An article from 1887 mentions “River Side Park” as a destination for the Pacific & Greater Eastern’s excursion train, which hourly delivered and picked up Fayetteville residents at the White River near Wyman to celebrate the Fourth of July.
Two large platforms were erected at the park for music and dancing. A heavy rain about 7 p.m. dispersed the crowd.
The newspaper reported: “Two fights with more or less blood, made a slight break in the otherwise perfect order of the day.”