My great-great uncle was a co-founder/planner/financier/whatever of Dogpatch. The miniature railroad in the park was named after him. If I remember the story correctly, my family had a pretty big stake in the place before they sold it off to an outside investment group some time in the 60s or 70s.
I'd need to talk to me grandparents to get the story straight, but I remember the park's founding and early years being a pretty fascinating story rife with shady political dealings and the like.