Hipbillies: Deep Revolution in the Arkansas Ozarks

by Jared M. Phillips

Counterculture flourished nationwide in the 1960s and 1970s, and while the hippies of Haight–Ashbury occupied the public eye, a faction of back to the landers were quietly creating their own haven off the beaten path in the Arkansas Ozarks. In Hipbillies, Jared Phillips combines oral histories and archival resources to weave the story of the Ozarks and its population of country beatniks into the national narrative, showing how the back to the landers engaged in “deep revolution” by sharing their ideas on rural development, small farm economy, and education with the locals—and how they became a fascinating part of a traditional region’s coming to terms with the modern world in the process.

Genres: Nonfiction

216 pages, Hardcover

Published April 15, 2019

Reviews

[Eduardo]

Hipbillies, Deep Revolution in the Arkansas Ozarks by Jared M. Phillips (2019) 138 pages with 40 pages of notes. This dry evaluation of the political and cultural impact of the Back-to-the-Land Movement during the 60’s, 70’s and 80’S establishes the theoretical and philosophical roots that guided the movement from Henry David Thoreau to Aldo Leopold, Helen and Scott Nearing and onward to Gary Snyder and Wendell Berry. It addresses the tension between the locals (hillbillies) and the hippies (hipbillies) ‘invading’ the locals’ ‘home’. He examines the various publications which created a community of thought that expanded into community action such as symposiums and concerts, community centers and schools. It also outlines the efforts to create learning centers and government aid for all in the Ozark region although with some backlash from anti-governmental sentiments. The issue with which I was most familiar was the National Forestry policy of using toxic herbicides(2-4-5-T , Silvex and 2-4-D) to kill the hard wood forests to replace them with faster growing conifers and the efforts to stop this policy. Though the use of herbicides was not prevented, the policies were somewhat altered and the dangers of herbicides was brought into the community’s consciousness. It is not a reading for the average person, but could be of great interest to people who were part of this movement or who are interested in cultural and regional transformation.

[Layne Moss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Penned by one of my favorite college professors, Hipbillies explores an understudied aspect of Ozark history. This work reignited my affection for place, highlighting a beloved and quintessential corner of the world.

[John Paul Gairhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It was an effort that required rediscovering everything that was once common knowledge: how to grow food, build homes, give birth. What was sought, then, was a rehabilitation of American culture- one that began in the dirt and grew over time like the forest that slowly reclaims and heals a ruined field.”

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parts of this book features engaging oral history narratives, stories of idealistic hippie families from the North attempting to “fit in” with genuine Arkansas hillbillies and their communities. It's the 1970s and some northerners, fed up with crime-infested cities, become enamored by the “back to the land” movement and Whole Earth Catalog culture to buy land, hoping to make a go of it with a simplistic life. Or so they think! Not so fast! It's work, work, work in primitive conditions. Unpaved roads, no electricity hookup, primitive amenities, skeptical natives. But gradually they adapt, and the oldtimers begin to adapt as well to bring about economic and cultural advancements for all. I found myself skimming over much of the book's content, however. Rather dry, too much like some history prof wrote it, which indeed it was.

[BooknerdBetty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is full of a ton of information and analysis. If anyone is at all interested in the regional history of the Ozarks, they should definitely read this book. I learned so much, and enjoyed it a lot. My only critique would be format - it was very dense, and I think it would’ve helped if the endnotes were footnotes and if the chapters could’ve been broken up with subsections. Regardless, I loved reading about the area where my ancestors are from, and it was a shock and delight to see a quote from my great aunt from when she wrote to her senator in 1975.

[Scotty · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a required read... a but one-sided

[Craig Amason · Rating 3 out of 5]

My decision to read this book is again based on my interest in studying Ozarks culture since moving to Missouri in late 2018 and taking a position at Missouri State University Libraries working on projects for its Ozarks Studies Institute. I had the opportunity to hear the author speak on a panel with two people who were involved in the Back To Land movement in the Arkansas Ozarks at a conference in West Plains, Missouri in September, 2019. The people who decided beginning back in the 1970s to trade in urban dwelling for a rural, subsistence lifestyle among the hills and "hollers" of the Ozarks are often referred to as Hipbillies -- a hybrid of hippies and hillbillies.

Phillips does a good job of placing this movement in the context of 20th century back-to-the-land and counter-culture philosophy characterized by the works of people like Wendell Berry and Gary Snyder. He gives proper credit to the successes of the Hipbillies while also recognizing their failures and some of their less-than-pure intentions. He credits them for fighting for environmental health, sustainable agricultural practices, and social justice issues. One of their greatest accomplishments was succeeding in modest changes to how the US Forest Service approached the management of timber.

Phillips admires how the Hipbillies, especially the pioneers from the early 1970s, faced overwhelming odds and even life-threatening circumstances yet still persevered to make it as homesteaders in a part of the country where the land is not so forgiving. He dispels some of the myths about how native Ozarkers rejected the Hipbillies. Instead, they often embraced them and even saved their lives during harsh winters and unpredictable farming seasons. There were clashes in places like Eureka Springs, but that was more a conflict between counter-culturists and town leadership.

The Hipbillies had big dreams when they landed in the Ozarks. "What was sought, then, was a rehabilitation of American culture -- one that began in the dirt and grew over time like the forest that slowly reclaims and heals a ruined field," Phillips writes. He contends that the Hipbillies took themselves seriously as revolutionaries. They "came to the Ozarks seeking refuge and a place in which they might build a new world for themselves, and hopefully, all of humanity . . . . While they did not always succeed, the story is not over -- they are still alive and are still powerful cultural, political, and economic forces in the Arkansas highlands."