Happy Hollow

The last time we were in Twisp, I bought this bizarre old photograph at an antique store on Glover Street. It's about 8 x 10 inches, mounted on board. A corner was ripped off, but my sweet friend Julia (who is a talented art conservator) fixed it good as new. After Christmas I'll have it mounted and framed. This morning I'm proud of myself because I scanned it on John's new flat bed scanner without requesting technical support!

If you look closely, you'll see a group of large, sober men riding saddled donkeys and cattle. They're dressed up in business suits, and look like the board of some old company out on a lark. And they may have been... because this photograph was taken at McLeod's Amusement Park in Happy Hollow, Arkansas. The town is also famous for therapeutic hot springs, and it was a popular tourist attraction from the late 1800's until 1940. I looked up Happy Hollow motel rates on the Internet and found you can still take a very reasonable vacation there (this is definitely not Calistoga!) but nothing remains of the old amusement park except thousands of photographs like mine.

The park was owed by photographer Norman McLeod, and it began as his picture studio. He was known for humorous photographs, and a visitor could have a picture made riding an animal, taking a drink at a bar, posing outside a fake cabin and other funny vignettes. These souvenirs probably helped that hillbilly image of rural Arkansas. At the time, Happy Hollow and McLeod were famous and attracted visitors from all over the country. The park had a shooting gallery on the side of the mountain, where you could blast away at glass bottles. There was a zoo, and assorted animals roamed the park for visitors to ride. I know something about training horses, and wonder how it goes when you saddle up a steer and head out for a ride?
A different time and place, that's for sure.