What state did the Clampetts come from?

Jethro,
my sources say they are from the Ozarks but I am not certain of the exact state.

Michele

Granny, at least, is from Tennessee (the palm-reader lady said that she saw a "10" and a "C", and Granny said she was right.)

In the pilot episode, Cousin Pearl referred
to Eureka Springs....Also, the Clampetts
went to Silver Dollar City, which is near
Branson....therefore, in my opinion, the
Clampett's cabin must be somewhere in north
west Arkansas, in the Ft Smith area....also
since they know the people of Hooterville,
I figure that Hooterville is got to be in
northern Arkansas, or southern Missouri....
also, this is exactly where the Ozarks are...

I saw the Beverly Hillbillies movie and I heard Mr.Drysdale say"Driving from Arkansas?"
So I think they lived in Arkansas

I saw the Beverly Hillbillies movie and I heard Mr.Drysdale say"Driving from Arkansas?"
So I think they lived in Arkansas

I don't think Henning wanted to pinpoint a particular location for the Beverly Hillbillies' original home.I still remember when Jed told Mr.Drysadle that Jethro had gone to school in Oxford.Mr.Drysdale then found out Jed meant the Oxford elementary school in Bugtussle,built next to the river where the ox used to ford.

MISS JANE:He went to Oxford?I assume then that he went to Eaton when he was younger?
JED:If I know Jethro,he went to eatin' the day he was born.

------------------
Richard Ranke

i can't beleive all you so-called fans don't know the clampetts are from Bugtussle, Tennessee. they've only mentioned it about once every episode

Sorry, rangerich, but you are simply dead wrong. Watch them again. Sure they mention "Bugtussle" rather frequently. And sure Tennessee, like several other states, has a place called Bugtussle. However, there is nothing in any episode of the show nor in the movie to suggest that Bugtussle, TN is home to the Clampetts.

As someone mentioned, there is a clue that Granny comes from Tennessee. But her name is Daisy Mae Moses. She is Jed's mother-in-law and thus she is not a Clampett.

In trying to determine which state the Clampetts do hail from, it might be tempting to limit the list to states with a real Bugtussle. But ultimately that would be dangerous with a fictional show and its Bugtussle could be in any state.

But if you want to play the "only real Bugtussles count" game, then I would suggest that Bugtussle, Oklahoma is a more likely choice. After all, Jed sold his oil strike to the John Brewster who represented the O.K. Oil Company of Tulsa, OK.

Click here for a link claiming Bugtussle, Oklahoma as the home of the Clampetts. (http://www.kwtv.com/news/strange/bugtussle.htm)

But since this is a fictional show, I believe that Bugtussle Arkansas is the answer that is most consistent with the clues offered in the series.

And if the movie counts, Bugtussle Arkansas is the clear answer as it is mentioned explicitly and it's the only way the Clinton joke works.

If you're going to pop in on this board and label us "so-called fans" I think you should be ready to back that up with something more subtantive than your own big mouth. If you have any evidence to back up your Bugtussle, Tennessee claim, go ahead and post it.


[This message has been edited by Perderabo (edited 01-08-2001).]

It has to be Arkansas or Missouri, simply because there are so many references to the Ozarks. One example: the pilot episode mentions Eureka Springs, a real town in northern Arkansas.
In addition, Paul Henning is from Missouri, and makes no secret of the fact that he was inspired by real-life hillbillies he met in the Show Me State. Let's not forget that the 1969 "back home" episodes were filmed in Branson.
If I had to guess, I'd say Missouri. There's an outside chance it's Arkansas, but I wouldn't put too much stock in what the Jim Varney/Cloris Leachman movie script says. After all, that movie wasn't written by Paul Henning.
I would discount Tennessee as a possibility, because the show never mentions the Smoky Mountains or any Tennessee town names. If there is a town in Tennessee called Bugtussle, I would think that's just a coincidence. Granny may be from Tennessee, but she's the only one.
There's one TV reference book out there (the name escapes me) that claims the Clampetts are from Virginia! In fact, the author is adamant about it. It's laughable.

The Hillbillies were from Tennessee.

The subject of what state did the Clampetts actually come from has been debated as much and as long as who shot Kennedy. I wish Paul Henning would have settled the issue publicly (since he wrote the show) before he went to his reward. Now, we'll never really know the answer.

