All Around Arkansas: Fountain Lake Resort

 

                    If you take Park Avenue four miles northeast from Hot Springs to Benton or Hot Springs Village, you may notice a white stucco arch across from Fountain Lake Shopping Center. And if you’re anything like me, you’ve probably wondered if there’s a story behind it. 

                Was it the gateway to a grand mansion? Was it the entry to a country club or casino?

                There is indeed a history behind the arch, but it wasn’t a celebrity’s estate or a casino, but rather an amusement and water park centered around a lake called Arbordale. One could say it was Arkansas’ original Wild River Country.

                The story begins when farmer Weldon Nail moved to the area and purchased land in the 1890s. In 1919, Nail dammed a spring-fed creek that ran through his property, creating a lake he named Arbordale.

                In 1933, Dr. H.D. Ferguson purchased Nail’s land and began to develop the property into a water park. Ferguson named the attraction Fountain Lake Resort. Ferguson’s first projects were the construction of a tavern and cottages for rent.

                According to local historians, Fountain Lake Resort had picnic areas, a large swimming pool, a dance pavilion, a wishing well, a pinball arcade and concession stands. Lake amenities included diving boards, waterslides, a spinning water wheel and paddle boats. Sand was brought in to make beaches on the shores of Arbordale. The American Red Cross even offered free swimming lessons there. 

                At night, Fountain Lake became a popular hangout for teens, featuring live music, games and dance contests. A beautiful cherub-adorned fountain was added to the swimming pool in 1933. In 1935, the swimsuit review for the Miss Hot Springs contest was held at Fountain Lake. 

                The Welchman Family took ownership in 1945. According to records at the Garland County Historical Society, the family sold the park in 1949, after it became apparent the new Little Rock highway would bypass the area and hurt attendance.

                Sadly, on Dec. 20, 1953, Fountain Lake Resort was destroyed by fire. The park was never rebuilt. Several ideas with what to do with the property were tossed about but none came to fruition. Proposals included a ranch for troubled youth, a country club featuring a 40-room motel and a lighted five-hole golf course, and a Lutheran-sponsored retirement village. But none of the ideas ever made it off the drawing board.

                In 1993, Affiliated Foods purchased the former park property and began bottling water from the artesian wells on the site. The spring water was sold under the Mountain Pure Water name.

                And while they share the name, the property that was once Fountain Lake Park is actually not within the city limits of Fountain Lake (Garland County), which was incorporated in 1999.

                According to property records, Jerold and Barbara Brock of Greenbrier purchased the land in 2014 from Affiliated Foods and sold it in June 2018 for $1.4 million to the Mountain Valley Spring Company. Now, the spring water that flows at the former park (along with several others in the Hot Springs area) is bottled by the company and sold as other brands under the Mountain Valley corporate umbrella.

                Today, the former Fountain Lake Resort is on private property, and the public is forbidden to visit Arbordale Lake and what’s left of the park. But over the years, many adventurers have taken their chances and went onto the property. You can find their photos on the internet.

                It's fitting that the Hot Springs area is home to what was the state's first water park and also the latest, Magic Springs Theme Park & Water Park, whose story will definitely be the subject of a future column.