The Ghost Town of Rush

                Located in Marion County is the only remaining ghost town between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains—Rush, Arkansas. 

                The town of Rush was started by miners and prospectors who came to the area in the early 1880s in search of silver mines that had long been told about by the native Americans. Prospectors did find shiny metallic flakes in rock formations which were thought to be concentrated silver. As word spread about this discovery, people from across the mid-south rushed (henceforth the town’s name) to the area in hopes of finding the valuable mineral.

                In 1886, a rock smelter was constructed on the bank of Rush Creek to extract the shiny metallic substance. Unfortunately for the hopeful prospectors and miners, during an initial run of the smelter in January 1887, zinc oxide fumes were emitted with the predicted silver failing to collect in the sand molds. As a result, zinc—rather than silver-- mining began at the Morning Star Mine. 

                The hopes of finding silver and striking it rich weren’t the only reasons people flocked to Rush. Many prospectors who came to Rush had engaged in various types of criminal activity and hoped to get as far from law enforcement as possible. Businessmen and merchants came to the settlement looking for an opportunity to provide for the needs of the growing town. Others who came to Rush were general laborers, farmers, mechanics and former Confederate soldiers from states such as Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee. No matter their trade or profession, all those who flocked to Rush were looking for ways to make a quick buck or two. With the seemingly never-ending flow of new residents moving to Rush, the once-small mining camp ballooned to a population of nearly 5,000. 

                Rush was officially incorporated as a city in 1916, and became the most prosperous city per capita in the state. In the town’s early days, it was not unusual to find five to six tents erected in the morning with more tents having been added by afternoon’s end. The settlers who didn’t have the luxury of a tent opted to make shelters from rocks and even packing boxes to protect themselves from Mother Nature.

                At the 1892 World Fair in Chicago, a large zinc nugget from the Morning Star Mine weighed in at 13,000 pounds and received blue ribbons. Another large zinc specimen from the mine won a blue ribbon at the St. Louis World Fair held in 1904.

                As World War I came to a close, both the demand and price for zinc declined. As such, the population of Rush began to do dwindle as well. The mines one by one closed, as did the local post office and several stores. By the mid-1950s, the residents who had remained slowly left the town as well. Rush was officially deemed a ghost town in 1972, when it became part of the property acquired by the federal government for the creation of the Buffalo National River system. Rush’s historic district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in February 1987. 

                The historic district includes ruins that date from 1880 through 1940. The remnants of stone buildings, log cabins and other structures located in the Rush Historic District are the last preserved remains of zinc mining activity in the Natural State and have been remained relatively untouched throughout the years.

                If you’re in the Buffalo National River area for a canoe trip or hike, it’s definitely worth a trip to experience the ghost town of Rush and see for yourself the historic structures and get an idea of life in the former boom town that once made a substantial economic impact in our great state. 

The Strange Tale of Prescott's "Old Mike"

                Located in the southwestern portion of Arkansas, Prescott is the county seat of Nevada County and also its largest city. Incorporated in October 1874 as a railroad town, it became an important center of agriculture and business in the area.

                The land where Prescott lies was part of the Indian Removal (known as the Trail of Tears) in the 1830s, and was home to several nearby actions of the Civil War, including the battle of Prairie D’Ane and the skirmish at Moscow.

                Several notable people have come out of Prescott, including Arkansas politicians Gov. Thomas McRae, acting-governor Christopher Hamby, U.S. Congressman Oren Harris and U.S. Congressman and one-time gubernatorial candidate Mike Ross. Also hailing from the Nevada County city was singer Anita Pointer of the famed musical group, the Pointer Sisters.

                As is the case with many Arkansas cities, Prescott is full of interesting and unusual legends and stories. However, in my opinion, none are more so than the story of a man known simply as “Old Mike.”

                No one knows for sure when he was born or where he was from, but Old Mike was a traveling salesman who frequented Prescott in the early 1910s. He visited the city about once a month selling everything from paper to thread to homes and businesses located in the central part of the town. According to newspaper reports, Old Mike would arrive in Prescott by the southbound train around 3:00 p.m. and leave the next day at the same time to continue his travels to another city to sell his wares.

