Lake Bella Vista and the Palomino Mules
The following is an excerpt from the book, “From Vision to Reality, A History of Bella Vista Village, 19151993,” by Gilbert C. Fite. The book is available in the gift shop of the Bella Vista Historical Museum. Photos of the trip described are included in an exhibit in the Cooper Room at the museum.
“In November 1965, The Cherokee Village Development Company (later to be known as Cooper Communities) employed Ernie Deane as director of information at Bella Vista. For nearly 10 years, Deane had written the popular ‘Arkansas Traveler’ column for the Arkansas Gazette. An excellent writer and widely known throughout the state, Deane provided excellent leadership for the Company’s public relations efforts.
“An event that brought a large amount of publicity to the Village was the covered wagon trip between Arkla Village in Southwest Arkansas at Stephens and Bella Vista Village in April 1966. Two months earlier, Edwin Pease and James Hamilton had gone to Fordyce, Arkansas, where they purchased a matched set of palomino mules. They also arranged for craftsmen at Arkla Village to build a covered wagon similar to those in which early settlers had gone west. After a good deal of newspaper coverage and local hoopla, the team and wagon, driven by Eddie Bolain of Bentonville, started out on the 316-mile trip from Arkla Village to Bella Vista.
“Ernie Deane kept a steady flow of press releases going to the communities through which the mule team traveled. He gave the time of arrival and urged people to get out and see the unusual sight. … Such headlines as, ‘Covered Wagon and Palomino Mules to Stop in City,’ and ‘Mules, Covered Wagon En Route to Bella Vista,’ were typical. Cooper salesmen took turns riding 25 miles or so, handed souvenir wooden nickels to children, and passed out thousands of pieces of literature advertising Bella Vista Village to interested adults.
“When the team arrived in Bentonville on April 23, 1966, and was greeted by a large crowd, Deane said that the developers were ‘thrilled and pleased at the response of the people in Bentonville and on the entire journey across Arkansas.’
“Later that day, Bolain drove the mule team on to Bella Vista, accompanied by about 20 members of the Bentonville Riding Club. The team and wagon soon became a regular attraction in the Village as it provided rides for visitors around the Bella Vista Park area. The wagon was also used to entertain guests at chuckwagon suppers.”
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Lucas is a volunteer with the Bella Vista Historical Museum, located on Highway 71 next to the former American Legion building. The museum is open Saturdays and Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m., with covid restrictions in place. Admission is free.