Somewhere in this site there is a long thread about this topic. I think it's little wonder Henning did not want to mention any particular place they are from, with the hostility he might have faced from the true residents there, with ideas like a 5th grade edjeecation being considered well-learned, not knowing about telephones or aircraft, et al. Mentioning Eureka Springs as within traveling distance was as far he would go, at least until they do the Silver Dollar City episodes in the last, or next to last, year. But it's presented as town, not as a theme park.

One thing I have thought of to play the illusion is that no one, including the Clampetts, knew for sure whether they are in Missouri or in Arkansas, just somewhere near the border. That way, state authorities in both states may assume they live in the other state and overlook them as far as taxes, licenses, the census, as they apparently know nothing of these things. But then, how did Jed legally sell his swamp to the OK Oil Company? Oh well...

Granny is from Tennessee-- that must be mentioned 50 or 100 times. But Jed does say the is "from my wife's family in Tennessee," indicating he is not from Tennessee. And they are also supposed to have know Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, presented in the shows as their true selves. One of them was from Tennessee, the other from North Carolina (if my memory is right). And it's not just Granny who knew them; Pearl was courted by both of them :lol: . Granny also said she spanked Pearl as a toddler (and could still do it with the bigger target). Sometimes we may get the idea that Jed's wife was his cousin, maybe distant cousin, and the families REmerged with Jed's marriage to her.

At some time in the later years, another show was spun off and some overlapping occured. That show of course was "Petticoat Junction" Granny was know to have shopped at Drucker's. Of course the Clampett's were not from the junction but that was the train stop they used when returning home. In fact Pearl also had interaction with Mr. Drucker as well as Steve and Betty Jo. I believe the name mentioned for the Clampett's home was "Crabapple Cove". Bugtussle was Granny's home of origin.

Crabapple Cove is in Maine and it is the hometown of the character Hawkeye Pierce on M*A*S*H. The Clampetts hometown is definitely Bugtussle. What isn't definite and probably never will be is where Bugtussle is. :wave:

At some time in the later years, another show was spun off and some overlapping occured. That show of course was "Petticoat Junction" Granny was know to have shopped at Drucker's. Of course the Clampett's were not from the junction but that was the train stop they used when returning home. In fact Pearl also had interaction with Mr. Drucker as well as Steve and Betty Jo. I believe the name mentioned for the Clampett's home was "Crabapple Cove". Bugtussle was Granny's home of origin.
"Petticoat Junction" started in the 2nd season of "The Beverlly Hillbillies".
And Pearl never had any interaction with Sam Drucker, her character on "Petticoat Junction" Kate Bradley, did. And Granny never shopped at Druckers.

GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT!!!!

according to the description of the show that's in the obituary for Jerry Scrogins (the singer who did the theme; he died in Dec.) that's on http://www.mortystv.net (www.mortystv.net) they were from Arkansas

For crying out loud!!! The ORIGINAL Clampetts are from TENNESSEE!!!!! Granny even stated she was from Tennessee!! In the MOVIE they were from Arkansas!
I don't recall the Ozarks ever even being mentioned on the ORIGINAL show. All that came from the 1993 movie!

Yes, GRANNY was from Tennesee, but the Clampetts weren't.

Well if Granny is from TN I would assume the rest of the Clampetts are too, I mean I would think that WHERE EVER the cabin is located in the first episode is where Granny and the rest of the family is from. Granny doesn't seem like the type who would move around very often.

well, in the movie they were from Arkansas. But, I don't count that because the movie was SO AWFUL!!!!!

(I started to watch the DVD last night. I made the mistake of rennting it. I turned it off after 15 mins.; it was so bad!)

I always wonder Where The Clampetts were from.

For crying out loud!!! The ORIGINAL Clampetts are from TENNESSEE!!!!! Granny even stated she was from Tennessee!! In the MOVIE they were from Arkansas!
I don't recall the Ozarks ever even being mentioned on the ORIGINAL show. All that came from the 1993 movie!
I DISTINCTLY remember seeing the pilot episode once in the TV listings, and the description said " Mountain man Jed Clammpett strikes oil at his cabin in the Ozarks, sells it, and moves himself and his family to Beverly Hills, California"

I don't remember when, but I remember seeing YEARS ago, sometime.

