Abandoned - Indian Ridge Resort

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For years, images of ghostly McMansions have been circling around the internet with seemingly no real explanation as to what happened. That's just what were going to figure out today as the real story behind this creepy ghost town is fallout of something that was much, much bigger! Indian Ridge Resort just outside of Branson, Missouri was set to be one of the largest private developments in the area. However after financial disaster and federal investigations leading to 5 people going to prison, the story of the downfall is almost as incredible as the ambition of this enormous development.
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BrightSunFilms 2021
Presented in 4K

[@OwnedGolem]

Nice to see the return of the true villain of this series: the 2008 financial crisis

[@claudiobizama5603]

1973 Oil Crisis vs 2008 Financial Crisis

[@R32R38]

@@claudiobizama5603 Ha ha, 1973 and 2008, I got you both beat! Signed, 2020.

[@brad3042]

I hated 2008 but barely remember the news about the financial crisis. I was too busy putting myself through college and holding down a full time job.

[@Church_Of_Kloppism]

Speak to a Tory and you'll find labour actually spent all the money...what's this global financial crisis you speak of 🤣

[@Floedekage]

Maybe... Hear me out, just maybe it was a hero in disguise? A hero reminding us how fragile our economic system is and what the consequences of wild speculation and unfounded trust in projects that look glamorous, without looking into the economics of it. A hero showing us how the poorest in our world will bear the burden of the speculation of the wealthy, so we would never commit the same mistake again! _Oh... He's returning?_

[@christopherfurman360]

People: Let’s build shit 2008: I’m about to end this man’s whole career

[@YourLordMobius]

People: well that sure was a close call. Let's try again. 2020: round 2 electric boogaloo

[@christopherweise438]

Christopher Furman - Yea.....but that recession is what gives Jake most of his ABANDONED subject matter. So for that i'm grateful.

[@rabbit251]

@@christopherweise438 You make a good point. Look at the big picture. 2008 Lehman Shock ruined a lot of people. And that was completely due to Wall Street which got bailed out in loans from the government which they did pay back, but lots of people lost their homes and businesses. I was lucky to keep my job, but half the people in my company were fired because of the lose of business. The housing market is booming now, but apparently not in Branson. Where is this Jim guy now? (Sorry, can't hear his last name clearly in the video. I have tinnitus).

[@christopherweise438]

@@rabbit251 - The current housing boom is not sustainable just like it wasn't in 2008. It will have to "self correct" at some point. Values are way too high right now. I would not buy a house right now. You could be upside down in a hurry when the market crashes.

[@user-nc7od1rl2y]

2020: Amateurs.

[@andrewkuder4159]

As soon as I realized that the project started in 2006 and was set to open in 2010, I knew the housing market crash would play into its downfall

[@dannydaw59]

The housing market is hot again. Not enough supply and high demand and then I see those homes that could be rehabbed.

[@jimcrow7177]

@@dannydaw59 give it another year and there will be a repeat of the 2008 crash.

[@cassianand0r]

@@dannydaw59 the market is so crazy rn. i bought my home in 2020 for $138k. the market says it’s worth $200k now and i’m like….lol no it isn’t

[@phoenixfox3379]

as a life long working class average guy, I love to see these rich semen showers fail.

[@minigirl6839]

@@phoenixfox3379 You sound bitter. I bet you're a smegma taster for sure.

[@crixxxxxxxxx]

They should send the architect to prison for those designs.

[@BrightSunFilms]

Haha yeah they’re really bad

[@alexlents4689]

I can kinda see what they were going for, but it’s just tacky-ness overload

[@QuintusAntonious]

I don't know if the exterior cladding just wasn't finished, or if "leprosy" was the look they were going for.

[@qwellen7521]

@@alexlents4689 Americana in a nutshell

[@FrankFrankly711]

I'm no architect, but in the olden times, wouldn't bricks be *under* the plaster? Or was there also plaster under bricks? I always thought this faux-brick sticking out of the plaster didn't make much sense when going for that old crumbling castle look

[@ZGryphon]

Postulated: One of the only things in domestic architecture sadder than a McMansion is a _fake_ McMansion that is actually a duplex. It's like buying a fake Rolex that isn't even really a watch at all.

[@mrtarkanianx]

Then having to wrap it around yours and a stranger's wrist.

[@ZGryphon]

@@mrtarkanianx "Not only are these handcuffs and not a watch, they're not even real Gucci."

