Editing Bella Vista, Arkansas (section)

==History==
The area now encompassed by Bella Vista was used by roving bands of [[Osage Nation|Osage]] and [[Delaware tribe|Delaware]] who used the area for seasonal hunting grounds. A prominent [[rock shelter]] known as Hay Bluff along US 71 was used by various groups in the area and remains an important archaeological site, before later being used by early settlers to store hay.<ref>{{cite book|last=Fite |first=Gilbert C. |year=1993 |title=From Vision to Reality: A History of Bella Vista Village, 1915-1993. |location= Rogers, Ark |publisher= RoArk Print |p=2 |oclc=29380795 |lccn=75-31495 |ref={{harvid|"Vision"|1993}} }}</ref> The area was established as a primitive [[summer resort]] in 1909 by a Bentonville minister who envisioned golf, tennis, and inexpensive lots for summer cabins. In 1915, Lake Bella Vista was created by damming [[Little Sugar Creek]]. By 1916, the resort was sold to the Linebarger Brothers Realty Company, who further developed the resort to include more amenities, including the [[Sunset Hotel (Bella Vista, Arkansas)|Sunset Hotel]] and [[Wonderland Cave]] nightclub.<ref>{{harvp|"Vision"|1993|pp= 4-7}}.</ref> Early cabins recognized on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] include [[Blackwell-Paisley Cabin]], [[Bogan Cabin]], [[Hagler-Cole Cabin]], [[Lamberton Cabin]], [[Pharr Cabin]], [[Princedom Cabin]], and [[Sutherlin Cabin]]. The resort began catering to city dwellers with automobiles and came to include "colonies" of residents from [[Dallas]], Texas and [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]].<ref>{{harvp|"Vision"|1993|p= 20}}.</ref>

Bella Vista became a retirement community in 1965, and, after much contention and a 2006 vote of its property owners, became an incorporated city. Following its official incorporation on January 1, 2007, the new city government took over the police department, fire department, streets, trash removal and other city functions, while the Property Owners Association (POA) retained control of the many amenities available to members (property owners) and their guests.