Editing Emmet, Arkansas (section)

=== Ark-La Village ===
In 1959, Arkansas Louisiana Gas Company opened a western-themed tourist attraction at the direction of Wilton R. Stephens, founder of [[Stephens Inc.]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/04/us/w-r-stephens-political-leader-and-arkansas-investor-dies-at-84.html|title=W. R. Stephens, Political Leader And Arkansas Investor, Dies at 84|work=Kurt Eichenwald - The New York Times Company, December 4, 1991}}</ref> and ''Arkla Village''.<ref>{{cite news|title=W. R. Stephens Builds a Western Town at Emmet|work=Arkansas Gazette, July 12, 1959, p. 3C}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.company-histories.com/ARKLA-INC-Company-History.html|title=ARKLA, INC.|work=Company-Histories.com}}</ref> ''Ark-La Village'' was a re-creation of an 1880s western settlement where patrons could participate in the "daily life" of early pioneers. It was located on the company's property inside Emmet's northern city limits.

When first constructed, the "village" featured a saloon and general store, a livery stable, and a museum. Other attractions included a miniature train ride, a paddlewheel boat ride, a bowling alley, a restaurant, and a "jail" where comical, behind-the-bars photos could be taken.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://arkansasacer.tripod.com/id67.html|title=Arkla Village|publisher=ArkansasAcer.Tripod.com|access-date=September 26, 2014}}</ref> Connected with the village was a factory that built horse-drawn carriages and horse saddles.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19600327&id=uBVSAAAAIBAJ&pg=6909,2969751&hl=en|title=Down In Arkansas, Horse-And-Buggy Town|work=Horace Sutton, Shirley and Bob Sloane, St. Petersburg Times - March 27, 1960 (p.12-D)}}</ref>

In 1961, a shooting roundup was held and Harold M. Terry was the invited marksman.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/8181794/|title=Arkla Village Roundup to Feature Crack Shot Capt. Harold M. Terry|publisher=[[Hope Star]]|access-date=September 26, 2014}}</ref>

Though popular with tourists and local citizens, it was the traffic along [[U.S. Highway 67]] between [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]] and [[Dallas]] that provided Ark-La Village with most of its patrons.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XhUIlL46Tp8C&q=Arkla+Village&pg=PA112|title=A Journey Through Arkansas: Historic U.S. Highway 67|publisher=Ray Hanley, Steve Hanley, Arcadia Publishing, 1999 (p.112)|isbn=9780738500522|last1=Hanley|first1=Ray|last2=Hanley|first2=Steve|year=1999}}</ref> That customer base was lost when the final section of [[Interstate 30]] was completed in 1972. As a result, the village was closed in the early 1970s, with the restaurant and bowling alley closing a few years later.

In the following years, some portions of the property have been donated to the city of Emmet. Re-development has included a new city park and a building for public meetings.