[@DblOSmith]

One thing I've realized from watching your channel: It's a miracle anything gets built, ever.

[@ChiefBlue4298]

I remember when I would go to Silver Dollar City, there would be those signs for Indian Ridge Resort I would pass by and I always thought what is that? Thank you for explaining that to all of us!

[@wdchapman1969]

You should do an episode on Wade Park in Frisco, TX. It is a massive billion dollar development started in 2014 and abandoned since 2016...multiple owners and bankruptcies later, you have a partially built Whole Foods and a giant hole in the ground (unfinished underground parking)....it's a real eyesore on the supposed 5 billion dollar mile as they call it.

[@cbjueueiwyru7472]

Agreed. It's such as eyesore to have a giant hole in the ground and partially built buildings

[@applemachome]

In DFW how did I not know about this

[@moriahmason1744]

I've wondered about the public health risk of that giant festering hole full of disgusting water every time I drive by. DFW has so many massive abandoned structures, like that old Tri-City Hospital. In a metroplex this large, they stand in plain sight like hulking ghosts, but you barely notice them. It's also nutty how many of our buildings have massive amounts of empty floors abandoned during the pandemic and never taken back by companies that decided to stay permanently remote. It's a fascinating place.

[@wow42022]

Yoooooo as a Missourian and someone who’s been to Branson thousands of times this one hits hard, glad to see a great video on it.

[@LordSkella]

Same here; that’s wild!

[@bradymaher9657]

That’s what I’m saying

[@mrwow1667]

yup

[@DaytonaPrototypes]

Early/mid 2000's: Lets open a business 2008: Nope.

[@sirawesomenessi1796]

Late 90's: let's open a company on the internet 2001: I think not.

[@user-nc7od1rl2y]

2020: Amateurs.

[@gram.]

AHAHAHAAAA

[@12esinlung]

Looks like the Bluth development "Sudden Valley."

[@mcmahon31619]

I wonder if this place was the inspiration for sudden valley lol

[@Shamazor1234]

Immediately what I thought!

[@freedomisslavery6840]

lol it really does

[@ge2719]

I had the same though, cant remember what year arrested delopment started.

[@ohhkayy0919]

OMG yesssss lol

[@joedavidjarvis7617]

I have watched those deteriorate over the years when passing by. Used to look very promising

[@Katie-gr6qq]

Branson overall is such a paradox. In the peak season it's packed, the strip backed up for miles, and Silver Dollar City is shoulder to shoulder crowds. But if you pay attention, so much on that strip is dilapidated, specifically the hotels. Things are always opening, but they stand right next to ghosts like this development. It's always so weird to look over and see the houses and a few minutes later an aquarium, like two totally different worlds.

[@thecarproconnoisseur5412]

That’s why like 60% of those shit holes on the strip are extended stay motels… only a certain type of people actually stay on the strip.. there’s really nice resorts all through branson.. grew up there my whole life

[@MasterDoctorN7]

The tornado that went through Branson also kinda destroyed many future plans.

[@Elios0000]

@@MasterDoctorN7 was going to say this since the tornado things slowed and 2 years COVID didnt help either

[@markfroman738]

@@thecarproconnoisseur5412a certain type or the brave penny wise lol

[@sovietduck8827]

Branson is strange because it’s purely seasonal. A lot of it’s businesses struggle to get by in the off season or close. This leads to unemployment for most the year. The run down hotels youve seen on the strip scrap a living off dealing cheap rooms as extended stay to out of work people.

[@GigaSyntax]

"in October of 2005, Jim's development was revealed" As soon as I heard those words I knew where this story was headed 😬

[@paul06660]

The real victim here is the environment. Nothing has been done to mitigate soil erosion and a lot of damage was done to the forest and hillsides to make way for the infrastructure that never came. Branson itself has been in decline after the 2008 housing market crash, the 2012 tornado and current pandemic has really taken its toll. Another big reason for this decline, Branson's target demographic has all but died off, and younger people are just not interested in the hillbilly themed tourist traps anymore.

[@court7233]

I concur with you. I still go religiously due to family and memories and our condo. But the cliche hillbilly thing is played out. Look at say the Baldknobbers moving off 76 and tickets being pretty well free. The tornado was really like the nail in the coffin

[@yank-tc8bz]

Now it is trying to be a amusement park for the kiddies. But it is just an overpriced tourist trap.

