No city in Arkansas has had a more interesting and perhaps convoluted history than Bella Vista in northern Benton County near the Missouri border. What started out as a small summer recreation area and real estate development is today an incorporated city of nearly 30,000.
William Baker, a Presbyterian minister, and his wife Mary began work in 1915 on a dam across Sugar Creek north of Bentonville--the goal being to create a large commercial swimming lake, with plans to add income-producing tennis courts and golf courses later. The Bakers also offered 400 lots for $100 each. The name Bella Vista was selected in a contest, and it is an appropriate name since the area abounds with scenic views.
Despite the beauty of the area, the new resort failed to thrive, and was soon offered for sale. Bella Vista has had several saviors during its century of existence, with the first being the Linebarger family. Natives of Indiana, Samuel and Mary Linebarger moved with their three children to Bentonville in 1903 due to Mrs. Linebarger's tuberculosis. Upon her death three years later, the family moved to Texas, where they began development of the town of Tomball.
Like many people who have lived in the Ozarks, the Linebargers found themselves longing to return to Northwest Arkansas, and in 1917 the Linebarger Brothers Realty Co. purchased Bella Vista and considerably more surrounding land for $3,100. Arriving in Bentonville on a cold Nov. 11, 1918, after a grueling two-day drive from Texas, the brothers were pleasantly surprised to discover the local blacksmiths were using gunpowder to "fire their anvils" in celebration of the end of World War I.
The end of the war could only be good for the Linebarger brothers. Fayetteville historian and retired archivist Ellen Compton has written about the marketing approach planned by the brothers: ". . . the Linebargers were not interested in selling lots and cottages to local residents. They [promoted] the sale of Bella Vista lots to families from such centers of new oil prosperity as Dallas, Fort Worth, Bartlesville, and Tulsa." One salesman took in $80,000 in Tulsa in the spring of 1918, resulting in a Bella Vista street being named Tulsa Row.
The Linebargers advertised far and wide, describing the beautiful countryside and the many developments available to summer residents. A dance pavilion was filled with couples every night except Sundays. A dining hall served hot meals to cottage owners and guests at a 30-room lodge. Golf courses came next. A huge swimming pool attracted large crowds throughout the summer. In 1929 the Sunset Hotel, with 65 guest rooms with private baths and servants' rooms, opened for business. Wonderland Cave, which housed America's only subterranean night club, began receiving guests in 1930.
The Great Depression was rough on Bella Vista. Even formerly prosperous families could not afford to maintain a summer home. Guests declined in both number and length of stays. World War II, with its rationing of gasoline and tires, was a severe follow-up to the Depression. In 1952 Bella Vista was sold to E.L. Keith, operator of a resort in nearby Cave Springs.
Keith changed the nature of Bella Vista, appealing more to families. The dance pavilion was converted into a roller skating rink. The Sunset Hotel was closed and donated to a Baptist minister for a school. Keith, realizing the challenges facing Bella Vista, sold out to John A. Cooper Sr. in 1963.
Cooper had made a name for himself as the founder in 1954 of Arkansas' first retirement community, Cherokee Village in Sharp and Fulton counties. Cooper delegated his son, John Jr., to manage the development of Bella Vista, and he was remarkably successful despite heavy investments in infrastructure. Cooper built a country club, designed by Fayetteville architect Fay Jones, another large golf course, 400 miles of roads and streets, and many community structures. By 2000 more than 37,000 home sites had been sold, though only about 13,000 were developed.
As of 2010, Bella Vista had a population of 26,461--and it was no longer a simple retirement village. An elementary school has been built, perhaps the best testimony to Bella Vista's recent diversification. More or less operated by a property owners' association, the town voted to incorporate as a city in 2006 following a decades-long and contentious debate.
The Cooper family, which also developed hugely successful Hot Springs Village in Garland County, had a profound impact on Arkansas beyond the obvious economic investment. For example, both Bella Vista and Hot Springs Village are overwhelmingly Republican, helping fuel the recent GOP insurgency. These communities also contributed to Arkansas' high percentage of elderly citizens. The Linebarger brothers would be amazed at what became of their summer resort.
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Tom Dillard is a historian and retired archivist living in rural Hot Spring County. Email him at Arktopia.td@gmail.com.
Editorial on 08/03/2014