Spreading across roughly 40,000-45,000 square miles, the Ozarks covers much of the southern half of Missouri and a large part of northern Arkansas. It also extends into northeast Oklahoma and southeast Kansas.

There are many stereotypes about the Ozarks and Ozarkers. They range from frontiersmen to hillbillies to moonshiners and banjo players.

With his research on Ozarks history, Dr. Brooks Blevins tries to dispel those misconceptions and present the most complete portrait of the region.

Blevins, who is the Noel Boyd professor of Ozarks studies at Missouri State University, talks about his research, including his latest project.

Read the full transcript for part 1

Read the full transcript for part 2

“A History of the Ozarks, Volume 1: The Old Ozarks” is available for purchase online.