[@stevep8445]

Really? Last year was lost due to COVID but this year 2021, The Branson Area Chamber of Commerce says city sales tax is up 66% this year and the city’s tourism tax is up 242% do the research....

[@Bambisgf77]

@@stevep8445 I agree, I work in the industry and every day witness just how far people are willing to come & how much they are willing to pay to come here. Typically the people saying this are locals who do not appreciate what they have…

[@caillin1760]

I'm from Florida so this is quite a hot take, but I spent my summers in college working as a camp counselor / boat driver near Branson and Silver Dollar City is by far my favorite amusement park

[@thefrenchcommander5770]

It’s amazing to see incomplete buildings abandoned, it feels so empty and weird, too. Like there was no life in that area

[@kk-sv1mf]

Yeah, no one moved in.

[@mikegilbert2329]

I can't believe nobody drew the obvious Arrested Development parallels. An unfinished housing development and the developers going to jail for using loan money to enrich themselves with the visuals of the unfinished homes looking a lot like the TV show.

[@NGMonocrom]

The term "McMansion" came about years earlier. It actually refers to somewhat successful middle class corporate types who clearly can't afford real mansions. So, they built a pseudo one in lower middle class neighborhoods. They spring up all over the place, like McDonald's fast food eateries. (Hence the Mc.) These fake mansions also look ridiculous compared to the traditional-looking houses in the neighborhoods. Mildly successful individuals wishing to show off their mildly nice bank accounts. In reality, these individuals end up looking as ridiculous as their homes.

[@RozWBrazel]

The nouveau riche that springs up from the middle class will always be associated with them as well.

[@Robbie06261995]

I thought McMansion was derived from McBride constructed homes which are known to be oversized for the parcel and on top of one another.

[@danoc51]

The bricks sticking out of the stucco totally look like add-ons and are totally ridiculous. And the houses look like super cheap versions of the architectural style they are trying to emulate. Perhaps worst of all, why build three-story homes when you have all that land to build on. You see all the simple mistakes the developer made with the design of the houses and you don't have to wonder why he went belly up, 2008 or no 2008. And by the way, where are the garages for the three-story houses?

[@Cnw8701]

Like 80% of the Atlanta Metro population, most notably with the blacks who live there?

[@bryduhbikeguy]

You're Terduckin right.Opulent crapulence.Particle board strapped to OSB and covered with tar strips.Yee-haw.$12k in roofing every 12 years on a house with a $7K monthly loan.Hundreds in monthly 'neighborhood Fees' that say you can't do Anything with your property too.Yay Yuppee's! Oh,wait...you don't exist anymore..oops.(I drywalled several and,Yikes.14 Foot ceilings just because.Paint that lady)

[@bosborn1]

Jake, start paying attention to the recent announced “Ghost town in the sky” revamp in Maggie valley NC. This project has all the hallmarks of a future abandoned project. I’ve done quite a bit of research into the current development project and it seems doomed to fail.

[@RNCHFND]

Isn't that already abandoned? Even the proper people made a video there

[@bosborn1]

@@RNCHFND It was. A new investment team has purchased it. They have plans to completely restore the area and add new attractions. Lots of big claims and high dollar amounts being thrown around. Seems reminiscent of pre 08 attempts to tap the family entertainment industry.

[@Kalvinjj]

@@bosborn1 The story you're telling about this is pretty much what happens in 90% of the Abandoned episodes, I can definitely see this in future episodes here in a few years.

[@Mentaltruckr]

I’m from that town. Graduated High Schoo there.....they’ve been trying to rebuild and revamp for years. It worked for a small amount of time and then gone again. I used to work for an IGA there as well and oh a KMart near there. Unfortunately it never works, the ghost town in the sky.

[@carriecharles4423]

Oh my gosh! Just saw this pop up! I live right down the road from here and always wondered what happened.

[@penrodautorepair3170]

Theirs been many story’s do on it

[@hotaru8309]

I feel bad for Jim Shirato. He worked hard for years to get his project started and it was never finished for reasons almost entirely not of his own creation. He put a lot of effort in and the beginning of the project and it's infrastructure was a huge achievement. It's sad for it to be so dismissed as "failed."

