Monte Ne

Monte Ne
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The partially submerged Monte Ne Amphitheater in the Spring of 2006
Location	Benton County, Arkansas United States
Nearest city	Rogers
Built	1900-1920
NRHP reference No.	78000575
Added to NRHP	1978

Monte Ne was a health resort and ambitiously planned community which existed from 1901 until the mid 1930s. Located in the Ozark hills of the White River valley east of Rogers, Arkansas, it was owned and operated by William Hope Harvey, a financial theorist and one time presidential nominee. Two of its hotels, "Missouri Row" and "Oklahoma Row", were the largest log buildings in the world. Oklahoma Row's "tower section" is one of the earliest examples of a multi-story cement structure, and is also the only structure of Monte Ne standing today. Monte Ne also introduced the first indoor swimming pool in Arkansas, and one of the earliest golf courses in the world; it was also the site of the only presidential convention ever held in Arkansas.

Despite being an attractive vacation spot, Monte Ne was not a financial success, due in part to Harvey's eccentric management. All ventures associated with Harvey's original Monte Ne concept either were never completed or experienced bankruptcy, and shortly after his death the property was sold off in lots. The remainder of the resort and town was almost completely submerged after Beaver Lake was constructed in 1964. All that remains today are foundations and one severely vandalized structure. An area on the edge of Beaver Lake is still referred to as Monte Ne, and is owned by the United States Government through the Army Corps of Engineers.

History

William "Coin" Hope Harvey

Monte Ne was entirely conceived and funded by William "Coin" Hope Harvey, a well-known businessman, lecturer and author during the 1890s. Although he was financially successful at silver mining in Colorado, Monte Ne seems to have been funded mostly by the sales of Harvey's writings which dealt with the subject of free silver. His most popular pamphlet, entitled Coin's Financial School, was published in 1893. Sales were buoyed by Harvey's involvement in the presidential campaign of William Jennings Bryan, and it sold two million copies.

After Bryan lost his bid for President, Harvey visited Northwest Arkansas, which was known for its unique pristine natural beauty. In October 1900, he purchased 320 acres of land in Silver Springs, Arkansas (close to present day Rogers), from Reverend J. G. Bailey. From that time on he lived in Arkansas, and claimed that he preferred the state because it had no large cities or extremely wealthy people. Leaving his family behind in Chicago, Harvey moved into a run-down log house. His son Tom joined him shortly thereafter to help prepare the house for the rest of the family, and Harvey's other son Hal, wife Anna, and sister Annette joined them later. The house accidentally burned down a few months after they took up residence, and all of the family's possessions, including Harvey's large library, were lost. Harvey carried no insurance on the house, and after its destruction Anna went back to Chicago and returned only for brief visits.

Harvey's land purchase coincided with a desire by the post master to change the name of the area, because it was often confused with Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Harvey chose the name Monte Ne, supposedly combining the Spanish and Omaha Indian words for mountain water, because it "fit the tongue attractively." Familiar with European health spas, Harvey wanted to turn Monte Ne into a "watering hole" in the Ozarks. First, he commissioned the dredging of a canal. Silver Springs Creek was narrowed between Big Spring and Elixir Spring creating Big Spring Lake. The Creek was then channeled to form what Harvey referred to as "the lagoon." Limestone retaining walls were built along the bands of the creeks and the lake, as well as boardwalks and park areas. The place quickly became a popular spot for pleasure boating, picnics, and other outdoor activities. Many people noted how clear the water was. The Rogers Democrat said that it looked "like pure alcohol.".

Harvey's hotels

In December 1900, Harvey formed the Monte Ne Investment Company, which held the deeds to all of the land, with individual investments of $52,000, and Harvey's own $48,000 investment. Harvey began work on his resort in 1901 in great haste. The first hotel to be completed was the Hotel Monte Ne in April 1901, and opened in May. It was three stories high and had two 300 foot (91.44 meter wings). Each room had a doorway to the outside and the hotel was surrounded with wide porches.

The three story tower section, the foundation, and some of the basement, are all that remain of Oklahoma Row.

