Arkansas County, Arkansas

Arkansas County Education, Geography, and History

Arkansas County is a county located in the state of Arkansas. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 19,019. The county has two county seats, De Witt and Stuttgart. The county was formed on 13 December 1813, when this area was part of the Missouri Territory. Arkansas is named after the Arkansas Indian tribe.

Arkansas County is one of seven current-day counties in the United States to share the same name as the state they are located in (the other six counties are Hawaii County, Idaho County, Iowa County, New York County, Oklahoma County, and Utah County)

Etymology - Origin of Arkansas County Name

Arkansas is named for the Arkansa Native American tribe. The namesake of the state of Arkansas was named after the Quapaw, for they were called "Akansea" or "Akansa," meaning "land of the downriver people" by other native tribes and eventually by the French explorers Marquette and Jolliet.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Arkansas County History

Arkansas county is one of the oldest counties in Arkansas, and has a sound history behind it. The only American Revolutionary battle fought west of the Mississippi (1873) was fought in Arkansas County. A dual county seat with courthouses in Dewitt and Stuttgart, the oldest records in Arkansas are kept in the (Stuttgart) Courthouse. They date from 1796 and are written in Spanish. The courtroom in the courthouse has a unique design where the witness sits in front of the judge and faces the jury, whereas, in most courtrooms the witness sits beside the judge facing the spectators.

There are two museums in the county, Stuttgart Agricultural Museum and the Arkansas Post County Museum and a National Memorial in Gillett. The Arkansas Post is considered the earliest European resolution in the lower Mississippi River valley. The National Park includes a visitors' center and exhibits, artifacts and a trail to take visitors by points of interest.

The population of Arkansas county is 21,653 according to the (1990) census, with 64.5% being urban and rural. Rice Belt Vo-tech and a University of Arkansas agricultural research experiment station are active in research and training in the county.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,034 square miles (2,680 km²), of which 989 square miles (2,560 km²) is land and 45 square miles (120 km²) (4.4%) is water. It is the third-largest county in Arkansas by area.

The landscape of the county is rich, flat, delta farmland. The eastern boundary of the county runs along the White River, and the southern border includes a stretch of the Arkansas River and Lock and Dam No. 2 of the River Navigation System.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Northeast: Monroe County; Phillips County
• South: Desha County
• Southwest: Lincoln County
• West: Jefferson County
• Northwest: Lonoke County; Prairie County

Education

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