journal.novachild.com: Dogpatch USA

Dogpatch USA
6/28/2005

I've had a spot of trouble remembering a number of details about my childhood. Perhaps my mind is protecting me from a traumatic experience? Perhaps I need to try hypnosis to uncover some of my childhood experiences? Or perhaps it is a blessing to lose memories of such ignorant bliss? Whatever the case, one particular memory sticks to the ribs of my mind, and it's a fairly pleasant memory.

Dogpatch USA.

A goofy hillbilly theme park of days gone by that just couldn't keep up with the times. It now sits as an empty, rusting and overgrown heap of sadness in the middle of the Ozarks, a faint echo the joys of my half-remembered youth, a sad and sullen ending to a particularly nostalgic memory that I must strain to feel again.

Pleasant 'memory shadows ' of exploring Dogpatch USA stir up in my consciousness. I remember riding in the car with my parents and my meanie big sister in tow. To enter the park, visitors had to ride down a steep hill in the "Funicular Tram," a swiss-made transport device designed to provide upright comfort as it descended a very steep hill toward the main entrance of the park. Pretty hokey by today's standards, but it was an exciting ride for a small child back in the late '70s/early '80s!

I remember dad getting very excited about fishing in the trout farm and having them cook up his catch.

I remember the train as it circled the little park, and I remember the creepy Schmoo walking around and hugging all the kiddies. I remember the little corkscrew roller coaster ride (though I never did ride it). I remember the kissing rocks, the barrel ride, and the cute blonde hillbilly girl with her front teeth colored in black (the last time I went to Dogpatch I was around 13 years old and my hormones were starting to kick in). I remember the giant Arkansas Razorback and getting my picture taken in front of it (one of these days I might post one or two). They had The Scrambler, my sister's favorite ride, and endless amounts of hillbilly hoe-down music.

Gone are the half-remembered lazy days of my childhood. But I am so thankful that others have shared their memories on the net. I would not have been able to relive the experience without their generous contributions to the information age.

http://www.albertsplace.com/dogpatch.html
http://users.aristotle.net/~russjohn/attractions/dogpatch.html
http://home.alltel.net/phillipc1/
http://www.pointedstick.net/colter/plog/04/dogpatch/2/

posted by Edward Svengali @ Tuesday, June 28, 2005,

8 Comments:

At 7:42 AM, Monk-in-Training said...: Wow,
How sad, I remember going there also, I suppose it wasn't close enough to the Branson Mega Tourist glob to save it. :(
At 1:54 AM, Anonymous said...: Gosh, it makes me sad. I remember "having a heckuva day at Dogpatch USA".....as well as eating breakfast at some restraunt in the parking lot that had the dogpatch characters on the walls. I also remember something called the gravity house....and I think my stuffed Shmoo doll is still at my mother's house packed away somewhere.
At 9:21 AM, Edward Svengali said...: Yes, it's sort of a sweet sadness. Makes me long for the dreamy days of my childhood.

Thanks for your comments!
At 1:34 PM, neeneesusan said...: I went to Dogpatch the year it opened for my senior trip. Fell in love with it and took my son in the 70's & 80's almost every summer. I would love to go back and just walk around even now.
At 11:33 AM, theresaflower@hotmail.com said...: I wanted to let you know that I drive by DogPatch all of the time and they are getting alot of work done there. I am not sure what they intend to do with it, but many of the old buildings are getting new tin roofs put on them. It looks to me as if they plan to re-open it someday. It looks great down there.
At 9:54 PM, Anonymous said...: I spent a 3 years of my life working at Dogpatch USA in the entertainment department. It was a wonderful place. So much so that in 2004 I spent a year of my life revisiting the park shooting pictures, sorting through papers, putting together numbers, talking to State offices and investors, trying to put it back together. The cost would be enormous to make it happen again. The biggest problem is the current owner who wants $5million for the 160 acres that it sets on. With the kind of numbers of tourists going through the area today there would be no way to ever recoup your investment.
I hate it because I long for the days I spent there it was a magical place for young and old and it's a shame that it has gone by the wayside.
At 8:28 AM, Anonymous said...: i can rember dog patch u s a my first roller coster i rode was the corkscrew roller coaster when i was 5 yrs old i wonder if they are going to re open my husband and i take are kids by there all the time when we go to sliver dollar city .
At 3:43 AM, Elaine Murphy Kearney said...: I have wonderful memories of Dogpatch. My father, Ken Murphy was one of the stars of the old time music, he played fiddle like no one else. I was the daughter of the "Star" and as a pre-teen, it doesn't get any better than that. Now, My grandchildren would love to be able to visit Dogpatch...there is nothing else like it. I show them the websites so as not to forget a part of their heritage! Thanks for the memories..I'll keep watching!
Elaine