Dogpatch USA, Former amusement park in Newton County, Arkansas.
Dogpatch USA is a former theme park in Newton County, Arkansas, that covered roughly 400 acres (162 hectares) and included a trout farm, railroad tracks, performance venues, mechanical rides, and several recreational facilities along State Highway 7. The site combined natural landscape with entertainment offerings and provided guests with a wide range of activities.
The park opened in 1968 and drew about 300,000 visitors in its first year before closing for good in 1993. Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris acquired the property in 2020 for 1.12 million dollars to convert it into Marble Falls Nature Park.
The name comes from the Li'l Abner comic strip by Al Capp and reflects the characters and fictional mountain setting that visitors experienced through themed areas and costumed performers. The surrounding community adopted the name temporarily to strengthen its connection with the park and draw more guests.
The abandoned site is currently not open to the public and is undergoing conversion into a nature park. Visitors can view the area from State Highway 7 while planning and construction for the new use continue.
A marble block from the original site was extracted in 1836 and transported to Washington, where it was used in building the Washington Monument. This connection between local stone extraction and one of the most recognized monuments in the United States remains largely unknown.
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