Dogpatch USA
Dogpatch USA is a defunct theme park located on Highway 7 between the cities of Harrison and Jasper in the state of Arkansas, USA, an area known today as Marble Falls. It was opened to the public in 1968 and was based on the popular comic strip Li'l Abner, which was created by cartoonist Al Capp and set in a fictional town called "Dogpatch".
Success in the early years, together with credible projections of continued success, buoyed investors and prompted extensive and heavily financed expansion, including a sister park designed as a ski resort and convention center. But in the following years, a kaleidoscope of characters and events would conspire to transform the illusory pot of gold at the end of the Dogpatch rainbow into a bottomless canyon [1] of financial misfortunes.
After changing hands many times, the park was closed in 1993 and now stands abandoned and neglected, overgrown with vegetation, and a frequent target of vandalism. The land remains entangled in legal issues but is, nevertheless, for sale again.
History
Conception
In 1966 Albert Raney, Sr., decided to sell his family's Ozark trout farm, and listed it with O.J. Snow, a Harrison real estate agent. After examining the property, Snow, who wanted to create a park based on pioneer themes, decided that the Raney farm was perfect. Snow also noticed that several geographical features of the area resembled those pictured in the Li'l Abner comic strip, including a fifty-foot (fifteen meter) waterfall, Mill Creek Canyon, and the nearby tourist attraction Mystic Caverns which was also owned by the Raney family.
Snow and a few business associates formed Recreation Enterprises, Inc. (REI) to develop the land and present the idea of a theme park to Al Capp. According to an Arkansas Gazette article, Snow sent Capp, who lived in Boston, Massachusetts, home movies of the property and descriptions of the proposed attractions:
- Trout pond
- Cave Tours
- Arts and crafts shops
- Family oriented theatrical presentations
- Riding stables
- Paddle boats
- Pioneer technology
- Honey hut
- Fudge shops
- Costumed characters
- Train rides
- Botanical garden
- Apiary
Snow also assured Capp that the park would be quiet and dignified, and would not include roller coasters or thrill rides that would conflict with the rustic Li'l Abner theme. Capp, who had turned down other offers, accepted this one and became a partner, claiming that he had once driven through the Ozarks and had envisioned just such an area for the setting of his fictional town of Dogpatch. He was also comfortable with Snow's concept, and confident that his Li'l Abner creation would not be tainted.
Doubts at the start
Arkansans have always been sensitive about being portrayed as backward hillbillies, so the concept of a theme park based on such a stereotype was not widely accepted. Lou Oberste of the Publicity and Parks Commission expressed reservations, and Commission Director Bob Evans agreed that Arkansas had difficulty shedding a similar image created by comedic actor Bob Burns and the popular radio celebrities "Lum and Abner" of earlier years.
Edwin T. Haefele of the Brookings Institute and Leon N. Moses, Professor of Economics at Northwestern, happened to be visiting Arkansas at this time. When reporters asked for their opinions of the "Dogpatch" project, they expressed considerable doubts about the likelihood of its success, citing the failure of other theme-parks that had popped up trying to capture the success of Disneyland. They also noted the detrimental effects that such theme-parks have on nearby property values, which tend to decrease, and the subsequent relocation of families and established businesses to other areas.
Despite these reservations, the Publicity and Parks Commission toured the property and decided to support the project, and the Harrison Chamber of Commerce approved the plans for the 825-acre (3.3 km²) park.
Building and opening the park
Al Capp and his wife attended the ground-breaking ceremony on Tuesday, October 3 1967. Phase I of the project, at a cost $1,332,000, included construction of the buildings and rides. Phase II, which was to be the construction of an RV park, amphitheater, motels and a golf course, would cost an additional $900,000, and would never be fully realized.
Under the direction of Jim Schermerhorn, an REI board member and experienced spelunker, Mystic Caverns, which was renamed "Dogpatch Caverns", was completely renovated and dangerous conditions were corrected to ensure public safety, including a better lighting system, walkway, and entrance. During renovation, while Shermerhorn was operating the bulldozer, a second cave was discovered next to Mystic Caverns. Realizing the potential value of this pristine cave, he camped out at the entrance until it could be blocked off so that it could be preserved untouched. It was named "Old Man Moses Cave" and put on the "to do" list along with the other projects intended for Phase II. Schermerhorn also acquired many authentic 19th-century log cabins in the Ozark Mountains and had them dismantled, shipped, and reconstructed in the park. This fact was never advertised.
