Since
I was a young child, many things have fascinated me about my native state.
Arkansas is full of interesting people, places and stories, but probably none
more intriguing than the story of Coin Harvey and Monte Ne.
Monte Ne was located near Rogers (Benton
County). Throughout the years it was known by several names including Mountain
Springs, Pettigrew’s Mill and Silver Springs.
In October 1900, William Hope “Coin”
Harvey came to the area and purchased 350 acres. Harvey was a somewhat famous
man during the 1890s. He was a successful business owner, political consultant,
teacher and author. His 1893 book, "Coin’s Financial School," sold
more than 2 million copies.
Harvey was also campaign advisor to
William Jennings Bryan, the Democratic nominee for president in 1896. After
Bryan’s loss, Harvey moved to Silver Springs, a place he'd visited while
traveling across the country with the Bryan campaign.
Harvey’s dream was to build a resort with
hotels, restaurants, an amphitheater, banks, a university and other small
businesses. He persuaded the postmaster to help get Silver Springs renamed to
Monte Ne, a combination of Spanish and Omaha Indian words that together meant
"mountain water."
Construction on Harvey’s vision began in
December 1900 with $52,000 of investors’ money and $42,000 of his own. The
first structure completed was Hotel Monte Ne in April 1901 (the hotel’s
three-story concrete tower is still visible near the shore of Beaver Lake).
Eventually more hotels were built, as was
a system of canals complete with gondolas imported from Italy to transport
visitors around the resort. Harvey brought in famous musicians and comedians
and held sporting events to attract tourists to Monte Ne. Golf courses, tennis
courts and the first indoor heated pool in Arkansas were built as well.
In 1929, Harvey made history by becoming
the first Arkansan to run for the presidency. He formed his own political
party, the Liberty Party, and held its nominating convention at Monte Ne.
Harvey expected a crowd of 10,000 but only 786 members attended. Franklin D.
Roosevelt won the 1932 presidential election with Harvey receiving a mere 800
votes.
After his loss, Harvey’s fortunes and
health rapidly declined. The Monte Ne resort became a ghost town amid Harvey's
failure to properly manage its finances. He died in February 1936 with just
$138 to his name, debts totaling $3,000 and no will. The remaining properties
and structures of the resort were eventually sold off by the court. He was
buried alongside his son, Robert, in a 40-ton concrete tomb located on private
property near the Monte Ne boat launch on Beaver Lake
In 1966, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
impounded the White River to create Beaver Lake. Water now covers much of what
was left of the old resort. When the lake is low, a few remaining structures
can be seen, such as the amphitheater and the retaining wall of the pyramid
Harvey planned to build as a time capsule for future generations.
If you’d like to see what Harvey looked
like at his time of death, you can visit the Rogers Historical Museum and view
his death mask — an actual plaster mold of Harvey’s head made by the manager of
the local funeral home. Apparently, the man believed Harvey was such an
important figure that a death mask should be made for the public to forever
remember him by. It’s just another strange part of the fascinating tale of Coin
Harvey and Monte Ne.
A proud sixth-generation Arkansan,
Darrell W. Brown is a lover of all things Arkansas. He lives on Lake Norrell in
Saline County with his wife, Amy, and two beloved Boston Terriers. Find him on
Facebook and Instagram at AllAroundArkansas.
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