I did not know that The Clampetts were from Tennessee

I just watched 'Home For Christmas' from the first season, and they mention a couple of times that they are going back to Tennessee.

I DISTINCTLY remember seeing the pilot episode once in the TV listings, and the description said " Mountain man Jed Clammpett strikes oil at his cabin in the Ozarks, sells it, and moves himself and his family to Beverly Hills, California"

I don't remember when, but I remember seeing YEARS ago, sometime.

You distinctly remembered correctly, because I saw the same thing. I don't think Tennessee is necessarily contradictory, in that it may have been where their family, or branch of the family originated. For example, I live in California. When people ask me where I'm from, I tend to say New Jersey, because that's the last state I lived in before California, but if clarification is needed, I would say that I'm originally from New York. The conflict with where the Clampetts are from may be the same idea. The westward migration would logically follow from, first Tennessee to Arkansas. So, I think both answers are correct, but in a different sense.

anybody ever think that 'the ozarks' is referred to as an area, not a specific place? the ozarks are big range of mountians that overlaps more than one state.
i wouldn't count the movie, that was a remake of the history, not a continuation.

IMHO I agree with a lot of others here.
The Clampetts are from Arkansas and Granny is from Tennessee.
Granny says that distinctly in an early episode to Miss Jane. She says, "I'm from the Moses family in Tennessee."

and in another early episode; Jed says to Miss Jane something like "Granny's from the Moses family; they hail from Tennesee".
I don't know about the Clammpets being from Arkansas; though. Like I said in another post; they were from there in that HORRIBLE movie but I just ignore that and pretend it never happened.:lol:


(same with STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE)

I have heard that in the movie "The Beverly Hillbillies" the Clampetts were from Arkansas. I don't know why they would have said that the Clampetts were from Arkansas unless the producers just didn't do their research.

If you grew up watching The Beverly Hillbillies every week like I did you would know that the television series Clampetts were from the fictional town of Bugtussle, Tennessee - not Arkansas. If you start watching the series from the beginning you will hear them mention it. Early on in the series they talked about Bugtussle, Tennessee all of the time.

Talk to someone in their late forties or fifties that grew up watching the show and they will confirm what I have said.

I had no Idea they were from Arkaness

To confuse matters further, near the end of the episode "Trick or Treat", Jed picks up the tellyphone and says to the operator," Hidy Mam, I wanna talk to Pearl Bodine back in Oxford." In the next scene, Pearl Bodine is talking to Jed on Mr. Brewster's portable phone inside of the Clampett's old cabin.:confused:
Coincidently, there just happens to be a little town called Oxford situated a short distance southeast of Mountain Home in the Ozarks of north central Arkansas.

http://ozarkopathy.org/map.html

Thats the Ozarks..... Notice that they end before reaching TN.

However they do Expand over into areas of OK. In fact, the area they expand to in OK is over an area near Macalister....north of there is a town called Flower Mounds (or some such), which use to be named BugTussle.

However, the people depicted in BHB fit the discription of the hill folk who use to (and in some cases still seem to) reside in the north west / north central part of arkansas.

If you ever drive thru the Ozarks, you will find that in OK and MO, the hills become smaller and less rugged. Where as in the arkansas area you have the real isolation.

My personal thoughts on the matter are that the idea of the name and oil most likly came from OK. Yet the discription and manerisms of the clampets came from the hill folk of the big ozarks in arkansas.

For crying out loud!!! The ORIGINAL Clampetts are from TENNESSEE!!!!! Granny even stated she was from Tennessee!! In the MOVIE they were from Arkansas!
I don't recall the Ozarks ever even being mentioned on the ORIGINAL show. All that came from the 1993 movie!

I just got the complete first season, and watched the pilot episode for the first time in years. The narrator clearly says Jed struck oil on his property in THE OZARKS.
I think this is a case where the writers weren't researched much on the original pilot.(that happens, right?) Granny's family(not Clampetts) were stated many times as the Moses from Tennessee. However at the time of the oil strike she and Jed, and Elly were living in the Ozarks, according to the original episode.
I remember an episode where Jed says half that land was Granny's so half the money is hers. And she promptly goes to the bank, withdraws a box full of money, and throws it all out the window of the bank to the street below.(To the joy of all the pedestrians)

http://ozarkopathy.org/map.html

Thats the Ozarks..... Notice that they end before reaching TN.