The park was officially opened on May 17 1968, with a total attendance of 8,000 visitors. The centerpiece of the park was a giant statue of the fictional town hero, Jubilation T. Cornpone, which was unveiled that day during Al Capp's dedication speech to a crowd of 2,000. General admission to the park was $1.50 for adults and $0.75 for children, and Dogpatch USA reported a net profit of about $100 thousand at the end of the 1968 season.
Attendance expectations for the park were optimistic; according to a Los Angeles consulting firm, 400,000 patrons could be expected in the first year, and an increase to 1.2 million would be likely by 1977. However, there were only 300,000 visitors in the first year, and Dogpatch USA never reported more than 200,000 visitors in any subsequent year.
The park changes hands—Jess Odom
In 1969 a disagreement arose among the members of REI, with regards to investing the profits of the first year. Snow believed all the profits should be reinvested in the park, but the other members wanted to divide some of it among themselves. As a result, Jess Odom, an Arkansas businessman in search of a worthwhile opportunity, bought Snow's and other REI members' shares for $750,000 and gained a controlling interest in the park. Odom had been successful in several other endeavors, including the founding of a planned community northeast of Little Rock, called Maumelle. REI expected Odom to spend an estimated $5 to $7 million on improvements and the addition of "Skonk Hollow" next to Dogpatch, but these plans never came to fruition.
Odom signed a long-term licensing agreement with Capp, giving the park and any future Dogpatch franchises the rights to use all characters, events, jargon, names, and titles until 1998. In return, Capp would receive two to three percent of the gross of admissions over the same time period.
For the 1969 season Odom hired the former six-term Governor of Arkansas, Orval E. Faubus, as General Manager and President of REI. He is reported to have claimed that running the park was very similar to running the state.
Success is elusive
1969 marked a particularly popular year for rustic and hillbilly pop culture. Shows such as Green Acres, Petticoat Junction, and The Beverly Hillbillies were in vogue on American television. A similar rustic-themed park just a few miles away, near Branson, Missouri, "Silver Dollar City", had become a huge success. The Li'l Abner comic strip was appearing in over 700 newspapers daily throughout the country, keeping Dogpatch in the public eye. In addition, Al Capp had just signed a deal for a restaurant franchise and the rights to develop his comic strip into a TV series.
Dogpatch USA was profitable in its first few years. In 1971, Odom, who foresaw unlimited potential for the park, bought out most of the remaining investors for $700,000 and became, essentially, the owner. REI borrowed $2 million from Union Planters Bank in Memphis in May of 1972 to build a sister park called "Marble Falls", with the intention of making the "Twin Parks of the Ozarks" a year-round attraction. Marble Falls, a ski resort with a convention center, toboggan run, motels and an ice-skating rink, was ready just in time for the Christmas season of 1972.
Success seemed to be on the horizon for Odom and Dogpatch USA, but the many unforeseen events of the '70s would, collectively, cast a gloomy shadow on the Dogpatch dream. Attendance figures throughout that decade would be woefully short of expectations. In 1973 interest rates would begin to skyrocket, and a nationwide energy crisis would keep many tourists home. TV shows with country themes would virtually disappear from the American TV screen and the popularity of hillbillies would wane. The Li'l Abner TV show and restaurant chain would never come to pass and, to top it all off, Al Capp would retire, and with that the greatest advertisement that Dogpatch USA ever had—the Li'l Abner comic strip—would end.
The mild winter weather which visited Arkansas through the mid '70s proved to be the undoing of Marble Falls as a ski resort, and its snow cannons and slopes sat idle much of the time. The modest profits of Dogpatch USA were not sufficient to keep the two parks afloat, and Odom, already $2 million in debt, was forced to borrow an additional $1.5 million in the unfavorable financial atmosphere of 1973.
In 1974 Odom partnered with the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville to create an in-park repertory theater featuring its own Boars Head Players. This venture turned into a huge disappointment; the group presented two of the five promised productions, and did not return the following season. Today this troupe is still active at the University of Arkansas.
