Welcome to the Bella Vista Historical Museum, where you can learn the amazing history of our area. Our exhibits cover the nearby early Indian settlements, the early farms, the lake built in 1915, the summer resort started in 1917, its relaunch in 1952 that turned it into a family recreation center and the 1960s beginnings of its present history when John Cooper, Sr., purchased the summer resort and began buying up the farms all the way to the Missouri state line, eventually converting 40,000 acres into what he called Bella Vista Village. See how his development added seven lakes and seven golf courses, and evolved from a Property Owners Association to become the incorporated City of Bella Vista in 2007 with a present population of 30,000 residents.