[@yoyobeerman1289]

Sheeeit, I grew up about 2 hours away from Branson. I was poor as a kid, so going regularly was out of the question; it being a tourist town and all. That being said, as soon as I had my own money and car I went at least every other year. If you're planning on visiting, I have a few words of advice 1. Plan to try their gravity coasters. There's one in town and one just outside of town. The one outside of town is the better one as it's longer and weaves through the Ozark woodlands. 2. Go to a place called Scooter's Sports Grill. You wouldn't expect a mini-golf place to have good food, but let me tell you, that shit is gold. Seriously, give it a shot. They have a superb French dip. 3. The roads are thin and winding, and the traffic is super heavy once afternoon hits. There are tons of 2 way stops onto busy main streets. If you don't want to sit in traffic all day I would highly recommend planning your day out so that you do most of your driving before noon or after sunset. 4. The aquarium that just opened recently is interesting but isn't really worth the cost of entry IMO. If you're looking for a fantastic aquarium in the area try the one attached to Bass Pro in Springfield. It's a bit of a drive, but it's worth every penny. It took me about 5 or 6 hours to make my way through it when I went. Just when you think it'll end, it just keeps going. Took them about 10 years to make it, and it shows. 5. Even though it's a tourist town, it's still a relatively small town. If you expect to be doing anything past 9 or 10 (drinking, partying, renting movies, etc.) stock up during the day. Just about everything is closed past 9. There are a few 24/7 convenience stores, but they have very limited stock and high prices, so get everything you might need before it starts to get dark.

[@andrewmurray9391]

I remember commercials like that at 4am "you can buy a lot for only $45/week!" At age 9 I knew that sounded scamy.

[@pilotf4621]

But then again you never made a million in your life. Had many people invested you would have been millionairs. You never viewed the entire projects plans and this guy doing the video is no journalist. Dig in the story it was an awesome project. And look at what Jim did for Branston.

[@ljphoenix4341]

As a Nebula subscriber, it is 100% worth the price. All the original content on there from some of KZbin's best educational creators, with extended cuts of videos that you see on YT, with no ads, it's great! Plus the access to Curiosity Stream makes the price of an annual plan that much better.

[@SnowDogsVlogs]

Ohhh I see my Twitter comment on the screen! Nice!! So cool!

[@lushcassidy]

@Human Rights what

[@posterboyzpoducer]

Congratulations 🍾

[@topnep548]

You know things are about to go down when he mentions 2008

[@LadyLakeMusic]

I’d heard about this development as a friend of mine is a tour guide in that region. Fascinating! Great coverage Jake!

[@Choralone422]

Branson is one place that's sort of sad to visit these days IMO. Sure there's quite a bit to do there but it's seriously overdeveloped and a lot of things are done very half-assed in order to quickly and cheaply cash in on tourism in any way possible. This failed development is just one example of that. I say this because I grew up visiting that area a few times a year during the 80s, 90s and early 2000s as I had family that lived near Cassville, MO (just west of Branson) and a little ways up I-44 in Lebanon, MO. The family I had there in MO always commented on how lax things like building codes, inspections, and so on became once Branson and other areas in MO (like Osage Beach) started exploding in popularity in the 80s and 90s.

[@rabbit251]

Back in the 90s my parents loved Branson and went there 3 times. They loved going there and seeing all the country music stars perform at their theaters. At night they would relax at their hotel. What is the city like today?

[@jbingbong]

@@rabbit251 It's an odd mix of old, occasionally closed buildings, and newer or renovated buildings with new more current attractions aimed towards kids. The Titanic museum, the wax museum, Silver Dollar City, and Ripley's Believe It or Not are still going strong as far as I know. The Grand Palace was gutted for a new aquarium and The Shepherd of the Hills closed partially at some point, though they still do something with the property but I'm not sure what.

[@littlewillie65]

We go there twice a year (pre-covid) and it has been a bit depressing to see how the area seems to be less prosperous when we first visited.

[@rabbit251]

@@jbingbong Thanks for letting me know.

[@ZombieEater73]

@@jbingbong I remember going there as a kid and then a teenager throughout the '80s. Does that Russian comic Yakov Smirnoff still have a gig going there?

[@R32R38]

Branson must have a wonderfully law-abiding population. In most places those abandoned duplexes would have been arson targets years ago.

[@dindog22]

I was thinking squatters

[@court7233]

Oh they’re destroyed inside. Really are. People have completely decimated them. Other explorers have vids of the damage where they don’t even look salvageable. This was prior to tearing down some. Now the police sit there nearly constantly

[@kiewies]

I was gonna say, it's Branson. Not many folks, and even Springfield 30 mins north doesn't have many folks. Also police in Missouri are constantly snooping around and policing people so there isn't much room for vandalism. Indian Ridge is also like super off the beaten patch so it's obvious if a car is rolling up to the development.

