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Bella Vista Proud 12C F Wednesday, June 30, 2021 The Weekly Vista We are all about Bella Vista! • Choose from over 4,000 Fine Wines • Over 1,000 Craft & Micro Beers • Spirits; from inexpensive vodka to Premium Single Malt Scotches Service Beyond Your Expectations Pineville, MO - Hwy 71 N. on the AR/MO line We support the Golfing Community and are proud to sponsor a variety of golfing tournaments and events. a popular spot owned by Dick Moulter, was a caf- eteria. To the west, folks would stop at the "Hiwasse Hilton" for burgers and ice cream concoctions, Baker wrote. Villagers also gathered on Friday and Saturday nights for "free entertain - ment upstairs with piano music." Paddle boats were free to ride on Old Lake Bella Vista. For swimming, the spring water pool was a delight and it was only a few steps away to play min - iature golf, Baker wrote. Other activities included saddling up at the stables for riding some of the early trails. Intriguing History Sometimes, when people move to a new area, they may find some aspects of local history interesting. But for Lucas – and most of those who volunteer at the Bella Vista Historical Museum – it's a necessity to unravel the fascinating parts that all evolved to its present-day form. "I have never found the history of the areas where I lived to be as interesting as it is here, mostly because of the variety of people who have played a role in its development," Lucas said. "That's why I want to see it preserved." Lucas serves as the Bella Vista Historical Society's co-president and recently co-authored a book on Bella Vista history with co-president Dale Phillips. Many different people played a part in the history of Bella Vista, Lucas said, with settlers first begin - ning to populate the area after the Civil War. Many became successful farmers. Other history-makers would follow in coming years. The Bakers obtained some property in Little Sugar Creek valley north of Bentonville, and decided to dam up the creek that ran through their property to create a lake in 1915. The Linebarger Broth - ers bought the lake and surrounding property in early 1917 and opened a summer resort there that summer. They then sold the resort to E.L. Keith in 1952, who expanded it and then agreed to sell it to John Cooper in the early 1960s. Cooper's idea of devel - oping a retirement village in the area would be suc- cessful, he thought, if he could obtain the lake and the name – and if he could persuade the farmers from the lake area – up to the Missouri border – to sell. "He bought the first farm several miles north of Lake Bella Vista the same year that Sam Walton opened his first Walmart, which was in 1962, in Rogers," she said. Cooper's Vision Developing a wonderful place, and seeing the plans through for success, be- came a critical part of the thought process put into play by developer John A. Cooper, Sr. Other developers came before Cooper, Sr., but differed in their outlook, wrote Gene Groseclos, whose feature article was published in the 1995 "Bel - la Vista Proud." "The vision of John A. Cooper, Sr. differed from his precedessors in both shape and foundation. Where they sought to de - velop hundreds of acres, he developed thousands," he wrote. "Where they wanted to attract vacationers, sum- mer residents or reli- gious minded persons to a 'Christian retreat,' Mr. Cooper envisioned a com- munity designed for active adults inhabited by thou- sands of residents which would include property set aside for churches as well as commercial areas surrounded by amenities valued at millions of dol - lars," Groseclos wrote. Historian Dr. Gil Fite, who authored "From Vision To Reality," in 1993, told Groseclos that he decided to title his book such be - cause dreams and visions played huge roles in Bella Vista's development. "John A. Cooper, Sr. had a vision for the kind of re- tirement and recreational community he wanted…. He had a vision that not very many developers had at that time," Fite said. Lucas said many people have contributed to this special place we all call home. "Everyone from the local farmers to the people who worked at the summer re - sort over its 50-year history played a major role in the initial development of our area," Lucas said. Others who have come along the way have collec - tively carved out a unique area. "Since 1965, Cooper's organization and the many residents who have moved to the area since then, some to retire, some to start businesses, some just because they enjoy the scenery of Bella Vista, have continued to contribute to the interesting variety of life we now enjoy in Bella Vista," she said. HISTORY from Page 1C Photo courtesy Bella Vista Historical Society Bella Vista has evolved and changed over past decades, but one aspect that hasn't changed: people looking for the good life here. Early on, C.A. Linebarger began selling wine while marketing Bella Vista and its amenities. Linebarger was able to snag the 25th permit in the state of Arkansas in 1935, after prohibition lifted in 1933, said Xyta Lucas, Bella Vista Historical Society's co-president. These gas pumps were located just south of a store that stood near the current High- way Welcome Center today — across from Lake Bella Vista dam. This photo was taken pre-1930, as a pavilion in the far right of the picture burned down in an accidental fire in 1930, according to Xyta Lucas, Bella Vista Historical Society co-president.