In April 1904, Harvey organized the Monte Ne Club House Hotel and Cottage Company with capital stock of $250,000. A.O. Clarke from St. Louis, Missouri served as architect and superintendent of the company. Harvey wanted to build five large hotels; a three-story main building called the Club House Hotel and four 300-to-450-foot-long (137.16 meters)"cottage rows," each to be named for states surrounding Arkansas. Stock holders in the company received a stock certificates that listed privileges such as transportation on the Monte Ne Railroad with 150 pounds of baggage and 25% discount for the stockholder and his family at the Hotel Monte Ne. Missouri Row was the first hotel constructed, beginning in August 1904. The Clarke-designed building was 46 feet (14.0208 meters) wide and 305 feet (92.964 meters) long and built of 8,000 logs with a cement floor re-tile roof. Fourteen thousand cubic feet 4 (267.2 meters) of concrete were used. The tiles alone were shipped from Chicago in five railroad cars. The center and two ends of the hotel rose to two stories, the remainder being a single story. As was the case with Hotel Monte Ne, Missouri Row featured long porches 575 feet (175.26 meters). The hotel had 40 sixteen-foot-square (4.8768 meters) rooms, each with a fireplace. Harvey employed area carpenters and stonemasons to build Missouri Row. In April 1905, to save time and money, the work schedule was changed from 9 to 10 hours per day and some wages were cut. Many workers went on strike and, when their demands were not met, quit. The strike delayed construction, but by the end of May a full workforce was in place. In July, carpet, washstands and furniture, including iron-and-brass bedsteads, were installed in the rooms. Cannon balls and shells from the Pea Ridge battlefield were sunk into the cement porch on either side of the main entrance. The hotel opened September 1905. Rates were $1 a day and $6 a week.

In February 1907, with nearly 300 new stockholders, Harvey began construction on his next hotel, Oklahoma Row, also designed by A. O. Clarke. It was built to the west of Missouri Row with a wide lawn. It had a similar log, cement stone, and tile construction. The dining room was on the north end. Each of the 40 rooms had fireplaces, as did the dining room and center hall. Every room featured electric lights, sewerage, and running spring water. The hotel also boasted a three-story cement tower, one of the earliest multistory cements constructions in the country. Oklahoma Row and other construction projects drained Harvey's funds. He managed to raise enough money to finish its construction when the hotel opened finally there was no gala event, as there had been with Missouri Row.

Theme song

In 1901, Harvey Commissioned a theme song for Monte Ne. "Beautiful Monte Ne" was written by Rogers local, Edward Wolfe, and copyrighted by Harvey in 1906.

Beautiful Monte Ne, God's gift to man they say
Health resort of all the world is beautiful Monte Ne
Rosy cheeks and purer blood they gain there day by day
in mountain air water rare at beautiful Monte Ne

The Monte Ne Railroad

Monte Ne Railway Company

Overview
Headquarters	Monte Ne, Arkansas
Locale	Arkansas, Monte Ne and Lowell
Dates of operation	1902–1908
Successor	Arkansas, Oklahoma & Western Railroad

Harvey needed a way to get people to Monte Ne. In 1900, without adequate roads and automobiles not yet practical, the natural solution was to build a railroad from Lowell, Arkansas to Monte Ne. The Arkansas Railroad Commission granted a charter on April 26, 1902 and the Monte Ne Railway Company was incorporated in May 1902 with a capital stock of $250,000. Besides Harvey the company included: Carl A. Starck, P. G. Davidson, A. L.Williams, B. R. Davidson, J. H. McIlroy, J.W. Kimmons, F.F. Freeman, J. F. Felker, Robert H. Harven and Thomas W Harvey (Coin's Brother). Another of Harvey's brothers, who was a banker at Huntington, West Virginia, furnished $25,000. Of the 250 shares in the company 240 were registered in Harvey’s name. The five-mile private railroad spur started at the Lowell transfer station. 14,000 oak railway ties were laid running through Cross Hollows, south of Rogers, where two ravines met. It then passed through Limedale, terminating above Big Spring Lake at a Log Cabin depot with open-air waiting rooms. Harvey leased an engine, tender, and a passenger coach from the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad. The railway opened on June 19, 1902. Harvey imported a 50-foot (15.24 meters) gondola from Venice, Italy in July 1901 to meet guest arriving by rail and carry them to the resort. The gondola was a very popular attraction, and Harvey often promoted Monte Ne as: "the only place in America where the gondola meets the train."

