Bits of History : Amphitheater at Monte Ne living history
Posted on Wednesday, July 9, 2008
In 1894, William H. "Coin "Harvey toured northwest Arkansas. Impressed with the area, he returned in 1900 and purchased 320 acres around Silver Springs, southeast of Rogers. He created the resort of Monte Ne and filled it with hotels, a golf course, an enclosed swimming pool, a bathhouse, a bank and a dance pavilion. A railroad spur at Lowell connected Monte Ne with the Frisco Railroad and an imported Italian gondola ferried arriving tourists across the lagoon. Dances, concerts, water sports, fireworks and fiddling contests were popular attractions.
By the 1920 s, however, Monte Ne was fading. The advent of the automobile changed travel patterns as driving tours replaced long stays at resorts; Harvey's beloved Monte Ne suffered from this trend. This change of fortune may have been one of the factors convincing Harvey that the fall of civilization was near. As a means of warning future generations of the reasons for this collapse, Harvey set out to construct a 130-foot tall concrete obelisk he called the Pyramid. In this obelisk he planned to place a time capsule to inform those who would open it what life had been like in this lost civilization and what they could do to avoid a similar fate.
The Pyramid was never realized, but the amphitheater that was to have served as its base and foyer was completed. With the building of Beaver Dam in 1963 and the subsequent formation of Beaver Lake, most of the remnants of Monte Ne were covered by the flooding of the White River. Today when water levels on Beaver Lake drop, the remains of "Coin"Harvey's Monte Ne, including the amphitheater, become exposed. These rare occurrences spark renewed interest in the famed retreat of this eccentric visionary who had made northwest Arkansas his home.
The Rogers Historical Museum is currently producing an online exhibit which explores the life of "Coin"Harvey and the development of Monte Ne. The Buried Dreams: "Coin "Harvey and Monte Ne online exhibit will be available through the museum's Web site at www. rogersarkansas. com / museum in the near future.
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