However they do Expand over into areas of OK. In fact, the area they expand to in OK is over an area near Macalister....north of there is a town called Flower Mounds (or some such), which use to be named BugTussle.

However, the people depicted in BHB fit the discription of the hill folk who use to (and in some cases still seem to) reside in the north west / north central part of arkansas.

If you ever drive thru the Ozarks, you will find that in OK and MO, the hills become smaller and less rugged. Where as in the arkansas area you have the real isolation.

My personal thoughts on the matter are that the idea of the name and oil most likly came from OK. Yet the discription and manerisms of the clampets came from the hill folk of the big ozarks in arkansas.
I don't think I'd like to visit after reading of the hate toward minorities.

Paul Henning says in the book THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES: A FORTIETH ANNIVESARY WING-DING that he purposely never said what state they came from; because he wanted people to think that they could be from the backwoods of ANY southern state.

What state did the Clampetts come from?

They were from Tennessee (where I live!). It says so in the opening theme song ('hills of Tennessee..."). Granny & Jed both talked about the hills of Tennessee. In one episode they talked about Ripley (I'm assuming Tennessee) which is a real place, 'cause I live there! It's in Western Tennessee about 50 miles north of Memphis. The only Hooterville I know of is in Oregon.

nowhere in "THE BALLAD OF JED CLAMPETT" (the opening theme) does it mention "...the hills of Tennesee".
I say they're from Arkansas; because in one scene in the pilot; Jed comes in the cabin holding an Arkansas razerback hog and says "Granny! The hogs got into th' corn agin'!" Of course; it could also be possible that the pig belonged to one of their neighbors or something.

(also; they were from Arkansas in that HORRIBLE, AWFUL, BH movie. However I just ignore that movie and pretend it never happened)

I have heard that in the movie "The Beverly Hillbillies" the Clampetts were from Arkansas. I don't know why they would have said that the Clampetts were from Arkansas unless the producers just didn't do their research.

If you grew up watching The Beverly Hillbillies every week like I did you would know that the television series Clampetts were from the fictional town of Bugtussle, Tennessee - not Arkansas. If you start watching the series from the beginning you will hear them mention it. Early on in the series they talked about Bugtussle, Tennessee all of the time.

Talk to someone in their late forties or fifties that grew up watching the show and they will confirm what I have said.
I'm 33 and I've watched literally every episode many times over and I've never heard of Bugtussle and Tennessee in the same sentence once. In one of the color episodes, Drysdale buys the hippo that the Clampetts think is a "giant hog." Granny said that she was sending part of the "hog" to someone in Lee's Summit, MO that she knew. Now how, if they were from Tennessee, did Granny know someone from Missouri?

Dialogue from a Silver Dollar City episode of the Beverly Hillbillies placed Bugtussle 20 miles away from Silver Dollar City. Not sure if this means it has to be in Missouri, or if it may be in Arkansas. Does anyone know?

Dialogue from a Silver Dollar City episode of the Beverly Hillbillies places Bugtussle a 20-mile ride away from Silver Dollar City. Not sure if this means it has to be in Missouri, or if it may be in Arkansas. Does anyone know?

I'm 33 and I've watched literally every episode many times over and I've never heard of Bugtussle and Tennessee in the same sentence once. In one of the color episodes, Drysdale buys the hippo that the Clampetts think is a "giant hog." Granny said that she was sending part of the "hog" to someone in Lee's Summit, MO that she knew. Now how, if they were from Tennessee, did Granny know someone from Missouri?

