Grand Opening of Monte Ne

   I have written previously about Monte Ne, a health resort and planned community developed by William Hope "Coin" Harvey at Silver Springs just east of Rogers, Arkansas, in the early 1900s. (See my Dec. 17, 2014 post entitled "Monte Ne."), but that post was just a broad overview of the place and the man behind it. Today's post pertains just to the grand opening of the place.
   The grand opening occurred on Saturday, May 4, 1901. About 1,000 invitations had been seen out, and about 200 couples from various parts of the Ozarks showed up for the festivities. These included well-known citizens from Rogers, Fayetteville, Bentonville, and Springfield. A few people came from other places, like Fort Smith, St. Louis, and even one person from as far away as Chicago.
   A newspaper correspondent on the grounds during the festivities reported, "Monte Ne, Ark. is a blaze of glory tonight.... All day hundreds have visited the picturesque place and have been royally entertained by Mr. W. H. Harvey, the lord of the manor, and Mrs. Burgess and Miss Hicks, his cultured assistants.
   "The ball being given tonight is the most brilliant social event that has ever occurred in this section, and marks the beginning of a new era in the social world of Northwest Arkansas."
   Monte Ne remained popular as a resort and spa until the 1920s, when it began to decline. In the 1930s, part of it was sold off in lots, and what remained was given over to other uses. The whole area was virtually submerged in water when Beaver Lake was filled in the 1960s. Remnants of Monte Ne are still visible during low water.