In 1976, Union Planters Bank began foreclosure proceedings on $3.5 million in debts. In 1977 Al Capp and the Li'l Abner comic strip retired, and First National Bank of Little Rock began foreclosure proceedings on $600 thousand in debts. In September of that year Odom stated that, because Marble Falls had lost up to $100 thousand a year since it opened, the ski slopes would be closed permanently. Amidst all this, Dogpatch USA recorded one of its most profitable years in 1977.
Two personal injury lawsuits, seeking $215 thousand in compensation, were brought against Dogpatch USA in 1979 and settled in 1980. By 1979 Dogpatch USA was reporting a negative income. Attempts by Odom to get Harrison, and later Jasper, to issue tourism bonds to refinance millions of dollars of debt were unsuccessful. In 1979 Odom announced that negotiations had been underway to sell the park to a private nonprofit group called God's Patch, Inc., which would turn Dogpatch into a biblical-themed amusement park. However, funding never materialized. The heatwave of 1980, one of the worst in Arkansas' history, made that year one of the worst for the park, marking the second year in a row that Dogpatch USA operated in the red. In October 1980, Union Planters Bank filed to take possession of both Dogpatch USA and Marble Falls. A month later, Dogpatch USA filed for bankruptcy.
The OEI years—Wayne Thompson
In 1981 Ozarks Entertainment, Inc. (OEI), bought Dogpatch USA for an undisclosed amount and retained ownership through 1986. Taking the park in new directions, OEI, under the leadership of General Manager Wayne Thompson, reduced the park staff by more than 50% and added many new attractions, including "Earthquake McGoon's Brain Rattler", the park's first roller coaster ride. The amphitheater hosted concerts featuring stars such as Reba McEntire, Hank Thompson, and Ike and Tina Turner. Thompson also brought in the corporate sponsorship of Coca Cola, Dr. Pepper, and Tyson Chicken, and superheroes including Spiderman, Batman and Robin, and Captain America for personal appearances and autograph signing. Gospel and bluegrass shows were presented, and Denver Pyle (Uncle Jesse from the popular TV series "The Dukes of Hazzard") was signed on as the park's spokesman both onsite and in TV commercials.
The emphasis on new promotions paid off; Dogpatch USA was profitable in every year that Wayne Thompson was General Manager for OEI (1981–1986). But even though visitors spent more money per person during these years than in any other years, it was still not sufficient to outweigh the mounting debt and the burden of the never-profitable Marble Falls.
In 1981 Dogpatch Caverns and Old Man Moses Cave were sold to Bruce Raney (grandson of Albert Raney, Sr.) and a fellow investor. Old Man Moses Cave was finally renovated and renamed "Crystal Dome" and Dogpatch Caverns became "Mystic Caverns" again. Managed by Raney until they were sold to Omni Properties, Inc. in 1984, the twin caves have continued to operate as tourist attractions to this day.
The 1980s would see the ownership of Marble Falls divided up and changed until it became so entangled in an endless stream of legal problems that it was impossible to clearly state who actually owned what parts of the property. In 1983 a new investor, "Buffalo River Resorts", began selling parcels of the land for timeshares and condominiums, although buyers had to be informed of the uncertain legal status of the property.
The Dogpatch era ends—the Telcor years
In 1987 The Entertainment and Leisure Corporation (Telcor) bought out 90% of OEI and became the new owner. Telcor, a corporation formed to buy and manage theme parks and headed by Melvyn Bell of Bell Equities, owned two other parks at the time, "Deer Forest Park" in Coloma, Michigan and "Magic Springs" in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Wayne Thompson was retained as GM, and under his leadership Telcor made renovations and improvements, and a new ride called the "Space Shuttle" was added. Attendance that year reportedly increased by 16%.
In 1988 Wayne Thompson departed and Lynn Spradley, a 14-year Dogpatch USA veteran, became GM and managed the park through the 1991 season. During this time Spradley bemoaned the fact that Dogpatch USA was forced to spend much more per patron on promotional strategies to attract visitors than other theme-parks, and that most kids didn't even know who the Li'l Abner characters were. By this time the comic strip had been out of print for more than 10 years.
Dogpatch USA floundered in the face of stiff competition in the Telcor years, especially from Silver Dollar City, which duplicated most of what Dogpatch had, but on a grander scale, and was only a twenty minute drive to the north. And what Silver Dollar City did not have, the Ozark Folk Center in nearby Mountain View did, and it was not wrapped in an outdated cartoon franchise.