[@EyreAffair]

I can't believe that the developers used the Papyrus font on their official website to sell a $1.6 billion community...

[@MindOfGavin]

I drive past these every day and always wondered the backstory on them!

[@gabrielarambula4465]

Say Jake, do you think you could cover the abandoned Taylor Yard complex in Los Angeles? The complex was established in 1911 and served as the headquarters of the Southern Pacific Railroad's operations in Southern California. However, declining business led to its closure in 1985, and it was bulldozed in 1988. The site sat abandoned for several years after, and eventually the city sought to redevelop it. There are several videos online showing Taylor Yard in its operating and abandoned period, but I haven't seen a fully in-depth video about the complex, and I think your channel would be the ideal fit for discussing it.

[@Cnw8701]

Roseville and West Colton also played a contributing factor to Taylor Yard's closure.

[@gabrielarambula4465]

@@Cnw8701 Hey, sorry for late response! How do mean that Roseville and West Colton ended up killing Taylor Yard?

[@Cnw8701]

@@gabrielarambula4465 They consolidated operations. Every railroad throughout history has done it. In El Paso, TX and Atlanta, GA, UP and NS have done just that.

[@gabrielarambula4465]

Also, when exactly did Taylor Yard close? The Internet says that complex shut down sometime in the mid-to-late-1980s (one source said 1985), however some videos on KZbin claiming to be shot in or around Taylor Yard were apparently filmed in 1988 and 1991, and one video even shows a Union Pacific GE C44-9W in what is supposedly the Taylor Yard turntable, which, allegedly, was filmed just before the SP/UP merger.

[@Cnw8701]

@@gabrielarambula4465 The actual yard was closed in the 80s, the locomotive complex remained opened until the early 2000s.

[@povilasstaniulis9484]

A yet another victim of 2008 crisis. I live near what is a de-facto resort town (even though it has no such status officially) and there were some developers back in 2000s who decided to build a small community near the lake. They hastily built a lot of (substandard quality) houses hoping to sell them fast during the house buying boom. Unfortunately, the 2008 crisis struck and most of the houses were never sold. They sat essentially abandoned for many years with both infrastructure and the houses decaying. I remember walking in that area and being shocked to see all those dilapidating houses and weed growing through the asphalt of the roads. Essentially a small ghost town near a lively resort. Fortunately, the situation seems to be better this year and most of the houses now have owners. But after so many years of neglect (not to mention poor construction quality), many had to be pretty much rebuilt from scratch. But at least the community is now alive.

[@elizabethmctaggart6695]

Your current videos keep hitting all my early interests into abandoned places and I truly love it. I'm so glad you were able to go deeper into the history of this abandoned housing project because I never knew the full history behind it. Great video as always.

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thank you so much!

[@AlexVanDover]

The second you said Branson, MO, I knew exactly what this was going to be. These used to infatuate me whenever we would drive by them, they got me interested in researching abandoned places!

[@kentslocum]

What's frustrating is that so many of these private housing developers focus on high prices and high incomes. No wonder there's an affordable housing crisis in this country.

[@frankietwinkletoes7777]

Agreed

[@katiesmith5149]

I've fallen down the rabbit hole of Abandoned content! I watched your documentary Closed For Storm on Amazon and it was very well done.

[@ScioniA]

I’m so happy you’re making a video about this! The Indian Ridge Resort is one of my favorite abandoned places

[@Adrian-zd4cs]

I worked in Branson, Missouri on a travel contract for 3 months... And explored A LOT, good and bad. It's a unique, beautiful, weird place!

[@TheCubeTube]

Just checked, the existing houses have been demolished, but I don’t think anything else has been done. Dang 2008!

[@realalahna7561]

i am so obsessed with these abandoned series i have been binge watching.

[@harleyhellhound885]

Absolutely adore your content Jake, been watching for years! Keep it up!

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thank you so much!

[@ingvarhallstrom2306]

It's like some money laundering scheme from "Ozark". Or "Arrested Development". Both series incidentally starring Jason Bateman.

[@go4069]

Spoooky!

[@princesskristan]

Yes another Abandoned episode! I just watched Closed For Storm for the first time yesterday and I loved it!

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thank you so much!!

[@susanmiller4159]

How times have changed. Wouldn’t be called “Indian Ridge” today. Isn’t the bloom off of the rose for Branson? Doesn’t seem as hyped as it was 20 years ago. Great video. Thanks for sharing.