The little railroad did not last long, going broke only a few years later. At about this time the Arkansas, Oklahoma & Western Railroad (AO&W) was forming. The railroad ran from Rogers to Siloam Springs, over a distance of approximately 30 miles (43.452374905 kilometers). It was opened for traffic New Year’s Day 1908, connecting with the Frisco at Rogers and the Kansas City, Pittsburgh & Gulf (KCS) at Siloam Springs. AO&W planned to build eastward to Eureka Springs. On December 1, 1909 the AO&W purchased the Monte Ne railroad. To connect the AO&W and the Monte Ne a track would have to be laid from Hazelwood, Arkansas on the AO&W to Lowell; the Frisco line was in the way and they would not allow a connection. AO&W instead built an expensive underpass of the Frisco; this still exists.The AO&W went bankrupt a few years later and was bought by another startup railroad, the Kansas City & Memphis Railroad (KC&M) in early 1911. It would build from Cave Springs, Arkansas a few miles west of Rogers, through Fayetteville, Arkansas and toward Memphis, Tennessee. A survey party was soon locating the alignment east from Monte Ne, crossing the White River and around through the Ozarks. A new steel bridge was built by the railroad over the White River east of Monte Ne but no train ever crossed it. The (KC&M) went bankrupt in 1914. Finally, when World War I began, all railroads were seized by the United States government and the five miles (8.046736093 kilometers) of track that had been the Monte Ne Railroad were abandoned.

Bringing business to Monte Ne

In August 1901, Harvey's son Hal and brother-in-law Ernest Halliday opened a large bathhouse on Silver Springs Creek, across the lagoon from Hotel Monte Ne. The indoor pool was the first in Arkansas. It was 25 by 50 feet (15.24 meters) and 7 feet (2.1336 meters) deep and included springboards and slides. Water from the spring flowed into the swimming pool, half of which was sectioned off and featured heated water piped in from a wood-fiber boiler. The bathhouse also had a two-lane bowling alley. The pool continued to be a popular attraction throughout the life of Monte Ne until the opening of an outdoor pool in Willola, Arkansas in 1923.

Monte Ne Postcard from 1910 showing Oklahoma Row

In April, Harvey began seeking industries to move to Monte Ne, but few actually did. Monte Ne's small downtown area had at one time a General store. This store would also serve as a host for school plays and as well as a Masonic Lodge. A livery stable and a gristmill were built there as well. Monte Ne even had a post office, which erroneously changed the town's name to Vinda (a misreading of a local wine ranch called Vinola), but later formally changed it to Monte Ne. Harvey issued his own money, or scrip, which was accepted and used as cash in and around Monte Ne. Scrip was a way of financing his mercantile without requiring operating capital. Harvey would purchase items with the scrip and promised to redeem it within 30 days. If the item did not sell, the scrip had no value. Also in downtown was the Bank of Monte Ne. It was organized by Harvey in 1905 and the building was designed, like many buildings in Monte Ne, by A. O. Clarke. The two-story, 50 by 70 foot (21.336 meters) building (usually referred to as the "Bank Block") included the bank and a store room on the main floor, as well as a lodge room and several offices on the second floor. The building was located across the street from the post office. The Interstate Bankers' Summer Club held their 1906 meeting there and the local Odd Fellows lodge were among the groups who used the upstairs offices. Harvey sold stock in the bank for $15 a share. The bank lasted until 1914. Depositors and lenders were paid off and any other funds were transferred to a bank in Rogers.

To help attract tourists, Harvey often brought in musicians and hosted dances and other events to give Monte Ne a constant festive atmosphere. He used the Monte Ne Herald, run by his son Tom, to promote these events. The newspaper only lasted until 1905, probably due to financial troubles and Harvey's publication of some personal attacks. There were also many sporting events in Monte Ne including tennis, croquet, and fox hunting. Monte Ne also had the first golf course in Northwest Arkansas, created sometime before 1909, and also significant because the first golf course in the world opened only a decade earlier in the 1890. Harvey's difficult-to-please nature often ended up driving away many more people than it attracted. Harvey had a lights-out at 10 p.m. policy, and would cut the main electricity to the town if the policy was disobeyed, prompting many disgruntled guests to leave prematurely. He was also criticized for holding events on Sunday and banning children and people who were ill from the resort.

