LITTLE ROCK – On Saturday, April 26, from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., the Arkansas State Archives will hold its spring symposium titled, “Vanished Utopias: The Search for Arkansas’s Lost Tourist Attractions.” The symposium will be held at the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History and will feature a variety of speakers who will explore Arkansas’ history of tourism, focusing on sites in the state which were at one time large tourist draws, but over time declined in popularity and have since closed.
Arkansas State Archives staff member Jane Wilkerson will present the history of Dogpatch USA, a popular amusement park near Jasper, which later went bankrupt and closed.
Angie Albright, director of the Shiloh Museum for Ozark History, will discuss the history of Monte Ne, a settlement in northwest Arkansas founded by the eccentric William “Coin” Harvey, who built a hotel and resort in the area. Michael Schwarz of Abandoned Arkansas will examine the history of Hot Springs’ forgotten tourist attractions. Arkansas Historic Preservation Programs Historian Revis Edmonds will tell the story of Arkla Village, a mock 1800s frontier town established in the 1950s by energy company Arkla. State Historian and director of the Arkansas State Archives David Ware will explore the history of Arkansans visiting natural springs on summer outings.
The event is free to the public and free parking is available at the museum. Teachers can receive up to three hours of continuing education credit for attending the symposium.
