Branson West

A community that began as an overnight stop for wagon and buggy travelers on the Wilderness Road in the days before automobiles, Branson West’s growth and development in the past 30 years has been nothing short of phenomenal.

Still visible from Mo. 13 just north of the busiest commercial area is the old Linch Pin (or Lynch Pen) Campground, which was frequently used by travelers between Springfield and other Missouri towns and Arkansas. The old landmark now marks the northernmost point of Stone County’s dynamic growth corridor, which stretches about five miles to Kimberling City.

The intersection of Mo. 76 and Mo. 13 was marked for its commercial future in the 1950s when Woodrow Akers operated a general store. Automobile dealer Howard Claybough later acquired the land and built a shopping complex. Claybough purchased and installed Stone County’s first stop light at the intersection. Today, the stoplight marks the most important and most heavily traveled route between the Table Rock Lake area and Branson.

Called Lakeview at its incorporation in 1974, the name was changed to Branson West in 1992. Branson West’s population of 408 works hard to meet the needs of residents and the business climate while encouraging future growth. In 1994, the construction of a Wal-Mart Supercenter provided a retail boon as residents were attracted from a broad area. Currently covering almost two square miles, Branson West soon expects major transportation improvements which will be a great incentive to further growth.

A major road construction project will parallel Hwy. 13 west of its intersection with Mo. 76, allowing additional commercial development while alleviating traffic pressure at the current intersection. The project, estimated at about $23 million, is expected to begin in 2006. According to the city administrator, construction is estimated to be completed in two years.

A general aviation airport with a runway of up to 5,000 feet on Branson West’s western edge is another highly anticipated project. The airport project has received a $300,000 grant for engineering and design. Construction funds may become available as early as the summer of 2005. Once airport construction begins, it may be completed in about 18 months.

Completion of these projects will allow for additional retail and manufacturing growth and will enhance the trade from tourists who pass through Branson West to reach Table Rock Lake and Branson.

Yocum silver legend Brothers James and Solomon Yocum (also spelled Yoachuym) were real people who lived in the area that would became Stone County in the early part of the 1800s, and their actions are the subject of Stone County’s most famous legend, the Yocum silver dollar.

The brothers reportedly obtained the rights to a silver mine which was said to have been located in a cave. The cave was acquired through a trade with the Delaware Indians, and the location was kept secret, according to the Stone County Historical Society. From about 1818 to 1829, the most common method of exchange in the area was the Yocum Dollar, a crudely minted coin produced from nearly pure silver by the Yocum brothers. These coins became the first privately minted trade dollar of the west. By April 1862, privately minted money became subject to federal prosecution. Because the federal government reportedly became interested in the Yocums’ source of silver, the mine’s entrance was sealed and any evidence of its location was destroyed. The mine’s location remains a secret to the present day.

“We’re laid back, easy-going, and we’re always ready to help someone. We came out here and absolutely fell in love with it. You can get back to basics and enjoy your family. You can wander all over God’s creation out here. ”

Darlene Fuller