Roads to Monte Ne

After the Monte Ne Railroad failed, Harvey needed to find other ways for people to get to his resort. He realized the coming importance of the automobile, and founded the The Ozark Trails Association (OTA) to promote the building and education of quality highway design, but not actually building or funding them. At first he was only interested in bringing people to Monte Ne, but his new organization seems to have take a more egalitarian goal as time went on. Harvey said: “My inclination runs toward doing something of a progressive nature that will promote the collective good, and I have now concentrated all that inclination on carrying out a system of roads known as the Ozark Trails.” The Ozark Trails Association became Harvey's most successful endeavor. Interest in the project spread and membership swelled to 7,000 delegates from states as far away as New Mexico. The group built large obelisks, listing the names of the benefactors, along the routes and trails that it sponsored.

Interest in the group began to waver noticeably when Harvey finally stepped down as president at a 1920 convention in Pittsburgh, Kansas, which was attended by only 200 delegates. By the mid 1920s highways and roads had become completely government-funded and there was no longer a need for local sponsorship. The group's system of giving them historic names and those of contributors had also become confusing and inefficient because of the myriad names and disputes over different names for the same stretch of roadway. So, the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) changed all the roadways' names to uniform numbers, despite fierce protest from the OTA. The group had lost its relevance and disbanded in 1924, but many of the roads they helped develop became part of the historic Route 66.

Another group with no affiliation but with the same name was created in the early 1970s to promote the maintenance of recreational trails in the Ozarks.

The pyramid project

By 1910, Harvey was facing serious setbacks. Harvey's son Hal had died in 1903 and was interred in a mausoleum in Monte Ne. His other son, Tom, had left in 1908 never to return. Sadly, the next decade would not bring better news for Harvey either. Harvey and his wife, Anna, were now permanently estranged after 25 years of marriage. Harvey's close friend William Jennings Bryan would fail to find a place for him in the new Woodrow Wilson administration. Harvey's 1913 bid for the Third Congressional District of Arkansas would failed. Monte Ne itself was also failing. The railway had been sold and and would be abandoned during World War I. The he Bank of Monte Ne had also gone out of business. Faced with these severe dilemmas Harvey had began reasoning that the end of civilization was at hand. In February 1920 he published Common Sense, in which Harvey announced his intention to leave a message for the future in the form of a pyramid.

Retaining wall that was built for the Pyramid

Harvey believed that when the catastrophic end came, the mountains around Monte Ne valley would crumble. To inform the people of the future about what had happened, Harvey planned to construct a massive concrete obelisk, which he called "the Pyramid." He believed that people would find the capstone, and dig down to its base. The first part would be 40 feet (12.192 meters) square and 10 feet (3.048 meters) high. It then would reduce to 32 feet (9.7536 meters) square and rise 35 feet (10.668 meters). The next segment would be 22 feet (6.7056 meters) square and would rise 85 feet (25.908 meters) to become six feet (1.8288 meters) square at the top. The total height would be 130 feet (39.624 meters). In the pedestal there would be 300 feet (91.44 meters) squared of floor space. Harvey's books, explaining 20th century civilization, as well as a world globe, a bible, encyclopedias, and newspapers, were to be placed inside two vaults and hermetically sealed in glass. Harvey also wanted to place in this large room: "numerous small items now used by use in domestic and industrial life, from the size of a needle and safety pin up to a Victrola." It was estimated that the construction would use 16,000 bags of cement, 30,000 cubic feet (9.144 cubic meters) of sand, 58,000 cubic feet (17678.4 cubic meters) of gravel, and tons of corrugated steel reinforcement. The Portland Cement Association donated the service of one of its experts, who pronounced that the Pyramid would not deteriorate or suffer from erosion and would last for over a million years. To prevent water in the valley from interfering with the foundation and to shore up the low knoll to support the heavy Pyramid, Harvey constructed a 165-foot-long (50.292 meters) retaining wall of stone and cement.

He also built a roughly semi-circular, terraced amphitheater for seating as the foundation of the Pyramid. The land for the amphitheater was first dug in late 1923, and construction continued off and on for the next five years whenever financing, building materials, and labor were available. Unlike other Monte Ne Building projects the architect A. O. Clark designed, the amphitheater apparently had no architectural input and was not build according to blueprints or a single design. Those who worked with Harvey noted that he seemed to just "work it out in his mind from day to day." The result was a unique structure, irregular in formation, with seating capacity for anywhere from 500 to 1,000. The amphitheater averaged 20 feet (6.096 meters) high and 140 feet (42.672 meters) long. In the middle of the amphitheater was a small island with two concrete chairs and a concrete couch, intended for an orchestra to play or a speaker to make a presentation. Harvey dedicated the amphitheater before 500 people in 1928.