In 1991, more changes were made as a last-ditch effort to boost attendance. Emphasis was placed on arts and crafts instead of rides and entertainment. General admission was no longer charged and patrons paid for each individual attraction instead. Telcor decided to save the money that the Capp estate was receiving for use of the name and characters, and the most unique aspect of the park—the Li'l Abner franchise and theme—was completely dropped and the name changed to Dogpatch, Arkansas.
After struggling a few more years, the park was closed for good on October 14 1993.
Trout pond
The trout pond, around which Dogpatch USA was conceived and developed, had been in operation for 30 years before the amusement park was built. Sometime in the early 20th century, Albert Raney and Sons purchased the land, which since the 1830s had been part of the community of "Wilcockson", and diverted the water from Mill Creek to create a waterfall and a pond. They named the property "Marble Falls", the name it and the surrounding area has retained to this day. [2] In 1949, the Raney family also purchased a cave near the pond, the tourist attraction Mystic Caverns, which opened for tours around 1928 and is still in operation today.
In 1966 the trout pond was sold to the developers of Dogpatch USA, and the Raney family continued to operate the pond throughout the park's years. The pond was, arguably, the park's most popular and unique attraction, and was kept well overstocked so that visitors could cast a rented fishing line and have no trouble catching some "big ones". The catch was then cleaned and cooked by the restaurant staff and served to the lucky angler.
The pond now sits abandoned along with the rest of the property. Its trout population is unknown but, given the condition of the rest of the park, it has probably decreased dramatically.
Dogpatch today
Although all of the rides that were of value were removed and sold, the bulk of the structures of the park still exist and sit in decay. Demolition and redevelopment is the usual fate for such a park, but Dogpatch USA was built in a fairly unattractive and undeveloped rural area, and throughout its years there was little if any commercial development of the surrounding area (other than the failed "Marble Falls" ski resort) to augment the park's attractiveness to visitors and tourists. The location is also known to be "off the beaten path" and somewhat difficult to access, compared to other theme-parks nearby. These factors, no doubt, contributed to the park's demise and continue to hinder its redevelopment today.
A few plans for revitalizing and reopening the park have been proposed, but none have materialized. The property is for sale for five million dollars, but it may be very difficult to acquire in view of all of the legal issues that surround it and the number of people who still claim ownership.
A number of websites have reported that visitation to the abandoned park by urban explorers is frequent, and the many recent pictures of the property that have been posted on the Internet attest to this fact. However, as of June 28, 2005, signs have been posted threatening prosecution of trespassers, and a guard has been seen patrolling the property in an RV.
The statue of General Jubilation T. Cornpone, the centerpiece of Dogpatch, was removed from the park in 2004. In 2002 a visitor to the abandoned park observed that the statue was "toppled and broken on the town square." [3] Nevertheless, it was later spotted, intact, at the Shepherd Of The Hills Homestead on the Shepherd of the Hills Expressway in Branson, Missouri.
Bob Richards and Randal Phillips purchased and later reopened a portion of Dogpatch as The Hub, a motorcycle-themed hotel and convention facility, in June 2005. The Hub contains a 60-room motel and a convention center that seats 1,700 in theater style. [4]
Trivia
- 9/10ths of the property is located in Newton County, which means that proposed changes to the property may require the approval of both Jasper (Newton County) and Harrison (Boone County).
- The name Dogpatch became the postal designation of the area in 1966, and was listed as such on Arkansas highway maps. In 1997 citizens of the area voted unanimously to change the name to Marble Falls, its original name. Curiously, no records exist of such a vote to change the name to Dogpatch in 1966, and residents who lived there in 1966 and are still living there today claim it was done against their will.
Reference
External links
Photos
In Operation
- 1971 photos
- 1972 family photos
- 1 2 3 Collection of family vacation photos
Recent photos of the abandoned park
Other information
Miscellaneous
- General site with new and old photos as well as other information
- History and personal account
- Nostalgia on message board about sale on ebay
- Personal account of the abandoned property while snake hunting
- Message board discussion
- News Article about portions of the park being reopened
- News article about couples who met at Dogpatch