Osceola, Arkansas
| Osceola, Arkansas | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Clockwise from top: Mississippi County Courthouse copper dome is visible among mature trees as seen from the Hale Avenue Historic District, the courthouse grounds and main entrance, the Mississippi River at Sans Souci landing, Mississippi County Library, Osceola High School
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 Location in Mississippi County and the state of Arkansas |
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| Coordinates: 35°42′8″N 89°58′33″W / 35.70222°N 89.97583°WCoordinates: 35°42′8″N 89°58′33″W / 35.70222°N 89.97583°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arkansas |
| County | Mississippi |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-council |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7.8 sq mi (20.2 km2) |
| • Land | 7.8 sq mi (20.2 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 246 ft (75 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 7,757 |
| • Density | 1,137.8/sq mi (439.4/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC−6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC−5) |
| ZIP code | 72370 |
| Area code | 870 |
| FIPS code | 05-52580 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0077931 |
| Website | City Website |
Osceola is a city in and one of the two county seats of Mississippi County, Arkansas, United States. Located along the Mississippi River within the Arkansas delta, the settlement was founded in 1837 and incorporated in 1853. Occupying an important location on the river, the city's economy grew as steamboat traffic increased. Timber and cotton harvesting would develop, and the city experienced rapid growth and development throughout the early 20th century. The city's economy has since diversified to include a robust industrial sector. The population was 7,757 at the 2010 census.
During the prehistoric period, Osceola and Mississippi County was largely swampland, with dense forest cover. The area was inhabited only by Native American tribes until the first settlers arrived around the time of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.
Initial white visitors to the area were speculators, hunters, and outlaws, but the remote region remained sparsely populated by settlers. An extremely intense New Madrid earthquake swarm, produced by the New Madrid Seismic Zone nearby in present-day Missouri, struck the area in 1811-1812. The results were widespread soil liquefaction and a change in geography that produced "sunken lands", which were sandy berms of silt and sediment disturbed by the earthquakes. Some tracts of land were sunk over 50 feet (15 m), disappeared underneath newly formed lakes (such as Reelfoot Lake in Tennessee), or transformed from green forests to stagnant swamps.
Following continuing speculation and settlement in the area in the years after the earthquakes, two settlers, William Bard Edrington and John Price Edrington negotiated the acquisition of Native American huts along the Mississippi River. By this point, the combination of abundant timber as an obvious economic asset and easy access to shippers and travelers along the river began driving growth in the region. In 1837, the settlement adopted the name Plum Point.
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