BRANSON, Mo. — For Hugo and Mary Herschend and sons Pete and Jack, the move from Wilmette in the late 1940s might as well have been to Mongolia. In fact, it was merely to Missouri, only 550 miles from Chicago, but it seemed as though it was halfway around the world. The Herschends were looking for a scenic spot in which to retire and enjoy nature when they stumbled upon the Ozarks and fell in love with the area around Branson. It was 1948, and electricity was just beginning to make its way into the rural hills. The abundance of flora and fauna was a big lure. But there wasn't much demand for Electrolux vacuum cleaners, which Hugo sold for a living, in a region without power, so the Herschends decided to buy Marvel Cave in hopes that the remote tourist attraction could provide the family a respectable income. The huge cavern was drawing only about 1,000 visitors a year. Jack and Pete served as guides and watched the visitor count begin to grow. Still, there was a need for something more that would draw additional travelers to this isolated corner of Missouri. Patriarch Hugo Herschend died in 1955 but not before sharing his dream: a place where local craftspeople could demonstrate their skills in everything from blacksmithing to glass-blowing. "He said, ‘I think that men and women who come here to the Ozarks would like to see what life was like for people who lived here. I want them to know what a hillbilly really is,'" Pete recalled of his father's vision. "He did not use the word ‘hillbilly' in a pejorative sense. He had nothing but admiration for these men and women." On May 1, 1960, at the entrance to Marvel Cave, Hugo's dream became reality with the opening of Silver Dollar City, a small theme park where a few locals demonstrated pioneer crafts while folks waited for a tour. Word spread, and that year there were about 100,000 paid admissions. Since then, the park has hosted 65 million guests. Today the 61-acre park boasts more than 30 rides and attractions, 60 shops and restaurants and 40 daily shows. About 100 people ply their mountain trades at the modern-day Silver Dollar City, keeping alive traditions that might otherwise be lost. The blacksmiths tell their guests about how people moving farther west would burn down their cabins and then collect the precious nails from the rubble. Nearby, master chip carver Pam Gresham demonstrates how she creates ornate wood carvings using a single small knife.