It’s totally true to say that folk tales and their cousin, urban legends, have been part of the Ozarks longer than anyone today has been alive. These stories — as told by “they say” lore — have long helped explain and entertain Ozarkers in a much different world, one with fewer distractions and channels of information.
While some stories have transformed with time, many have been handed down or, in today’s world, shared via social media.
“We had a lot less entertainment before radio, TV, internet; even books were less common and more expensive,” writes Dr. Adam Davis, a professor of English and Linguistics at Truman State University, and a leader with the Missouri Folklore Society…