Montgomery County, Arkansas
| Montgomery County, Arkansas | |
|---|---|
Montgomery County Courthouse in Mount Ida
|
|
 Location in the U.S. state of Arkansas |
|
 Arkansas's location in the U.S. |
|
| Founded | December 9, 1842 |
| Named for | Richard Montgomery |
| Seat | Mount Ida |
| Largest city | Mount Ida |
| Area | |
| • Total | 800 sq mi (2,072 km2) |
| • Land | 780 sq mi (2,020 km2) |
| • Water | 20 sq mi (52 km2), 2.6% |
| Population (est.) | |
| • (2015) | 8,970 |
| • Density | 12/sq mi (5/km²) |
| Congressional district | 4th |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 9,487. The county seat is Mount Ida. Montgomery County is Arkansas's 45th county, formed on December 9, 1842, and named after Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general.
Stone spear and dart points found in the area verify that people from the Dalton Culture were present in Mongomery County around 8500 BC. Early signs of houses and American Indian cemeteries are present in and around Caddo Gap, Arkansas, indicating the definite presence of the Caddo Indians having settled in the area in the 13th century and 14th century. In 1541, the explorer Hernando de Soto fought the Tula Indians at Caddo Gap, and that he was injured during that battle.
The first white settlers arrived in 1812, when Martin and Mary Collier settled what is now Caddo Gap. They befriended the local tribes, and seemingly had no problems from them whatsoever. Granville Whittington arrived in 1835, and built a road that led from Hot Springs, Arkansas to his farm about a mile north of the settlement of Montgomery. By 1836 when Arkansas received statehood, most of the native Indians were gone. Some of the native Indian women had intermingled and intermarried with local white settlers. Whittington opened a general store that drew customers from the surrounding area, and in 1842 he opened the Mount Ida Post Office in Mount Ida. West of the Ouachita River, settlers from a wagon train wintered in what is now Oden, and decided to stay when the weather cleared. Montgomery County was named after General Richard Montgomery, an American general who died during the American Revolution.
...
Wikipedia