Dogpatch, Arkansas

Dogpatch is an abandoned Ozark resort, built in the late 1960s to resemble a fictional southern community described in great detail in Al Capp's comic strip, Li'l Abner, read by millions in newspapers between 1934-1977. The site is notable especially as it is a physical manifestation of a fictional place, and a well-known caricature of the South. The comic strip's Dogpatch (the name is said to come from a site near Seabrook, New Hampshire, where Capp and his wife vacationed), was "the most miserable and unnecessary place on earth," located in a valley populated by hillbillies. It included landmarks such as Onnecessary Mountain, the West Po'kchop Railroad, the Skonk Works factory, and Kissin' Rock, along with several other businesses and shacks, befitting a satirical poor, rural, Southern community. Most of these places were created physically in this resort, which was licensed by Al Capp, and operated until 1993. It is now abandoned and falling down.