Li’l Johnny’s turn

Morris buys Dogpatch, inspires hope for site

It’s understandably challenging for anyone born in the late 1980s or beyond to grasp this odd affection some older Arkansans have for a plot of land alongside Highway 7 in one of the state’s least populous counties.

For kids and families looking for car-accessible entertainment in the 1970s, particularly, the 1980s and early 1990s, a visit to Dogpatch USA in Newton County was an exciting and comical adventure. The Li’l

Abner comic strip had been a staple of hundreds of newspapers across the nation since the Al Capp creation was syndicated in 1934. The mountainous terrain north of Jasper seemed a perfect home for the comics’ characters — hillbilly Abner Yokum and his parents Mammy and Pappy, the beautiful Daisy May, and a full cast of other personalities Capp used for satirical purposes.

With Capp as a partner, local visionaries developed the Dogpatch theme with buildings, a railroad, a petting zoo, fishing for trout, craft shows, character performances and other entertainment. Later, there were caves to explore, trams, an aviary and water rides. As the years went on, more attractions, like antique car rides, were added.

In its heyday of the early ’70s, Dogpatch was an escape a lot of people flocked to. There was something magical, it seemed, in what was a fairly simple theme park. The problem wasn’t with the visitors who went through the park’s gates. It was that the projected numbers of visitors simply never showed up. The park, with several changes of ownership and legal issues, hobbled along before closing for good in 1993.

It was an real-life Arkansas creation that inspired a sense of simpler times, not unlike those that make “The Andy Griffith Show” popular to this day. Forget the fact that those “simpler times” were never so simple as anyone recalls, but the romanticize version and natural beauty are undoubtedly behind the continuing affection for the old Dogpatch property.

Because they visited there and etched memories into their minds, people all over the state feel like they have a stake in the old amusement park, which has since 1993 had a variety of owners with visions of capitalizing on that sentiment. None of those efforts, so far, have come close to working.

But the big news the other day was that the most recent buyer is none other than Johnny Morris, the founder of Bass Pro Shops and native of Springfield, Mo., just up the road a piece from the old Dogpatch site. The billionaire businessman and conservationist opened the Wonders of Wildlife Museum and Aquarium in Springfield in 2017. He also owns the Top of the Rock golf course in Ridgedale, Mo., and developed Big Cedar Lodge, a resort that combines scenic views, water activities, a shooting range, bowling, arcade games, bumper cars and more.

Will Morris’ creativity and appreciation for scenic beauty find a way to turn the old Dogpatch into a successful venture? He promises to create a “nature experience for future generations to enjoy” that is an “ode to the heritage of the Ozarks.”

Fans of the former Dogpatch undoubtedly recognize Morris isn’t going to revive the unsuccessful amusement park, which would certainly never thrive in today’s market, but they hold high hopes that the beautiful property will once again become a place that inspires cherished family memories.

It’s remoteness is both its attraction and its Achilles’ heel. Morris’ success at other ventures and his deep pockets give everyone a reason for hope. We can’t wait to see what’s to come.