[@jincyquones]

Branson is great... if you enjoy tacky Country music themed dinner theatre and generic rural American town souvenirs made in China.

[@lauriepenner350]

The ridge actually got its name from a nearby town composed largely of hard-working Sikh and Hindu immigrants.

[@mopar_dude9227]

@@lauriepenner350 pretty sure that isn’t true. Or did you miss the giant arrowhead sign?

[@cbjueueiwyru7472]

Giant arrowhead and dreamcatcher is a little weird

[@Ultimaton100]

@@lauriepenner350 Then why did the logo include a Native American dreamcatcher and not Hindu or Sikh iconography?

[@freetime803]

I've been waiting for you guys to do these! I live in Springfield, Missouri just about 30 miles outside of Branson and pass these on my way to Silver Dollar City. Great video of the Ozarks!

[@R32R38]

Springfield ... home to one of the country's most baffling unsolved mysteries.

[@dakotabowes2387]

@@R32R38 and bums

[@Tazzer88]

The more I look at that abandoned stretch of buildings all in a row, the more I think it would be well suited as a large-scale paintball and airsoft gun arena, potentially multiple ones. Obviously, you'd need to expand the types of cover and such to really fill it out, but you could easily reuse those McMansion shells as big setpieces for those kinds of combat games.

[@TrevorKeenAnimation]

Nice idea - trouble is, those ruined houses don't look safe to run around in anymore.

[@Tazzer88]

@@TrevorKeenAnimation Yeah, this was more a big picture idea if anything. They could likely keep the facades at a minimum, though.

[@joshbostock4371]

Wow! Never heard of this place before but the thumbnail looks bloody creepy!

[@alexlents4689]

Thanks so much for this one, Jake! I first heard about this place a couple months ago and wondered what could’ve caused it (there’s no Wikipedia article on it, I believe), and when I saw this video pop up on my home page, I squealed! Glad I know the origins now. I’m sort of curious how you found those images of the entrance area over the years. Great video!

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thanks for watching!

[@pilotf4621]

Well I have all of them

[@kandinski_]

After having watched Not Just Bikes' Strong Towns series, the thought that kept going through my head while watching this was "Who was going to pay for the maintenance of the vast amounts of infrastructure required for this development?" These far-flung sub-suburban developments that are totally removed from any actual civic planning or responsibility should never be allowed to be built in the first place.

[@happycommuter3523]

And how many mature trees had to be bulldozed for a development that never happened?

[@jackportenier2441]

I went to Branson for the first time back in August to visit Silver Dollar City, and holy crap that park is incredible. Also Branson itself is such a HUGE area.

[@avolcano2387]

Dang, I remember driving past those homes! Completely forgot about them until I saw those drone shots. Always wonders what happened there, guess It's time to find out!

[@srelectrico2187]

As a Branson local who has played paintball in one of those houses…. This is freaking awesome. Thanks Jake!

[@tbhRal]

Ive been watching for a while and the videos just keep getting better keep it up!

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thank you so much!

[@Kreder1979]

Thanks for another great one Jake!

[@TheEnd-eg6wq]

The fact that homes are built before paved streets, says volumes!

[@ZGryphon]

It's not that unusual in non-urban areas. The neighborhood I grew up in was new when my parents decided to build a house there, when I was about five, and the street we lived on wasn't paved until I was partway through grade school. It was right at the edge of a fairly small town, in an area that hadn't been built up before. The town didn't pave our street until after all the water and sewer work was finished, which makes sense--they would just have had to tear up the pavement anyway as the lots farther down were sold and had to be hooked up. (In that case, the neighborhood wasn't a "development" in the modern sense--the first families to live there, like ours, bought empty lots and either built their houses themselves, like my folks, or individually hired contractors to build them, like some of our neighbors.)

[@TheEnd-eg6wq]

@@ZGryphon This was a development, is my point, yes I grew on a dirt road also, however this was a high end planned development, water, sewer and paved roads are the first things put in.

[@court7233]

@@TheEnd-eg6wq exactly. Which is why most believe the developers actually were scheming the whole thing. Most pieces I’ve seen or read and heard locally have been that it was a scam. One person did a vid here showing no utilities even. Like, you don’t go under a new home after construction and just add it lol

[@raygunsforronnie847]

@@TheEnd-eg6wq From this video it looks like the the duplexes were built by a different developer (Northern), who put them up like a movie set in order to satisfy lending bank requirements they actually build home with the loan money. Jim's money was spent on infrastructure in another part of the development that was not owned by Northern.

