Burns Park is a

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

North Little Rock North Little Rock is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, across the Arkansas from Little Rock in the central part of the state. The population was 64,591 at the 2020 census. In 2019 the estimated population was 65,903, making it the seventh-mo ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

. The park features two golf courses, Funland Amusement Park, sports facilities and a camping area.

History

About 6,000 acres of land in

North Little Rock, Arkansas North Little Rock is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, across the Arkansas River, Arkansas from Little Rock, Arkansas, Little Rock in the central part of the state. The population was 64,591 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. In 2 ...

(at the time called Argenta) were purchased by the United States government between 1900 and 1915. It was used as a training camp for soldiers during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

called

Camp Pike Robinson Maneuver Training Center (Camp Robinson) a facility located at North Little Rock, Arkansas, which houses the Joint Forces Headquarters, Arkansas National Guard, the Headquarters, Arkansas Air National Guard, Headquarters, 77th Combat Avi ...

. Fox holes and other remnants of the camp can still be found along the trails and other areas of the park. In 1937, Camp Pike was renamed Camp Robinson and expanded to 48,188 acres during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Camp Robinson was used for basic training and housing prisoners of war. After the war Camp Robinson was declared surplus and the land was divided and sold. A local doctor named William Burns started a drive to buy the land and was granted 20,000 dollars to buy the area for a park. He helped build pavilions, roads, trails, and a lake. In 1950, the park was named Burns Park after him.

Park amenities

17 Soccer Fields; Fishing lake; 2 - 1 acre off-leash dog parks; 22 Tennis Courts; 2 - 18 hole golf courses; 2 - 18 hole disc golf courses; 1 - 9 hole disc golf course; numerous playgrounds, picnic areas, pavilions; 3 outdoor basketball courts; Softball complex (5 fields); Youth Baseball complex (7 fields); RV Camping (52 sites); Archery Range; Amusement Park (Funland); 15 miles of natural surface multi-use trails; 6 miles of paved multi-use trails; Covered Bridge; Union Pacific Caboose; World War II Tank; Old Log Cabin; Boat launch to the Arkansas River

Tornado damage

On March 31, 2023, a tornado formed and moved through the area, causing extensive damage to the park's trees, its baseball field, recently expanded amusement park, and other buildings. It was estimated that the park lost about 10,000 trees from the tornado. Burns Park was closed indefinitely as storm recovery was underway.

References

External links

* {{Coord, 34.79704, -92.31043, format=dms, display=title, type:landmark_region:US-AR Geography of Little Rock, Arkansas Parks in Arkansas Protected areas of Pulaski County, Arkansas Tourist attractions in North Little Rock, Arkansas