Page 4 - 2018 TR Explore White County

4SS SUNDAY, JULY 29, 2018
ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE THREE RIVERS EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE • EXPLORE WHITE COUNTY
LAURIE SKILLERN/CAPTURE ARKANSAS
Kayakers paddle across Bald Knob Lake, one of many outdoor attractions that draw visitors to White County.
BY SARAH DECLERK / SPECIAL SECTIONS WRITER
As Arkansas’ second-largest county by area, White County offers a diverse landscape that includes flat plains and mountainous terrain. e Little Red River runs through the heart of the county, which is bordered by the White River to the east.
Native American artifacts suggest there was human life in the area as early as the Paleoindian period 13,500 years ago. European exploration began with the Hernando de Soto expedition in 1541. Two Frenchmen acquired Spanish land grants in the area during the 1700s.
e first American settlers arrived in the area in 1815, when the Magness family took the Old Southwest Trail from Tennessee to Letona. e territorial legislature formed the county in 1835, and Searcy has been the county seat ever since.
The area saw its share of action during the Civil War, when White County was caught in the path of Union Gen. Samuel R. Curtis’ failed push toward Little Rock, resulting in the Action at Whitney’s Lane in 1862 and a gunboat fight on the Little Red River the next year.
Another Union group plowed through the county in 1864, destroying a saltworks at Bald Knob.
Reconstruction brought railroads to the county, and sev- eral communities emerged along their tracks. Another devel- opment after the Civil War was the construction of the White County Courthouse in 1871. e oldest Arkansas courthouse still used for that purpose, the structure’s focal point is a clock tower with an 1855 bell that looks like the Liberty Bell.
Cotton was a major cash crop during the county’s formation, and the timber industry helped drive the economy during the 1870s. White County was the nexus of U.S. strawberry farming from 1890 to 1950, when rice and soybeans became the cash crops of choice.
About 25 county residents died in World War I, and 142 gave their lives in World War II. While some men and women served the country abroad, others helped on the home front by rationing and by collecting scrap materials.
e county began attracting commercial industries in the 1960s, and major employers now include Walmart and Land O’ Frost. e county also offers a thriving medical
SEE LAND ON PAGE 6SS
LAY OF THE LAND Colorful history meets bright future just around the river bend