What if I told you there is city underneath the waters of Beaver Lake, outside of Rogers? Well, what’s left of it.
William “Coin” Harvey, a financial mover and shaker of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, built the small resort town of Monte Ne that lasted from 1900 until the mid 1930’s. It seems like anyone who was eccentric and had money, or pretended to, found their way to the Ozarks and carved out a niche for the odd (Norman Baker, anyone?). Ol’ Coin wasn’t that crazy but more of an entrepreneur trying to make his mark on the world.
Harvey built two of the largest log buildings, for the time, Oklahoma Row and Missouri Row. Both were luxury hotels. The resort had other buildings, including an amphitheater. Coin even had a railroad built to bring in patrons and support the tucked away resort. Sadly, Coin couldn’t keep his finances together, the town was ran poorly, and like many things after the Great Depression, failed.
Coin went bankrupt and died in the mid 30’s. The town was sold off in pieces and if it couldn’t get any worse, it was flooded to make way for Beaver Lake. So there, beneath the waters of the lake, is a lost city. Only foundations still exist. You can actually see what is left of the amphitheater when the water is low. The only structure left is the vandalized tower of Oklahoma Row and the basement. So if you’re a rock band looking for a spot to record your next video, there ya go.
Check out the entire story at https://rogersar.gov/270/Monte-Ne-Today
There’s much more to the story of Coin Harvey and it’s a good read. Lying under the surface, there is the forgotten city of Monte Ne.
Getchya scuba tanks, kids.
Get out and EXPLORE!
Y’all have at it,
Phil and Jess
The Arkansas To Do Team
