The city of Calico Rock (Izard County) is located in north central Arkansas on the White River. It takes its unusual name from the streaks of colors on the bluffs that overlook the river, which reminded early settlers of the colors in calico cloth. In writing about his travels through the Missouri and Arkansas territories in 1818 and 1819, author and explorer Henry Schoolcraft referred to the area as “the calico rock.” It is the only city in the United States with that name.
The town started as a steamboat landing on the White River in the early 1800s, and was originally known as Calico Landing. The landing, located at the river’s confluence with Calico Creek, was the most popular landing site above Batesville (Independence County), which was as far upstream that steamboats were able to travel.
In 1857, the first of several general stores opened in the area. But they closed when the Civil War began. After the war ended and Reconstruction began, carpetbaggers from the North began moving into the area and opened several businesses, including a mercantile, a dry goods store, a drug store and doctor’s office. These businesses were built on the north shore facing the White River, with the front street following the river east and west.
A post office opened in 1871, but only lasted for a year. Another was established in May 1879. Due to the town’s rough and tumble atmosphere, organized religion was slow to make its way into Calico Rock, but eventually Methodist and Presbyterian congregations formed and built a house of worship, which was used by both congregation until 1907, when the Presbyterians built their own church.
In 1898, a fire destroyed nearly all the businesses in Calico Rock’s commercial district. But the city would rebound and became a bustling community in 1902, when construction began on railroad tracks along the river beneath the colorful bluffs. Calico Rock served as the headquarters for railroad construction crews, and later that year, the St. Louis and Iron Mountain Railroad officially opened service in the town.
In 1903, a hardware store opened, as did the Bank of Calico Rock. As of today, these two structures are still in use. That same year, Calico Rock’s first permanent schoolhouse was built. The building was a two-story concrete block structure that housed the elementary and high schools and served the community for nearly 50 years. Calico Rock was officially incorporated as a city on Jan. 24, 1905.
On April 7, 1923, a spark from a locomotive on the switch track set fire to a warehouse. High winds caused the flame to spread to the city’s Main Street. More than 20 businesses were destroyed, including all of the commercial businesses on the east side and some on the west side. The brick and stone replacement structures that remain have become known as the “ghost town” of Calico Rock — officially known as the Calico Rock Historic District.
The city got a taste of Hollywood in 1974, when writer/director Charles B. Pierce filmed the movie “Bootleggers” there. Pierce is best known for his 1972 cult classic, “The Legend of Boggy Creek,” about the alleged Sasquatch monster that roams the swamps near Fouke (Miller County). The poster for the film credited a “rising star” named Jaclyn Smith, who would become part of the hit television show, “Charlie’s Angels,” as well as a successful model and clothing designer.
Today, Calico Rock is a city with around 900 residents. In recent years, it has become very attractive to retirees and tourists, thanks in part to its natural scenic beauty and proximity to such tourist destinations as Blanchard Springs Caverns and the Buffalo National River. No doubt, it’s places like Calico Rock that help give our state the nickname “The Natural State.”
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