Dogpatch USA was a theme park located in northwest Arkansas along State Highway 7 between the cities of Harrison and Jasper, an area known today as Marble Falls.

It was based on the comic strip Li'l Abner, created by cartoonist Al Capp and set in a fictional village called Dogpatch.

Snow examined the property and decided that the Raney farm was ideal for an amusement park based on pioneer themes, which was an idea he had entertained for years.

He noted that features of the area resembled those pictured in the Li'l Abner comic strip: he imagined Mill Creek Canyon at the base of a 55-foot (16.8 m) waterfall could be the "bottomless canyon" featured in the comic strip,[2] and the nearby tourist attraction Mystic Caverns (also owned by the Raney family) could become "Dogpatch Cave", where Kickapoo Joy Juice was brewed by a few unsavory Dogpatch characters.

Snow also assured Capp that the park would be quiet and dignified and would not include roller coasters or thrill rides that would conflict with the rustic Li'l Abner theme.

Capp, who had turned down other offers to use his characters in theme parks, accepted this one and became a partner, claiming he had once driven through the Ozarks and had pictured just such an area for the setting of his fictional "Dogpatch" town.

[12] They also felt that such theme parks tend to cause nearby property values to deflate and local businesses to relocate to more desirable areas.

Schermerhorn also acquired several authentic 19th century log cabins in the Ozark Mountains and had them dismantled, shipped, and reconstructed in the park.

David Wesley and Harrison Price of the Los Angeles consulting firm Economic Research Associates projected 400,000 patrons in the first year.

Jess Odom, an Arkansas businessman in search of an opportunity, bought REI members' shares for $750,000 and gained a controlling interest in the park in October 1968.

[38] Odom signed a long-term licensing agreement with Capp, giving the park and any future Li'l Abner franchises the rights to use all characters, events, jargon, names, and titles until 1998.

Shows such as Green Acres, Petticoat Junction, and The Beverly Hillbillies were in vogue on American television, and a similar rustic-themed park about 40 miles away near Branson, Missouri, Silver Dollar City, had become a huge success.

The Li'l Abner comic strip was appearing in more than 700 newspapers daily throughout the country, which kept the fictional town of Dogpatch in the public eye.

[55] In 1974, more new attractions were added, including the thrill ride Hairless Joe's Kickapoo Barrel, an inflatable "bouncing bag," a replica Native American village, and craft shops where artisans demonstrated pottery making, leather working, and woodworking.

In a bout of cancellations nicknamed the Rural purge, American television networks eliminated many shows with country themes, and the popularity of hillbillies waned.

[47][57][58] The mild winter weather which visited Arkansas through the mid-1970s proved to be the undoing of Marble Falls as a ski resort, and its snow cannons and slopes sat idle much of the time.

[36] In subsequent years, various activities, including grass skiing, a gaming arcade, a 400-foot water slide, and a disco, were advertised at Marble Falls along with the resort accommodations.

[65][66] New attractions included the Slobbovian Sled Run, Grist Mill Puppet Theater, Rottin' Ralphies Rick-o-shay Rifle Range, and Barney Barnsmell's Skunk-works.

By 1979, Dogpatch USA's income was less than its operating expenses, and attempts by Odom to get the town of Harrison, and later Jasper, to issue tourism bonds to refinance millions of dollars of debt were unsuccessful.

Thompson also brought in the corporate sponsorship of Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper, and Tyson Foods, and superheroes including Spider-Man, Batman and Robin, and Captain America for personal appearances and autograph signing.

[69] A 1984 court ruling created an exception for Buffalo River Resorts, although buyers had to be informed that the banks held liens on the property and thus could hypothetically repossess the timeshares if Odom's companies failed to pay their debts.

During this time Spradley bemoaned the fact that Dogpatch USA was forced to spend much more per patron on promotional strategies to attract visitors than other theme parks, and that most kids did not know who the Li'l Abner characters were.

[36] In 2004, Nielson sold another portion of the property, including the convention center, motel, restaurant, ice-skating rink, and a strip mall to Bob Richards and Randal Phillips.

[89] On August 13, 2014, what was left of the park was sold again, this time to Charles "Bud" Pelsor, the inventor of a "spill-proof" dog bowl, and his partners for $2 million.

[91] Pelsor's plans included restoring the stream, trout farm and mill, featuring music performances, and opening a restaurant.

[96] However, on August 20, 2018, Debra Nielson, the hotel's owner, filed a lawsuit in Newton County Circuit Court to evict David Hare from her property.

Owing $922,000 on a $1 million promissory note supposed to be paid off earlier in August that year, and also facing a lawsuit, he decided to leave the state.

He expressed his desire to take time and restore the park, though did not reveal specific plans saying only everything was in the early stages and that it would be "An ode to the heritage of the Ozarks and the abundant wildlife and natural beauty found here".

The proposed plan will be to create a smaller version of the Dogwood Canyon Nature Park in Lampe, Missouri, which features a working mill, restaurant, trout fishing, fly-fishing lessons, wildlife tours, horseback riding, and education programs on conservation.

[113] The heads were shaped like goats, pigs, and even razorbacks, and the unusual design encouraged patrons to properly dispose of their litter by making it an amusing experience.