Floodwater damages dam, Veterans Wall of Honor
BELLA VISTA — Torrential rain during a short timeframe pummeled the region last week, swelling Little Sugar Creek, breaking open the Lake Bella Vista dam and damaging the Veterans Wall of Honor.
Approximately one to three inches of rain fell April
28, according to National Weather Service officials. Some areas reported receiving four to six inches of rain.
The flooding heavily impacted motorists and area residents. Bella Vista firefighters assisted the Rogers and Little Flock fire departments with swift-water rescues, according to the Bella Vista Fire Department’s Facebook page.
In Bella Vista, raging water flooded Lake Bella Vista, spilling over the trail. Flooding destroyed part of the Lake Bella Vista dam, washed up debris and damaged the Veterans Wall of Honor.
The Veterans Wall of Honor monument, just north of Lake Bella Vista, has been flooded in the past, said Leonard Eisert, Veterans Wall of Honor historian.
The water, once it recedes, usually leaves about an inch of mud that has to be hosed out, he said.
Twelve members of the group usually volunteer to help clean it up each time, he said.
When the Veterans Council of Northwest Arkansas built the monument, the organizers raised it, but not enough, Eisert said.
The monument features 18 historical flags, 120 feet of cast bronze historical plaques, and 4,200 veterans’ names.
Built by the Veterans Council of Northwest Arkansas, the monument honors the military service of all veterans. Initially, members sold memorial bricks to help raise money to build the monument.
Leonard, at age 93, is the last living member of the original seven-member board. He has hundreds and hundreds of photos over the years, documenting the building of the monument and its progress.
The monument is special because it honors all veterans from the Revolutionary War to the present, he said. One lady researched her family history back to its Revolutionary War roots to the present day, and purchased 24 memorial bricks, Eisert said.
Now, officials plan to expand their efforts into a park and add memorial slabs of concrete, Eisert said.
The area also is home to a historical dam, built in 19151916, said Xyta Lucas, Bella Vista Historical Museum co-president.
“When we moved here in
1995, I drove south to work in first Rogers, then Bentonville, and took the road across the dam to work every morning until late November 1998,” she said.
Officials opened the Dartmoor — now called Mercy Way — bridge and finally closed the dam to auto traffic, she added.
“We went to California for Thanksgiving and when we returned, the new bridge was open.”
To celebrate Lake Bella Vista’s 100th birthday, Historical Society volunteers hosted a birthday party in May 2015, Lucas said.
“We had a big tent erected alongside the lake, with exhibits on display and refreshments served to hundreds of people that afternoon,” she said.
Some people saw the celebration from the highway and stopped to check it out, while others were already out on the walking trail and came over to the tent, she said.
Former local Constance Waddell flew in from California for a book signing of her book, “Sally and Me.”
The book features Waddell’s story of her growing up in the old summer resort, she added.