouri. ... /sp85d.htm

"The Yocum name will continue to pervade the history and folklore of the Upper White River region. Little did the middle-aged Germans who came to the Ozarks realize that their name and a legend they spawned would become synonymous with 20th century Ozark stereotypes and Ozark tourism. Though the people and places in Al Capp’s famous comic strip are certainly fictitious, he chose the name Yocum for the central family in Li’1 Abner, and the tourist attraction Dogpatch USA was built in the Ozarks a few miles south of where the Yocum Dollar of Missouri was minted. It also seems ironically fitting that located east of the historic Yocum settlement on the lower James River lies the sprawling Silver Dollar City, on Indian Point, the real silver mine with its one and one-half million annual visitors. In recent years, as business people in the area have chosen names for their enterprises, they have capitalized on the folk awareness of matters associated with the Yoachums: billboards throughout the Branson area boldly display such terms as Yocum, silver dollar, lost silver mine, etc."
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Re: "Lost Silver Mine" Drama in Branson West

Post by gimpface »

arkie 123 wrote:Did you notice the old train bridge close by? It's fun.
Not a train bridge, and not that old either. It's something that Ayers was building for god-knows-what, probably related to the play.
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Re: "Lost Silver Mine" Drama in Branson West

Post by White Rabbit »

Are you looking at Google Earth? If you are, I do not see it. Is it around to Wal-Mart?
I just looked and it's not visible through the trees from Google Earth.

The new road that runs along the south side of Wal-mart, it's on the south side of that in the trees.
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