RGR, thank you a thousand times over; I can die with my mind at ease now. I saw this episode several years ago when we lived in Raytown... tucked it away in the back of my mind because I thought it was funny at the time that the next suburb over was mentioned in TBH. Then we moved to Lee's Summit and I mentioned it to my husband... who thought I was insane. I started wondering if I had just dreamed it and thought it was real (and that's happened before). :crazy:

Today I thought about it again and googled for any connection, and here was your post! I have this puppy bookmarked, and you can bet the second my husband walks in the door I will be dragging him to the screen to read it and believe. Thanks for the information - we will have to find this episode on DVD somewhere! :wave:

RGR, thank you a thousand times over; I can die with my mind at ease now. I saw this episode several years ago when we lived in Raytown... tucked it away in the back of my mind because I thought it was funny at the time that the next suburb over was mentioned in TBH. Then we moved to Lee's Summit and I mentioned it to my husband... who thought I was insane. I started wondering if I had just dreamed it and thought it was real (and that's happened before). :crazy:

Today I thought about it again and googled for any connection, and here was your post! I have this puppy bookmarked, and you can bet the second my husband walks in the door I will be dragging him to the screen to read it and believe. Thanks for the information - we will have to find this episode on DVD somewhere! :wave:LOL!!!! You're welcome!:lol:

I have completed extensive research on Granny Clampett. The real Granny Clampett is a lady named "Eva Barns Henderson". Eva lived in an area referred to as "Bug Tussle" along the Buffalo River. Eva is buried in the Plumles Cemetary at Compton, Arkansas. Eva lived from 1892 to 1978.

Eva was featured in the Sept 1973 Natioanl Geographic as one of the most "facinating women of the Ozarks". Eva was asked what she would do if she was firced from her cabin in the Ozarks. She said they "would have to carry her out in her rocking chair".

Several eppisodes were filmed in Dogpatch. I have been unable to verify of Granny Hendserson actually met Granny Clampett (Irene Ryan).

The 1962 series depicted many areas along the Buffalo River such as Dogpatch where Pearl Bodine worked. So did Granny "Clampett" Henderson.

The fued with the "Bodkins" is real as this was a local Buffalo River family.

After the 1962 series, the Clampetts were mysteriously from Tennessee. I suspect this had to do with trying to build up the interest in Country Music.

Granny "Clampett" Hendersons cabin still can be seen near Compton along the Buffalo River. It is an incredible hike, but, extremely scenic and peacefull.

A protrait of her and her life is encased in plastic near the front door of the cabin. Granny "Clampett" Henderson (who looked exactly like Irene Ryan) was forcefully removed from her cabin in 1978. She died very shortly afterwards. According to her nephew, she died of a broken heart.



References to the Bullafo

Trying to correct a few mis-guided's about the roots of the Clampetts, here is more info.

Granny was a "Moses" from Napolean, Tn is the county of Potts. Neither exist so Granny's home on TV was totally fictional.

Jed and Ely were Clampetts from the Buffalo River area. Jethro was a Bodine. Other than Jethro, the other three lived in the same cabin on the Buffalo River. Granny was a "Clampett" by marriage, yet clinged to her Moses roots.

However, several references are made to "real" places. The Clampetts always went "up" to Eureka Springs. My contention will always be that Granny Henderson of Compton in an area know as "Bug Tussle" is actually the real Granny Clampett.

There is a back road from Compton to Eureka Springs. That would be around 30+ miles to Eureka Springs as well as 40+ miles to Silver Dollar City from Compton, Ar. Driving there in the 1960's to see a movie could have happened very easily.

There is a 4-mile road to Granny Henderson's cabin in Bug Tussle from Compton called "Centerpoint". One hell of a road to drive, but it was driveable in 1962. The drop was almost 1800 feet in only 4 miles which is steep!! I would estimate some grade drops at 20%!! It would have been quite possible for the oil man from Tulsa to have driven his car down to the Clampetts cabin.

The closest town with a motel was Jasper, Ar, about 15 miles away. Jasper is the only town in this area of the Ozarks that had a small opera place, a restaurant, and a motel. Most Jasper buildings are made from native Ozarks rocks depicted in the TV show.

There was also an old stream train line thru the Ozarks (M&NA Railroad 1890's to 1945) up to Silver Dollar City. The train stopped at Gilbert on the Buffalo River. Gilbert would have been around 30 miles down river from Granny's cabin. It is possible Granny drove or road a horse along the Buffalo River Road to Gilbert, then took the train up to Branson and Silver Dollar City.

Bodkins. This is a definite family from Arkansas. In the TV show, Granny "whopped" the Bodkins back in Nepolean, Tn. Mr. Drysdale was a Bodkins. Granny was a Moses.

