Immigrants from the mountains of Tennessee, Kentucky and northern Georgia were the earliest settlers in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas during the early 1830s. Others arrived from the lowlands of Mississippi where infectious diseases were rampant. Lifestyles were primitive and self-reliant due to the isolated location. At the turn of 20th century, the railroad and timber industries emerged and brought great surges of immigrants. Ultimately, Arkansas became a state in 1836.

The long crest of Rich Mountain is fairly even and offered opportunities for small farms. With the mountain providing uncommonly rich soil and springs, several prosperous farms developed. Rich Mountain’s few residents presided from 1860 to 1949. Many secured land patents from the U.S. government under the Homestead Act of 1862. Traces of these homesteads still remain visible. If stumbling upon these artifacts, please do not disturb them and help preserve part of our country’s heritage.