Officials with the Ozarks Heritage Research Center (OHRC) at Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) will host a special presentation on the transportation methods in the Ozarks at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 19, at the Garnett Library, 304 W. Trish Knight St., in West Plains.

The presentation will be given by Cowboy Rick Hamby, a fifth generation Missouri Ozarks native who hosts historical radio shows and organizes the Journey Stagecoach trips and appearances in the region.

His presentation will focus on modes of transportation in the Ozarks and along the trails through the western United States from 1850 through 1900, organizers said.

More about Hamby

Hamby grew up with a love for history in a family of great old-time storytellers. “My appreciation for the challenges those before us faced has opened many doors for me to explore,” he explains.

Several years ago, Hamby added an important piece of American history to his stable when he purchased an original 1880 Overland stagecoach. The stagecoach was used in Arizona in the 1800s, in upstate New York in the 1950s, then became the very first ride at the newly opened Silver Dollar City in Branson in the 1960s.

Since 1999, the coach has been known as the Journey Stagecoach whose mission is to share history and the bonds of friendship through several trips across the Ozarks and the American southwest.

“We partner with elementary school kids in Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona and deliver pen pal letter via the stagecoach, which is pulled with a four-horse hitch,” Hamby explained.

In addition to the stagecoach trips, Hamby has hosted the “Just for Kids Radio Roundup” and “Great Moments in American History with Cowboy Rick” radio shows on local radio stations for several years. When he’s not sharing stories about American history, Hamby operates and manages the family farm near West Plains.

The Aug. 19 event 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.