Nebraska's Hidden Paradise was started as a much-enjoyed resort in 1912 by Carleton Pettijohn, Sr. He built the first thirty cottages, the plunge, and the dance pavilion. The plunge was built in 1914 at the north end of the park. The park had its own ice house in which it stored ice for summer use. A grocery store was operated by Otto Berger for vacationing people. Some of the first and best cabins were built by the carpenters Flanagan and Rossiter. They also built the plunge in which there was a high water wheel which pumped fresh water continually into the swimming area.

Tourists came by train to Long Pine and there was hack service to and from the park. Many people walked from town to the park, but Clem Wright drove an early Model T taxi. He charged ten cents for a one-way ride to and from town. William Smith, Jr., when a boy, called twice a day with his Model T to deliver ice to the cabins.

The name Long Pine Creek came from the Lakota's "Wazi-honska Wakpala".