Bodkinburg is about 20 miles or so in the Ozarks from Gilbert and the Buffalo River. It is a "real place" on Hwy 65 north of Clinton, Ar.

Yes, the Clampetts from from the Ozarks. If you watch ever single eppisode, you can pinpoint their cabin on the Buffalo River area.

"Possum Trot" is a definite area also near Compton where the real Granny Henderson lived. I have driven down this road and actually spoken to people. There is a sign on Hwy 43 just south of Compton to "Possum Trot".

About Ripley, there are no hills in western Tn. The Clampetts refer to someone "over to Ripley" way. They did not say up or down, so over can be any east-west direction.

The school in Oxford, Ar, had a nice reputation as an upper scale school. It would have been too far for Jethro to have traveled on a daily basis, but this school and this town are "real" in Arkansas.

If you have not visited the Ozarks Mountains in NW Arkansas, Compton, Jasper, Eureka Springs, Dogpatch, and hiked to Granny's cabin, then you have not seen the Ozarks. Not to mention Big Bluff, the Goat's Trail, and Hemmed in Hollows Falls all around Granny's cabin in "Bug Tussle" on the Buffalo.

I still wonder who came to Arkansas before 1962 to collect enough info before the first TV show in 1962 so that they could get a real person connected to the Clampetts and especially granny?? All I know is that this must have happened because of all the references to the Buffalo River area and the real life of Granny Henderson.

PS. The Ozarks go into Illinois and Indiana, also.

A protrait of her and her life is encased in plastic near the front door of the cabin. Granny "Clampett" Henderson (who looked exactly like Irene Ryan) was forcefully removed from her cabin in 1978. She died very shortly afterwards. According to her nephew, she died of a broken heart.
References to the Bullafo

Why was she forced out of her cabin? The television Granny was Daisy Moses she wasn't a Clampett her daughter married a Clampett. Creator Paul Henning use to go to Branson Mosouri, his relative ran a hotel/restaurant and it inspired the hillbillies and Petticoat Junction. Interesting read though. Can you scan and post a pic of Granny Henderson?

About Ripley, there are no hills in western Tn. The Clampetts refer to someone "over to Ripley" way. They did not say up or down, so over can be any east-west direction.

People like the Clampetts are highly unlikely to have owned a map, so they wouldn't have used the convention you are assuming they would, where north is considered "up" and south "down". In fact, I have observed that rural Southerners routinely say "up at Nashville" when they are north of Nashville, for example. I don't think "up" or "down" has a correlation to north or south like it would with most people.

I still wonder who came to Arkansas before 1962 to collect enough info before the first TV show in 1962 so that they could get a real person connected to the Clampetts and especially granny?? All I know is that this must have happened because of all the references to the Buffalo River area and the real life of Granny Henderson.

The producer Paul Henning had spent a lot of time in the Ozarks and said he used names he remembered hearing as inspiration for the ones used on the show.

I live close to the home of Granny "Henderson" Clampett. 100 miles to the south as I live in the Ozarks myself. I have talked to Granny's relatives. They tell me that movie people did try to film an eppisode at the real "Bug Tussle" down on the Buffalo back in the 1960's, but the road was just too steep. One relative said that they filmed some scenes in Dogpatch. You can look up Dogpatch on the internet to see it's history. Pearl Bodine said she worked at Dogpatch in one eppisode as well as Silver Dollar City in many other eppisodes.

Granny Henderson was forced from her cabin in 1978 by the US Park Service. The entire Buffalo River Valley was made into America's first national river. Some 350 familes were evacuated from the mid 60's up until the very last person in 1978....Granny Henderson. She said they would have to "carry her out in her rocking chair".

When watching all the Hillbilly shows, you sort of need a map and some insite to areas. Nothing from Tennesee is every depicted so you can get a reference point except Ripley. Ripley is also in Mississippi and Oklahoma.

However, many places in Missouri and Arkansas are depicted including Granny Clampett's friend in Lees Summit, Mo.

The real Granny "Clampett" Henderson was featured in the 1977 National Geographics magazine. March, Vol 151 #3. In that book are several photos of Granny Henderson.

Yes, I do have photos of Granny Henderson. She looks exactly like Irene Ryan. Only Granny Henderson was the kindest and softest lady ever. Definitely not fiesty like Granny Clampett. Send me an email address and I will send the photos.