Following the Egyptian mania that gripped the country after the discovery of King Tut's tomb in 1922, Harvey's Pyramid project sparked a lot of interest and was widely reported throughout the US. Tens of thousands of people came to Monte Ne during the 1920s to see its progress. Harvey continued to raise funds by lending out the amphitheater for events, such as conventions.

Harvey moved office to his cottage next to the amphitheater, as work continued on the Pyramid. In January 1929 he incorporated the Pyramid Association along with Lowell and H.L. Hardin of Kansas City. The association was to carry out Harvey's Pyramid plans in the event of his death. The estimated cost of the Pyramid itself was $75,000, but Harvey exhausted his funds on construction of the amphitheater. The stock market crash of 1929 ended all construction, and the Pyramid was never built.

Failure

As Harvey's interests shifted to the Pyramid, Monte Ne's resort days effectively ended and the number of visitors slowly dwindled. Activities and events at Monte Ne continued, supported by locals who still visited in large numbers. Harvey sold the former Hotel Monte Ne, which then became known as the White Hotel prior to 1912, Randola Inn in 1918, and Hotel Frances in 1925, and for a time in 1930 as the Sleepy Valley Hotel. Monte Ne's larger hotels continued to be active after they, along with the dance pavilion and Elixir Spring, were foreclosed and sold at public auction. From 1927 to 1932, Missouri Row and Oklahoma Rows (often called the Club House Hotel at this point) were home to the Ozark Industrial College and School of Theology, a nonsectarian school run by Dan W. Evans. The hotels housed pupils—Missouri Row for boys, Oklahoma Row for girls—and Oklahoma Row also provided classroom and dining spaces. Evans and his family lived in the tower. The dance pavilion was enclosed and served as the school chapel. In May 1932, following a mortgage foreclosure against the school, school officials were evicted and the property was sold.

After he announced the building of the Pyramid, at age 69, Harvey began suffering a series of serious health problems, but continued to work tirelessly. In 1926, blood poisoning in his foot in resulted in a coma lasting several days, surgery, and a three months of recuperation. In 1929 he and Anna were finally divorced. Three days later Harvey married his long-time personal secretary May Leake. In 1930, he got double pneumonia. He was also going blind and had to have younger people read his letters and the newspaper to him.

Tomb of William "Coin" Hope Harvey and his son Robert Halliday Harvey

Harvey returned to politics after the 1929 stock market crash and the ensuing Great Depression, deciding to have a run at the presidency. He formed The Liberty Party and held their national convention at Monte Ne. It was the only presidential convention ever held in Arkansas. Harvey prepared with railroad excursion rates, media facilities, upgraded roads, and food concessions, anticipating 10,000 delegates. He tented the amphitheater, set up seating, and installed an amplifier system to reach the thousands to be seated outside. Delegates were only eligible to attend if they certified they had read and agreed with the principles of Harvey's newest book The Book, which dealt with the harmful effects of usury by the government. In the end only 786 delegates attended, and Harvey was the only candidate the delegates could agree upon. They nominated Andrae Nordskog of Los Angeles, California for vice-president. The Liberty Party ended up merging with the Jobless Party and Harvey ran for president as an independent, however he is usually incorrectly credited as being their candidate in that election. Regardless, Franklin Delano Roosevelt won the 1932 presidential election, and Harvey came in 6th with only 800 votes.

Harvey continued to publish his newsletter, The Liberty Bell, and sell his books as his health and eyesight continued to fail. On February 11, 1936 he died at Monte Ne due to peritonitis after an attack of intestinal influenza. The tomb made to house his son in 1903 was blasted open and Harvey's simple cheap pine casket and that of his son were placed in a glass casket filled with copies of Harvey's books and some of his other papers. The tomb was then resealed. A small funeral was held on February 14, 1935, and a small plaque bearing the names and dates of the two Harvey's was posted.

He died with a balance of $138, debt of $3000 and no will. The courts decided that the property that was still deeded to the Pyramid foundation belonged to his widow, May, who sold it before moving to Springfield, Missouri never to return. She died in 1948.

