Back in the day thousands of people would  flock to Buck Lake Ranch to watch some of the biggest names in country music take the stage.

It was developed in 1947, making it one of the oldest outdoor concert venues in the United States. In recent years Buck Lake Ranch has lost its popularity.

Now, a man in Steuben County is trying to revive it.

Artists would stop for a quick performance at this Steuben County campground while en route to and from concerts in bigger cities. It drew thousands of people.

Ron Weimer was introduced to Buck Lake Ranch by his parents Jean and Ron Weimer. He attended his first concert which was performed by Alabama in 1982. He said he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bring this place back to life.

“It was a great time,” he said. “I wanted Wanted to come back and revive this. We have the history that nobody else has. So we are going to build off of the history of Buck Lake.”

It is dubbed “Nashville of the North” because of it’s rich history rooted in country music but the area offers so much more.  Families can camp, fish, boating, and swim. Artists from various genres have performed on its stages.

Weimer said almost every country music legend has stood on this stage. Including, Three Stooges, Lassie, Roy Rogers, George Jones and Loretta Lynn, just to name a few.

There are two stages on the property. One that could accommodate as many as 2,500 concert goers and another that could hold 20,000.

Weimer said he is already in talks to route artists who are performing in Nashville to Buck Lake Ranch for concerts. In the meantime, he is getting the infrastructure ready to take on a big show.

Ultimately, he wants to create a venue that would attract fans from Northeast Indiana, rather than driving to bigger cities like Indianapolis.

Buck Lake Ranch is open from April to September. To learn more about upcoming concerts click here.