The abandoned Dogpatch USA theme park will become Marble Falls Nature Park, a project led by the founder of Bass Pro Shops, the state commission announced Tuesday.
Bob Ziemer, senior director of conservation for Bass Pro Shops, announced the plan Tuesday at the Buffalo River Conservation Commission’s quarterly meeting in the Jasper School cafeteria.
Bass Pro Shops founder and CEO John L. “Johnny” Morris purchased 400 acres of land in Newton County last year.
The proposed Marble Falls Nature Park would be similar to the much larger Dogwood Canyon Nature Park near Lampe, Missouri, the Conservation Commission said. Dogwood Canyon has a working water mill and restaurant, trout and fly fishing lessons, wildlife tours, horseback riding, and conservation education programs.
Newton County Park is steeped in community history, including being the location where a block of marble was cut, engraved and transported to the nation’s capital in 1836, and being one of the first stones incorporated into the Washington Monument. It is said that the focus will be on presentation. The area is also a recreational area featuring local spring water.
The 400-acre Dogpatch property sold for $1.12 million. For years, people in northern Arkansas tried to get Morris to buy Dogpatch. However, the price in 2016 was $3 million. The value of the original park eroded along with the site.
According to the Encyclopedia, Dogpatch USA was built in 1967 for $1.33 million (about $10 million in today’s money) and was originally built as a trout farm, buggies, horseback riding, and a character from Al Capp’s Li’l Abner comic strip. It featured entertainment and the park’s trademark railway. of Arkansas. An amusement park was later added.
Morris has an estimated net worth of $4.1 billion, according to Forbes.com, and has a track record of successful conservation projects. He developed Big Cedar Lodge, billed as “America’s premier wilderness resort,” and his 10,000-acre Dogwood Canyon Natural Park. Both are located in southern Missouri.
Dogpatch was for sale at a foreclosure auction on the steps of the Newton County Courthouse on March 3, 2020, before Morris purchased it.