Monte Ne after Harvey

The bank building was also bought in 1944 by D. L. King of Rogers, who remodeled it and made it home to his Atlas Manufacturing Company which produced poultry equipment. However, he moved it back to Rogers the next year. The building then stood idle, becoming victim to vandalism. All of its windows were smashed and it became covered in graffiti. Eventually, it was nothing more than an empty, roofless, cement shell.

In 1944 both Missouri and Oklahoma Row were sold to Springdale businessmen Roy Joyce and Jim Barrack. Missouri Row was to be torn down and sold in small lots. The roof tiles were bought by a Little Rock law firm. By 1956, the building had collapsed leaving only a small section standing.

Oklahoma Row continued to provide lodging although it was run and managed by a number of different people. In June 1946, Company G of the Arkansas State Guard held camp at Monte Ne for field training, using some of the hotel facilities. Access to Monte Ne improved a bit in August 1947 when the state highway department blacktopped 1.4 miles (2.253086106 kilometers) of the Monte Ne road. In January six Monte Ne men were arrested for grand larceny, charged with stealing doors from Oklahoma Row and 500 feet (152.4 meters) of pipe from the swimming pool. Oklahoma Row was used in 1945 by Camp Joyzelle, a girls' camp, which had been established in 1923 just east of the Amphitheater, specifically as lodging for people coming to visit the campers. They used it up until 1962 for social events and activities such as plays and campfire ceremonies. The camp also used the ticketing section of the old railroad depot for its main lodge and crafts building. In 1955 Dallas Barrack, a Springdale antique dealer, bought Oklahoma Row, and renovated it into an antique store called the Palace Art Galleries. He carried some of the finest antiques in the area and the splendor of the old hotel only added to their value.

A Baptist Church was organized at Monte Ne under the sponsorship of the Benton county Baptist Association as a result of a series of revival meetings conducted there. The Monte Ne Baptist Church is still active. For a time in the summer of 1946, the Rogers Intermediate Girl Scouts held a camp at the Hotel Frances (old Hotel Mont Ne). Although it was not as active as it once was, the old filling station and store in downtown Mont Ne continued to serve the local population.

The Monte Ne Inn, two or three miles (4.828041656 kilometers) away from where the resort was on highway 94, opened in 1972 and is still in business.

In 1948 W. T. McWhorter purchased Harvey's former log home and office and the amphitheater nearby and turned it into a restaurant serving chicken, steak, and fish. There was also a concession stand at the amphitheater that operated until 1957 selling drinks, candy, souvenirs, and pamphlets about Harvey.

In January 1957, the Tulsa Daily World reported that 30,000 tourists visited Monte Ne annually to see Harvey's now deteriorating dream. The Arkansas State Historical Society held its 1960 annual meeting at Monte Ne and gathered at the amphitheater to hear Clara Kennan—a Rogers native and school teacher who had been fascinated by Monte Ne her whole life give a talk on Harvey and his Pyramid project. Her oral history and interviews provide some of the best information on Harvey and Monte Ne.

Beaver Lake and the flooding of Monte Ne

Discussion of damming the White River for flood control began in the 1930s, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) held hearings on building a dam in January 1946. The new dam would create a lake 50 miles (80.467360935 kilometers) long, and one arm would extend to Monte Ne. Work on Beaver Dam began in 1960 as the COE impounded and bought land around the White River. In July 1962, Mary Powell sold Camp Joyzelle to the COE, and W. T. McWhorten sold his land as well.

The COE relocated the Harvey tomb in 1962. Contractor Harald Mathis of Springdale took nine days to raise the 40-ton tomb and one to move it. The first attempt broke a flatbed truck. Another contractor from Huntsville with a stronger truck then had to be called in. A new road was laid to the site where the tomb was placed on the crest of a hill donated by Harvey's longtime friends Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Doescher. Today the tomb sits on private property visible from the Monte Ne boat launch on Beaver Lake. Relocation of the aging tomb put pressure on it, causing it to crack.