                It is believed on Sunday, August 20, 1911, Old Mike attended a revival held that evening in the city park. The following day, his body was found under a tree in the park. It was thought at the time he either died from a heart attack or stroke.

                Local residents took Old Mike’s body to Cornish Funeral Home where it was embalmed. His body was searched, but no identification was found. The funeral directors believed Old Mike was in his early 40s and of Italian descent. It appeared he had suffered major injuries to his left leg and right arm—possibly as the result of a stroke.

                Now here’s where the story of Old Mike turns really strange. The staff of the funeral home took Old Mike’s body and placed it in the front window of the business. The thought was that someone might pass by the body, recognize it, and claim it for proper burial. For over sixty years, Old Mike’s body stood in the window of the funeral home, however no one came forward to claim it. Old Mike’s corpse did become somewhat of a tourist attraction, as curiosity seekers from all across Arkansas and even nearby states came to Prescott to see the body

                Finally, in 1975, Arkansas Attorney General Jim Guy Tucker, politely requested the funeral home bury Old Mike’s body. The funeral home complied and Old Mike was buried in a small ceremony at DeAnn Cemetery in Prescott on May 12, 1975.

                According to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture, journalist Mike Nichols began trying to learn more about the mysterious identity of Old Mike in the 1990s.

                Nichols’ research revealed that a staff member at the Pulaski County coroner’s office testified to having seen Old Mike in a Little Rock police court, along with a man named Pat McFarland, where Old Mike was charged with public intoxication. In the police docket section of the Arkansas Gazette dated August 12, 1911, Pat McFarland was listed as having been arrested for disturbing the peace, while the only arrest for public intoxication was of a man named J. M. Estes. Could the “M” in M have stood for Mike?

                Chances are we will never know the answer to that question, as well as the true identity of Prescott’s Old Mike.

All About Alma

                Located at the edge of the Ozark Mountains in the Arkansas River Valley lies the city of Alma. The Crawford County city is situated at the intersection of Interstates 40 and 49 and is about 15 miles southeast of Fort Smith.

                The land where Alma now sits is on land purchased from the federal government by Armstead Smoot on August 3, 1836—less than two months after Arkansas became a state. Smoot used the land mostly for farming until he sold it in 1872 to Col. Mathias Locke in 1872. Locke built a home and a cotton gin on the property. Others began settling the area during this time as well.

                The community was originally known as Gum Town due to its abundance of gum trees. The primary industry of Gum Town was timber. Gum Town’s name would soon be changed to Alma and the town was incorporated on January 7, 1874. It is not certain where the name Alma originated, although one legend says that it was the name of the local postmaster’s girlfriend. W. P. Brown (no relation) served as Alma’s first mayor.

                By the time Alma officially became a town, it had a general store, a saloon, a cotton gin and a steam mill. A town hall was built and served as a church, school and a Masonic lodge. Alma’s first church was a Baptist church and was soon followed by congregations of Methodists and Presbyterians.

                Locke built Alma’s first hotel, the King Hotel, in October 1877, but it burned in December 1884. The fire also caused the destruction of seven other businesses in the area.

                While the timber industry was Alma’s initial agricultural force, cotton soon became king. Timber, however, did remain a substantial industry for Alma for many years. In August 1888, the Alma Canning and Evaporating Company was opened at a cost of $25,000 raised by thirty stockholders. The company brought the fruit trade in as a new industry for the area.

                On June 23, 1933, the infamous duo of Bonnie and Clyde, part of the outlaw Barrow Gang, killed Alma’s town marshal, Henry D. Humphrey, after being caught for robbing a grocery store in Fayetteville (Washington County). A memorial plaque honoring Humphrey was placed at Alma’s city hall.

                In 1961, the Alma canning operation was purchased by the Allen Canning Co. which was headquartered in Siloam Springs (Benton County). The Allen company canned over half of the spinach eaten in the United States and soon became the leading industry in Alma. By the mid- 1980s, Alma was known as the “Spinach Capital of the World.” The city placed a statue of Allen’s mascot and famed cartoon character and spinach lover, Popeye the Sailor Man, in front of the chamber of commerce office. Alma also began holding an annual event called the Spinach Festival. The city’s water tower was painted to resemble a can of spinach.