[@FrankJamesBailey]

You should do an Abandoned video on the Richfield Coliseum. In it's peek this was the place in Cleveland to see rock concerts and basketballs games. Until 1999. I think you might find it interesting😀.

[@Blaravivian]

This video made me so excited! I’ve been there many times and I got so excited when I see one of my favorite KZbinrs covering somewhere literally near me that’s so cool

[@REVIEWSONTHERUN]

Very interesting! Thank you for sharing it. ✌️

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thanks for watching!

[@keithfernandez2823]

I strongly recommend you to do your next abandoned episode on the Mid-South Coliseum.

[@nickfortunato2938]

I didn't realize that this was 3 hour drive from my house, I've seen a more detailed video of the houses a few years back but it wasn't explained as well as this video

[@Caledon91]

As sad as it is to see an ambitious project fail, I'm kinda glad this development didn't come to pass. Those houses were hideously ugly and it looked like there was barely any room for anyone to have a yard. Doesn't seem like that pleasant of a place to live, would just feel like a tower block but on its side.

[@TheSaltyExplorer]

You and I may not like living like that, but oddly enough there are a lot of people that do. This development reminds me of one local to me, Black Diamond Ranch. Nice scenery here and there around, but no yards, very strict and high cost HOA, everyone right up each other’s butt in overpriced houses. I personally don’t get it.

[@AaronOfMpls]

Agreed on that one section. Other parts were to be single-family houses built by other developers though, had things gotten that far before the economy tanked.

[@pilotf4621]

TO BAD YOU DID NOT SEE ALL THE BLUE PRINTS FOR THIS PROJECT IT WAS BEAUTIFUL. AND YOU WOULD HAVE LOVE TO LIVE THERE.

[@jonnorthall8526]

Great video Jake, very interesting. I live in the uk and I have seen pictures for the resort but never knew the story behind it. Thank you for filling that in

[@Mishacanttouchthis]

This guy does such an amazing job!!! He does so much research and puts together an interesting and compelling narrative!! Can’t wait to see what he does next!

[@deandupont5503]

Excellent reporting. I've seen a couple urban exploration videos about Indian Ridge, but now I understand the backstory. Thanks.

[@rhettolivierpiccio4457]

I want Jake to continue with the Dead Malls series, it's so interesting.

[@svpracer98]

I remember seeing someone explore these a long time ago and immediately recognized the structures when I saw the thumbnail. Very cool to hear the actual back story behind them

[@wingerfan1]

Another awesomely fantastic video! Love your work! When are you going to get a tv deal?

[@kimrandi7677]

Thank you for this video. We traveled several times a year to Branson and always wondered what had happened. Thanks for the great work you do!!

[@lesterscrugs2272]

Aaaahhhh so awesome you are covering something so close to me and well known to Missouri.

[@Davien2008]

Amazing video like always!!

[@whatweather]

He emphasized the estimated cost of this community; however, there are stadiums that cost more than this community.

[@FieroFats]

I live by there, and grew up just outside of town (Branson). There are/were many issues with the property. It was situated in "Branson West" (right on the edge of City limits of BW), which is the town that many of the workers that work in Branson live in. The area is poor. It's not Branson, there is a 10 mile drive to Branson along a two lane, high traffic/ very low speed road with no way to bypass. For a lower price you could have a house the same distance from Branson in the other direction, and be closer to a major city AND have less traffic to fight to get anywhere, or go south and have a nicer house for less money further from the city.

[@Julia-mm2ni]

great video I love this series! if you're ever looking for content ideas there is an abandoned psychiatric center in Kings Park, LI that I've always been curious about!

[@danidufty9455]

I just went and visited these houses back in November! So cool to see you do a whole video over the development so I can know the whole story behind them!

[@discingaround]

You genuinely make my day when you upload a video. Absolutely love this channel, and have for quite a while now

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thank you so much!

[@keithfernandez2823]

For your next abandoned episodes, do the Mid-South Coliseum at Memphis Tennessee. Or you could do the New Orleans Municipal Auditorium. For next episode bankrupt do Sports Authority or the Northridge Mall in Milwaukee.