File:Graffiti Monte Ne.jpg

The ruins of Monte Ne have been severely vandalized and neglected, despite being on the National Registry of Historic Places

The COE mistakenly believed that the waters of Beaver Lake would cover the area of the large hotels, so those parcels were added to the land they purchased for the project. Dallas Barrack, who owned Oklahoma Row, felt that he was treated poorly and received much less than his property was worth. So, the COE held a sealed-bid auction and J. G. Gladdens purchased what was left of Missouri and Oklahoma row. He planned to move the remnants of Oklahoma row out of the path of the rising lake waters. In order to do this it was first necessary to remove the log portion or shell of the hotel. The original windows and doors were dismantled for the move and later reinstalled. The fireplaces, as well as all the major stonework were later torn down.

For many years stories circulated of a treasure being buried within the amphitheater. W. T. McWhorter was determined to find out if it was true, so on the day that he was to transfer the deed for the amphitheater to the COE he planned to dynamite the amphitheater. At the appointed time he was to blow up the structure, a number of people showed up to see the explosion, but COE attorney David Waid arrived just in time to stop him.

The dam was completed and Beaver Lake was at full height by June 1966. For all intents and purposes, Harvey's Monte Ne was gone. However, in times of drought, some of the structures would become visible again. The lake dropped to its lowest level on January 22, 1977, more than 27 feet (8.2296 meters) below its average depth and the amphitheater and bridges were visible for the first time in more than 10 years. Before the water flooded downtown Monte Ne again the rest of the buildings were either bulldozed or moved to avoid problems for swimmers, boaters, and fishermen. The few bridges that spanned the lagoon and the amphitheater were not demolished.

In 2006 the waters of Beaver Lake once again receded to it's lowest level since 1984, just above 1,100 feet. This generated a new brief interest in Monte Ne and many people were once again attracted to the edge of the lake to explore the remains. The upper part of the amphitheater and the retaining wall built for the never constructed pyramid were exposed for a time before being once again swallowed by the lake.

The flooded Monte Ne become a site of interest for scuba divers who dive by the amphitheater to get a look at the submerged structure. However, the water of Beaver Lake is cold and murky, making this a somewhat uncomfortable and unproductive exercise.

Remains of Monte Ne

A four sided fireplace is all that remains of Missouri Row.

A log portion of the original Oklahoma Row was moved north and now sits on the east side of Highway 94 in Monte Ne. It is used for storage. The three-story concrete-and-stone tower still stands and remains above water on the edge of Beaver Lake. This section is often incorrectly referred to as the bank building and the honeymoon suite. Despite being added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992 it has fallen victim to neglect and vandalism and is covered with spray paint and graffiti. Beneath the Oklahoma Row foundation on the northwest end lies the building's basement, its window and door sashes missing. This section is also often incorrectly referred to as either servant's or even slave's quarters, although at least most of it was just very ornate storage areas. During most of the year, the basement is under water, but it occasionally becomes visible during droughts. The basement is well-constructed with archways, vaulted ceilings, and inlaid floors. One room has a concrete fireplace and could have been intended for seasonal help.

All that is left of Missouri Row is a four-sided concrete fireplace surrounded by pieces of foundation, a few sets of stairs, some metal plumbing, and a retaining wall. East of that, surrounding what is now the Monte Ne boat launch, are remnants of limestone structures. Some of these are foundations from the broad wooden staircase built in front of Hotel Monte Ne, some are structural components for the twin stone bridges that crossed the lagoon and some are simply low retaining walls. The amphitheater and the retaining wall built for the Pyramid are underwater. Occasionally, when water levels drop in summer, they can be seen.

A few of the roads surrounding the area that was Monte Ne on the edge of Beaver Lake have names reflecting what once was there. Highway 94, which once lead to Monte Ne, is also called Monte Ne Road. Country Road 1195 which runs along the lake, is also called Pyramid Street and is a few hundred feet from where the Pyramid would have stood. Similarly Canal Street is nearby, named for the waterways that Harvey's gondolas once traveled.

References

• Lord, Allyn. Historic Monte Ne (Images of America). Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 2006. ISBN 0-7385-4336-5.
• Delightful Monte Ne
• Washington County Arkansas Genealogical Society, February 2006
• The Harvey Genealogist
• Vacationing in the "Land Of A Million Smiles", Evelyn Dodds Besom
• William H. "Coin" Harvey
• American Characters - William Hope Harvey, Richard F. Snow, American Heritage Magazine
• Monte Ne Inn Chicken

External links

• Ozarks Underground Photo Album
• Template:Geolinks-US-cityscale
• Flooded Resort at Monte Ne, AR
• Template:Nrhp source1