Wes Franklin

Some verse about the Ozarks   

Everyone could use a little poetry in their life from time to time.  This wonderful poem about my native Ozarks by John Gould Fletcher (1886-1950) was first published in Poetry magazine in February 1940.  Wes Franklin The Ozarks  By John Gould Fletcher  These are the lonely Ozarks; fold on fold  The crumbling limestone, mossy, drips; it…

Read More

Ozarks black magic 

The old-timers in the Ozarks had a mite to say about witchcraft, as documented by the late folklorist Vance Randolph. Witches can kill someone, for instance, by scraping dirt from a fresh grave at midnight with the forefinger of the left hand, mixing it with the blood of a black bird – a crow is…

Read More

Fun Missouri place names

If you’ve ever traveled up I-49 to Kansas City you’ve no doubt seen the exit for Peculiar, in Cass County. I’ve long been curious about that town’s, well, “peculiar” name, so I finally looked it up. Like a lot of stories, there is more than one version.  The account that rings most true is that…

Read More

A few Ozarks pests 

Pests are part of everyday life. Some we just don’t like to see around even if they’re harmless, and some are a lot worse than others. Folklorist Vance Randolph recorded what the old-time Ozarkers had to say about some of them, back in the first half of the last century. Apparently, at least a few…

Read More