                More infamous characters came to Alma in 1974, when Tony and Susan Alamo established a religious compound in the nearby town of Dyer. Their organization, the Alamo Foundation, began buying numerous businesses in Alma and used their followers to staff them. The Alamo Western Wear Store, which featured sequined and airbrushed denim jackets, was quite popular, as was Alamo’s restaurant. The restaurant featured top name entertainment, including names such as Dolly Parton and Roy Orbison. 

                Through their gain of massive wealth, the Alamos wielded a great deal of influence over business and political leaders in the city. In 1991, federal agents raided the Alamo compound in Dyer and arrested Tony Alamo on tax-evasion charges. The Alamo Foundation left Dyer and established a new compound in Fouke (Miller County) near Texarkana. Susan Alamo died in April 1982 under mysterious circumstances and Tony later died in a federal prison in Texarkana in 2017.

                From Bonnie and Clyde to Popeye to the Alamos, Alma has had an assortment of characters throughout its history, but remains today as an important and prosperous city in the Arkansas River Valley.

Arkansas's Own England

                

                If you’re driving from Little Rock to the “Duck Hunting Capital of the World” of Stuttgart, you might find yourself traveling through England. No, not the country ruled by King Charles, but the small city in Lonoke County that — despite its size — has quite the storied history.

                The area today known as England was originally a community of 19 families that sprung up during the Reconstruction era of the 1870s. The settlement was about 3 1/2 miles north of where the city was eventually laid out. Led by a man named Bob Hudgens, the residents in the small community lobbied for a post office in 1880. The U.S. Postal Service granted their request, and later that year, the Groveland post office was established. 

                The post office’s designation didn’t stay Groveland for long; the name was changed to England in 1888 — an event that almost didn’t happen (more on that in just a moment). That same year a one-room building was constructed as a school, church and community meeting place.

                By 1888, the area was known as England, named for land owner and lawyer John Calhoun England. England was legal counsel for the Cotton Belt Railroad, which had recently laid tracks in the area. He bought the original tracts of land and had them surveyed into lots. Prominent town leaders decided to name the area after John England. 

                The U.S. Postal Service originally denied the request to change the post office’s name from Groveland to England citing a rule that stated a post office could not contain the name of a foreign country. But it eventually granted the request, and both the town and post office officially became known as England. England was incorporated on March 1, 1897.

                England’s economy initially centered around agriculture — specifically cotton. In 1893, a cotton gin was built in England and a second was built in 1898.

                In 1902, William Fulmer, a farmer from Louisiana, moved to England and began experimenting with rice farming. Within a few years, rice farming became a major cash crop in England, the rice well-suited to the flat, poorly drained land. But even with the huge success of rice farming, “King Cotton” continued to be the largest cash crop around England.

                The drought of 1930-1931 devastated England, causing an event known as the England food riot. The American Red Cross had come to the area to help those in need but ran out of food and supplies by December 1930, and the organization was forced to turn residents away. With the angry crowd of those in desperate need of rations growing more impatient and frustrated, local merchants began distributing food with the promise the Red Cross would eventually pay them back. 

                As part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, Congress passed the Agricultural Adjustment Act, which allowed the federal government to intervene and make cuts to the production of cotton, which helped the agriculturally based economy of England and similar towns that had suffered during the Great Depression.

                Over the years, England’s agricultural industry has declined but industrial growth has prospered. Thanks to Arkansas’ congressional delegation in the early 2000s, federal funds were used to build an industrial park and a water treatment plant and make other improvements to England’s infrastructure. 

                And while you won’t find any royals in this England, you can find such interesting attractions as the Wagon Yard Museum. The museum is privately owned and features a collection of wagons, stagecoaches and farm equipment. The museum also contains a replica of the first Bank of England, a pioneer church and cells from the original city jail.

                I’ve learned throughout my travels in the Arkansas Delta that our state is full of interesting and nostalgic small towns. For me, England is at the top of that list.