[@R32R38]

Or for a (mostly) never built episode, NYC's Second Avenue Subway. Planned in the 1920's, two serviceable elevated lines demolished in 1940 and 1955 in anticipation of it, federally funded in the 1970's but the money squandered, small segment opened in 2017 after a decade of monstrously expensive construction, and the whole thing now WFH'ed into obsolescence.

[@cnh7262]

Yessss!!! Thanks Jake! Just what I needed to brighten my day.

[@cbjueueiwyru7472]

Who let that name and logo go through. That would never fly today

[@brad3042]

It's amazing how so many of these huge projects have so much in common. Where I live, there are two huge tales of entrepreneurs and/or vulture capitalists planning grandiose projects, marketing them to gullible communities, securing an investment from those communities and then just falling apart. It happened in Burlington, VT. An ambitious project was approved, funding was secure, work was started and then...nothing. It happened also in the Northeast Kingdom of VT. An ambitious plan to rebuild that area's economy with a luxury project and other amenities. Turned out to be a huge case of EB-5 fraud and in the same case as Burlington, resulted in a gaping hole in that community. I think communities need to resist harder to keep these vultures out. They destroy communities and economies in pursuit of greed.

[@bryleedawn7341]

I always love when my Aunt tells this story. They had planned to buy one of the houses and even went to the construction site many times!

[@AliceMae23]

Omg it's Friday... And still the best thing that happened today was that you posted another video!!! YAAAY 😊

[@skandarc2810]

One of your best episodes. I wanted it to be longer with more details of the crimes 😂. So many twists and turns haha. The story kinda reminded me of the Netflix show Ozark, with the whole money laundering thing going on. Also takes place in the same area lol. Oh poor Marty. Great job Jake. Also FYI: your name in Spanish is pronounced HA-CO-BO 😝

[@TheWhitneyuk]

Amazing as always Jake! You are the Best!!!

[@chocolatecookieboi8611]

And now, the nearby theme park has bought it and will build on! I’m so excited to see my home theme park expand and what it will do!

[@maryvanvliet1343]

YES IM EARLY THIS IS SUCH A GOOD FEELING. Your videos have such a wonderful way of washing away my anxiety and really put me in a good, calm mindset and mood.

[@Adeadoornail7226]

Doesn’t matter what it is, if you post it I’m watching. U know what I like! Thanks for your time put into this for us to enjoy for free! Awesome as always.

[@ctg6734]

What drives me crazy is that here you have this picturesque landscape which supposedly is the draw for wanting to live there, and yet the developers want to go in, clear cut the land and cram a bunch of ugly, oversized homes on the site, thus ruining the serenity.

[@Letsteachleslie]

Driven by there many times on our way to Branson from Mountain Home, AR. Never knew this about it though, thanks!

[@tartellu5010]

I'm so glad someone made a video on this

[@ianhudson2193]

Some more well researched content.... Interesting to see an explanation of this as, like many others, I was only aware of this development through odd photos and childish "wow, cool, sketchy" mindless, wobbly urbex videos.... Great stuff!

[@mafiousbj]

It's sad that as soon as the video starts and you mention they announced this development in 2005....everybody knows what's coming next

[@Coyote_Man]

My grandpa owns a condo around Eagle's Point and Silver Dollar City so when we travel down there and go to Walmart, we always pass by here and always thought what this place would be. Nice to find out, thanks BSF!

[@chillsdesign]

Dude! I live down the street from here. Been a fan for a long time. Super cool that you were here.

[@1000CalorieSnackPack]

2007-2008 really gave us some really good abandoned building content

[@littlewillie65]

Thanks for the aerial footage of Stormy Point Village - we've owned there for years and it's a really nice place to stay.

[@RailPreserver2K]

There's an abandoned Home in Lexington Georgia that I've been photographing the collapse of its called the Hogan house it was a home built in 1850 and has slowly been collapsing over the last 15 to 20 years

[@killiter1997]

My family and I visited Branson in August 2013. We were exploring the area when this place caught our attention as a nice area to maybe swing by and enjoy the views at, even if we weren't staying there. Little did we know, the whole place was abandoned. Even then, the buildings looked unstable and untrustworthy. It's weird how today, the place has gotten so much attention. Makes me wish we'd taken better pictures then. I think we just took a few by the entrance sign, and that was it.

[@alexanderkueffler2440]

Grew up near Branson. Had to drive by this Village everyday. Very cool to see it on your channel!

[@ChristyHunter]

Really enjoyed watching. I had no idea this was being built but it's been a while since I have been to Branson. Maybe next time I'm there I'll drive by this area.