Prairie County, Arkansas

Prairie County, Arkansas
Prairie County Courthouse, De Valls Bluff
Location in the U.S. state of Arkansas
Arkansas's location in the U.S.
Founded	October 25, 1846
Seat	Des Arc, De Valls Bluff
Largest city	Des Arc
Area
• Total	676 sq mi (1,751 km2)
• Land	648 sq mi (1,678 km2)
• Water	28 sq mi (73 km2), 4.1%
Population
• (2010)	8,715
• Density	13/sq mi (5/km²)
Congressional district	1st
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

Prairie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 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, and named for the Grand Prairie of eastern Arkansas.

History

The county was at first land given to Cherokee Indian settlers from Tennessee and was formerly the Western band of Cherokee Reservation from 1812 to 1836. Today, an estimated 2,000 residents have some degree of American Indian ancestry.

The town of Fredonia (Biscoe) was named for the failed movement for a Republic of Fredonia by Arkansas Cherokee and American Texan settlers in Mexican Texas in 1826. Another town, De Valls Bluff, had the tribal seat office, and is now one of the county seats.

Prairie County suffered much from the Civil War. Des Arc was partly destroyed, and a historian estimated that there were not more than 15 horses left in the county when the war was over.

On September 5, 1913, Lee Simms became the first person in Arkansas to be executed by use of the electric chair. He was executed for the offense of rape.

Stern's Medlar, a previously unknown plant species, was discovered in Prairie County in 1990, and is not known to grow anywhere else. It is critically endangered, with only 25 known specimens, all growing within a single small wood, now protected as the Konecny Grove Natural Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. 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.

Major highways

• Interstate 40
• U.S. Highway 70
• U.S. Highway 79
• Highway 11
• Highway 13
• Highway 33
• Highway 38
• Highway 86
• Highway 249
• Highway 302
• Highway 323
• Highway 343

Adjacent counties

• White County (north)
• Woodruff County (northeast)
• Monroe County (east)
• Arkansas County (south)
• Lonoke County (west)

National protected area

• Cache River National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	2,097		—
1860	8,854		322.2%
1870	5,604		−36.7%
1880	8,435		50.5%
1890	11,374		34.8%
1900	11,875		4.4%
1910	13,853		16.7%
1920	17,447		25.9%
1930	15,187		−13.0%
1940	15,304		0.8%
1950	13,768		−10.0%
1960	10,515		−23.6%
1970	10,249		−2.5%
1980	10,140		−1.1%
1990	9,518		−6.1%
2000	9,539		0.2%
2010	8,715		−8.6%
Est. 2014	8,304		−4.7%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2014

Age pyramid Prairie County

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 9,539 people, 3,894 households, and 2,795 families residing in the county. The population density was 6/km² (15/mi²). There were 4,790 housing units at an average density of 3/km² (7/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 84.83% White, 13.71% Black or African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.28% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. 0.81% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,894 households out of which 30.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.60% were married couples living together, 11.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% were non-families. 25.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.90% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 17.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,990, and the median income for a family was $36,131. Males had a median income of $28,413 versus $18,808 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,907. About 12.20% of families and 15.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.00% of those under age 18 and 16.80% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Des Arc (county seat)
• Hazen

Towns

• De Valls Bluff (county seat)
• Fredonia (Biscoe)
• Ulm

Unincorporated community

• Tollville

Townships

Townships in Arkansas are the divisions of a county. Each township includes unincorporated areas; some may have incorporated cities or towns within part of their boundaries. Arkansas townships have limited purposes in modern times. However, the United States Census does list Arkansas population based on townships (sometimes referred to as "county subdivisions" or "minor civil divisions"). Townships are also of value for historical purposes in terms of genealogical research. Each town or city is within one or more townships in an Arkansas county based on census maps and publications. The townships of Prairie County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township.

• Belcher
• Bullard
• Calhoun
• Center
• Des Arc
• Hazen (Hazen)
• Hickory Plain
• Lower Surrounded Hill (Fredonia (Biscoe))
• Roc Roe (Ulm)
• Tyler
• Union
• Upper Surrounded Hill
• Watersaw (De Valls Bluff)
• White River (Des Arc)

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Prairie County, Arkansas