Prairie County, Arkansas

Prairie County Education, Geography, and History

Prairie County is a county located in the state of Arkansas. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 8,715. The county has two county seats, Des Arc and De Valls Bluff. Prairie County was formed on October 25, 1846. The county is named for the Grand Prairie of eastern Arkansas.

Etymology - Origin of Prairie County Name

Prairie county is named for the Grand Prairie of eastern Arkansas.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Prairie County History

Prairie county was created on November 25, 1846, and was named for its most obvious physical characteristics, in which the county lies on a spread of level land between the lower White and Arkansas rivers that is known at the Grand Prairie as early at 1819. The county has dual seats, Des Arc and DeValls Bluff. The economic base of the county is agriculture, cotton and rice, soybeans, wheat, and catfish, along with agriculture-related commerce and some industry. The scenic White River makes its way through the county, past both County Seats, on its way to the Mississippi River. Near the center of the county the Wattensaw Wildlife Management Area, 17,433 acres, unfolds westward from the White River. Fishing, hunting and camping is poplar in this area. In the north of the county are Cypress and Des Arc Bayous, Lake Des Arc, spring and Horn Lakes and part of the Cache River and to the south, LA Grue Bayou and Peckerwood Lake which covers 4,000 acres. All of these waterways offer good fishing and a wide variety of water recreation. The stately courthouse at Des Arc is a 1913 Georgian architecture and the Courthouse at DeValls Bluff is a 1939 Quasi-Georgian architecture. Both house early history of Prairie County.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 676 square miles (1,750 km²), of which 648 square miles (1,680 km²) is land and 28 square miles (73 km²) (4.1%) is water.

The landscape is rich, flat, delta farmland, with rolling hills in the extreme northwest corner.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Northeast: Woodruff County
• Southeast: Monroe County; Arkansas County
• Southwest: Lonoke County
• Northwest: White County

Education

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