Opinions
Eighteen years has gone by so fast. It’s unreal.
For the families of the 2,977 people who died when 19 men hijacked four fuel-loaded commercial airplanes on that fateful day in September, the horror of 9/11 is relived over and over again.
What has happened to our nation since that terrible day?
As...

John and Sarah Baldwin Barrett moved to Ozark County in the late 1800s, settling on land adjoining the homestead of Plez Duckworth and his wife, Amanda. A feud developed between the two men for reasons that have been lost to time. Their enmity led to the 1891 shootout in the Ozark County Courthouse.
Editor’s note: In its first four segments, published in the July 17, 24, 31 and Aug. 7 editions of the Times, Gainesville resident Wayne Sayles’ column, An Ozark Journey, traced the history and route of the Old Salt Road created by James McClurg before the Civil War, focusing on the rugged road’...

John and Sarah Baldwin Barrett moved to Ozark County in the late 1800s, settling on land adjoining the homestead of Plez Duckworth and his wife, Amanda. A feud developed between the two men for reasons that have been lost to time. Their enmity led to the 1891 shootout in the Ozark County Courthouse.
Editor’s note: In its first four segments, published in the July 17, 24, 31 and Aug. 7 editions of the Times, Gainesville resident Wayne Sayles’ column, An Ozark Journey, traced the history and route of the Old Salt Road created by James McClurg before the Civil War, focusing on the rugged road’s...
Editor’s note: The four-part story of Old Salt Road that concluded in the Aug. 7 edition of the Times mentioned an 1865 communication between Capt. William J. Piland, commander of Company I of the 46th Missouri Volunteer Infantry, and his superior, Brig. Gen. J. B. Sanborn. Piland’s unit was...
Editor’s note: The four-part story of Old Salt Road that concluded in the Aug. 7 edition of the Times mentioned an 1865 communication between Capt. William J. Piland, commander of Company I of the 46th Missouri Volunteer Infantry, and his superior, Brig. Gen. J. B. Sanborn. Piland’s unit was...
I have always loved writing. About things. About other people’s lives. Those stories are easy for me.
But the hardest thing to write about is my own life, especially the scary and sad parts.
This year has been full of ups and downs for my family. But nothing was quite like the turn our lives took a...

James McClurg, who in 1842 carved the Salt Road through the Ozarks wilderness from Jacksonport, Arkansas, to Springfield, Missouri, also served as a US Congressman and later as Missouri governor. He died in 1900 and is buried in Lebanon City Cemetery, where his grave is marked by this impressive marker.
Editor’s note: This is the conclusion of Wayne Sayles’ story about the Old Salt Road, a rugged trail carved through the Ozarks by Joseph McClurg in 1842 to transport salt he had purchased in New Orleans to be sold in the market in Springfield. McClurg shipped the salt by steamboat to Jacksonport...
I have always loved writing. About things. About other people’s lives. Those stories are easy for me.
But the hardest thing to write about is my own life, especially the scary and sad parts.
This year has been full of ups and downs for my family. But nothing was quite like the turn our lives took a...

James McClurg, who in 1842 carved the Salt Road through the Ozarks wilderness from Jacksonport, Arkansas, to Springfield, Missouri, also served as a US Congressman and later as Missouri governor. He died in 1900 and is buried in Lebanon City Cemetery, where his grave is marked by this impressive marker.
Editor’s note: This is the conclusion of Wayne Sayles’ story about the Old Salt Road, a rugged trail carved through the Ozarks by Joseph McClurg in 1842 to transport salt he had purchased in New Orleans to be sold in the market in Springfield. McClurg shipped the salt by steamboat to Jacksonport,...
As this edition is printed and delivered to the office Wednesday morning, I’ll be spending my last day in the Ozark County Times office as a newspaper reporter. Thursday begins a new chapter in my life as I transition to a new career as a high school English teacher in the Lutie School District for...