DOGPATCH USA

MARBLE FALLS, ARKANSAS (1968–1993)

Dogpatch USA opened in 1968. It was based on the popular comic strip “Li’l Abner” and set in a fictional village called Dogpatch.

Some Arkansas state officials and residents initially protested the creation of the theme park because they thought that it might encourage negative, Southern hillbilly stereotypes.

Since the town was set up as the fictional village Dogpatch, it consisted of a trout pond where patrons could catch their own fish and have the restaurant cook it for them. It also had a ride, which consisted of gas-powered model T cars that went around a wooded track. Other rides included a boat train, a rotating thrill ride called Hairless Joe’s Kickapoo Barrel, and Li’l Abner’s Space Rocket, a ride that simulated a journey into outer space. Earthquake McGoon’s Brain Rattler was a toboggan rollercoaster, which appeared on opening day in 1968. The park also had natural caverns on the site; the popular tourist attractions were known as Dogpatch Caverns.