Learn more about Henry Rowe Schoolcraft’s legendary expedition through the Ozarks Dec. 3 when the Ozarks Heritage Research Center (OHRC) at Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) hosts historian and author Vincent Anderson.

Anderson will present a program on “Henry Rowe Schoolcraft and Levi Pettibone Stuck in the Ozarks” beginning at 6 p.m. at the OHRC inside MSU-WP’s Garnett Library, 304 W. Trish Knight St., in West Plains.

Anderson, who is also a teacher and Ozarks historical tour guide, will take those attending on Schoolcraft and Pettibone’s journey through Bennett’s Bayou and their loss of a horse in an Ozark County slough, organizers said.

Born in Mountain Home, Arkansas, Anderson grew up along the Arkansas/Missouri state line and later served in the U.S. Air Force at Little Rock AFB as an altitude chamber instructor.

He obtained a Bachelor of Biblical Arts and a Bachelor of Science in Education from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. In 2018, he completed his graduate degree in American history from American Military University. His thesis was focused on the history of the White River in 1888.

Anderson published his first book, “Bald Knobbers: Chronicles of Vigilante Justice,” in 2013. He was appointed by former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson to serve on the Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park advisory committee for five years. He also has served on the board of directors for the Arkansas Genealogical Society and as president of the Baxter County Genealogical and Historical Society.

Anderson has worked as a consultant for the Travel Channel, the Discovery Channel, SYFY network, The New York Times and Animal Planet. He also is a guest columnist for The Baxter Bulletin, writing various articles on historical events in the Ozarks and county politics. He began a new radio show, “Retracing Our Roots” in September on KTLO in Mountain Home.

Currently, Anderson works as a historian and teacher at the Baxter County Library in Mountain Home and guides historical Ozarks tours. He lives in Baxter County, Arkansas, where he maintains the blog and YouTube channel Ozarks History.

The Dec. 3 presentation is free and open to all. Light refreshments will be served.

For more information about the event, contact Rebekah McKinney at 417-255-7949 or RebekahMcKinney@MissouriState.edu.