"Up" to Eureka Springs again points to the Buffalo River. Granny Henderson lived down in the valley. So did the Clampetts. Most hill folks back then lived up on the ridge. Granny Henderson's farm is probably the "best" farm that exicted down on the Buffalo. I have hiked the entire Buffalo River and not seen any old farms better than her's. 1892-1978

So, when Granny says "up to Eureka Springs", she could be referring to going north as well as going up the mountain to Eureka Springs.

As much as I have watched these shows, I still don't see any spot in the Ozarks or any lady other than Granny Henderson that is more factual that Granny's life on the Buffalo River.

My book is signed by Howard Villines. The Villines family is the "oldest" family on the Buffalo River moving there around 1830. Howard was Granny Hendersons' grandson. Howard is now 80 years old.

If you guys reading this are like me, you just can't get enough of going to see Granny Henderson and piecing together Bug Tussle, Eureka Springs, and Dogpatch.

I have accomplished what I feel is the final link to Granny Henderson on the Buffalo River being the real Granny Clampett that was depicted in the TV show.

Meeting with several of Granny's relatives, they all told me very similar things. "Bug Tussle" is the area that Granny Henderson lived. It was just the name of the area. That was because back then, Compton, AR. was up on the ridge at 2300 fet in altitude. Granny's cabin (and a lot of other's down on the river) was a drop in 1800 feet in altitude on only one steep road and several steep trails. It was always a fight with the bugs on the way down to see Granny.

Granny Henderson lived from 1892 until 1979 when she died. She was the last person forced from her cabin by the National Park system in 1978.

Granny's husband passed away in 1959 leaving Granny by herself. Granny would go down and sit by the Bufalo River and chat with passing canoers. Granny was so popular that many people would stop at her place expecting her to be there.

Granny often cooked meals for canoers. Many camped in her front yard on long canoe trips back then.

Visiting Granny always brought a smile to her if you brought her a bag of candy. Granny had no money in her entire life, but brought more happiness to people and touched more lives than all of the rich people combined.

Is it possible to love someone you never met???

Granny wrote to whomever wrote to her. She had several correspondents from Europe. Anyone canoeing the Bufflo knew Granny Henderson.

Dogpatch was mentioned a few times on the TV show. Dogpatch existed from 1968 until 1993. Dogpatch would have been noted on the later TV shows.

Silver Dollar City opened in 1960.

Next is Paul Henning. The creator of the TV show "Beverly Hillbillies".

Paula Henning was from Missouri. Articles about him says he loved camping in the Ozarks. Since Silver Dollar City did not open until 1960, it is most likely that he tended to go to the Buffalo River for camping and canoeing.

The Buffalo River has been a very popular canoeing river ever since WWII. Even today, many people will canoe its entire length camping deep in the unbelievable scenery. 135 miles from Boxley to Buffalo City. Extremely clear water!!

There is a very lilkey chance that Paul met Granny on the river bank. Probably several times. Granny Henderson's relatives tell me that a movie man visited the area. I am sure it was Paula Hemming. They tried to film an eppisode at Bug Tussle where Granny lived but the road was too steep to get camera stuff there.

Therefore, I believe, the connection to Granny Henderson and Paula Henning
was "most probable". I see no other area and definitely no other person that could have inspired Paul like Granny Henderson did.

Here are some links you can read about Granny Henderson (Eva Barnes Henderson) and the Villines family on the Buffalo River.

http://www.landrights.org/OCS/SocioCultural/BuffaloRiverInholders_2.htm
http://thelibrary.org/lochist/periodicals/ozarkswatch/ow804b.htm

This closes my book on Granny Henderson that started in the mid 1990's when I first saw her cabin and became inquisitive as to who she was, where she was buried, and is she the real "Granny Clampett"..........John

When they made the script they mistook Bugtussle for Bugscuffle which is a town in Northwest Arkansas about 40 miles from Eureka Springs and Silver Dollar City which are also reffered to in the script. Bugscuffle is in Washington County Arkansas near West Fork and Strickler about 20 miles south of Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Jethro,
my sources say they are from the Ozarks but I am not certain of the exact state.

Michele
On the internet it said they were from Bugtussel Tn and that's what I herd too.