Montgomery County, Arkansas

Montgomery County
Montgomery County
County
	Clockwise from top: Eagle Rock Vista in the Ouachita Mountains, the Norman Public Library, Quartz from a Montgomery County mine, the Little Missouri River, and the Montgomery County Courthouse in Mount Ida
	Location within the U.S. state of Arkansas
	Arkansas's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 34°32′08″N 93°39′52″W / 34.535555555556°N 93.664444444444°W
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
Founded	December 9, 1842
Named for	Richard Montgomery
Seat	Mount Ida
Largest city	Mount Ida
Area
• Total	800 sq mi (2,000 km2)
• Land	780 sq mi (2,000 km2)
• Water	20 sq mi (50 km2) 2.6%
Population (2020)
• Total	8,484
• Density	11/sq mi (4.1/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	4th
Website	montgomerycounty.arkansas.gov

Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,484.^[1] The county seat is Mount Ida.^[2] Montgomery County is Arkansas's 45th county, formed on December 9, 1842, and named after Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general.^[3]

History

Stone spear and dart points found in the area verify that people from the Dalton tradition were present in Montgomery County around 8500 BC. Early signs of houses and American Indian cemeteries are present in and around Caddo Gap, Arkansas, indicating the definite presence of the Caddo Indians having settled in the area in the 13th century and 14th century. In 1541, the explorer Hernando de Soto fought the Tula Indians at Caddo Gap, and he was injured during that battle.^[4]

The first white settlers arrived in 1812, when Martin and Mary Collier settled what is now Caddo Gap. They befriended the local tribes, and seemingly had no problems from them whatsoever. Granville Whittington arrived in 1835, and built a road that led from Hot Springs, Arkansas to his farm about a mile north of the settlement of Montgomery. By 1836 when Arkansas received statehood, most of the native Indians were gone. Some of the native Indian women had intermingled and intermarried with local white settlers. Whittington opened a general store that drew customers from the surrounding area, and in 1842 he opened the Mount Ida Post Office in Mount Ida. West of the Ouachita River, settlers from a wagon train wintered in what is now Oden, and decided to stay when the weather cleared. Montgomery County was named after General Richard Montgomery, an American general who died during the American Revolution.

Originally part of the Louisiana Purchase, it was first claimed by Spain, then France, and in 1813 was part of Arkansas County, then in 1818 was part of Clark County. On December 9, 1842, Montgomery County became its own county, with Montgomery as its county seat. In 1850 Salem became the county seat, but later that same year the county seat changed again, to Mount Ida, where Whittington's Post Office was located. Mount Ida incorporated in 1854.

Civil War era

When the Civil War broke out, most of Montgomery County favored the Confederacy. Mount Ida settlers John Lavender and John Simpson formed one company to serve in the Confederate Army, and the 4th Arkansas Infantry originated in Mount Ida also, but after the war few from the company organized by Lavender and Simpson returned to Montgomery County. With mostly women left to tend to the farms, soldiers from both the Confederate and the Union Army raided homes and farms for supplies, leaving settlers with little to eat. After the war, soldiers from both armies settled in the area, building schools and homes. In 1884 Oden built a steam saw, a cotton gin and a gristmill.

Up to modern times

With the arrival of the Missouri Pacific Railroad in Caddo Gap around the turn of the 20th century, Caddo Gap and Black Springs began to thrive. In 1910 the county population reached its peak, with sawmills springing up in several locations. That same year, the town of Womble was settled. It changed its name to Norman in 1925. In 1918 the logging camp of Mauldin, Arkansas sprang up, and a railroad line was built to it from Norman. However, almost overnight in 1936, Mauldin closed up, dismantled everything, and moved on having depleted the virgin timber in the area. This, combined with the Great Depression, had a devastating effect on the county.

Many people moved away to find work elsewhere, while others found employment with the Civilian Conservation Corps. During World War II, people continued to leave Montgomery County, with the men going off to war, and others leaving to find employment in war plants. Mining became one source of local employment for a time, but did not last. Most mines were due to a large abundance of quartz in the county. In 1922 there were eighty three school districts in Montgomery County. Today there are three, Caddo Hills, Mount Ida, and Ouachita River. Cattle, swine, and poultry are now the main areas of employment in the region.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 800 square miles (2,100 km²), of which 780 square miles (2,000 km²) is land and 20 square miles (52 km²) (2.6%) is water.^[5]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Yell County (north)
Garland County (east)
Hot Spring County (southeast)
Clark County (southeast)
Pike County (south)
Polk County (west)
Scott County (northwest)

National protected area

Ouachita National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1850	1,958		—
1860	3,633		85.5%
1870	2,984		−17.9%
1880	5,729		92.0%
1890	7,923		38.3%
1900	9,444		19.2%
1910	12,455		31.9%
1920	11,112		−10.8%
1930	10,768		−3.1%
1940	8,876		−17.6%
1950	6,680		−24.7%
1960	5,370		−19.6%
1970	5,821		8.4%
1980	7,771		33.5%
1990	7,841		0.9%
2000	9,245		17.9%
2010	9,487		2.6%
2020	8,484		−10.6%
2023 (est.)	8,620	^[6]	1.6%
U.S. Decennial Census^[7] 1790–1960^[8] 1900–1990^[9] 1990–2000^[10] 2010^[11]

2020 census

Montgomery County racial composition^[13]
Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	7,499	88.39%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	13	0.15%
Native American	92	1.08%
Asian	47	0.55%
Pacific Islander	5	0.06%
Other/Mixed	413	4.87%
Hispanic or Latino	415	4.89%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,484 people, 3,754 households, and 2,563 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census,^[14] there were 9,245 people, 3,785 households, and 2,747 families residing in the county. The population density was 12 people per square mile (4.6 people/km²). There were 5,048 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile (2.3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.42% White, 0.29% Black or African American, 1.11% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.56% from other races, and 1.23% from two or more races. 2.53% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,785 households, out of which 28.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.60% were married couples living together, 7.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.40% were non-families. 24.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.20% 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 2.85.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.50% under the age of 18, 6.20% from 18 to 24, 25.00% from 25 to 44, 26.30% from 45 to 64, and 18.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 96.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,421, and the median income for a family was $32,769. Males had a median income of $25,865 versus $18,063 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,668. About 13.00% of families and 17.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.50% of those under age 18 and 16.00% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Over the past few election cycles Montgomery County has trended heavily towards the GOP. The last Democrat (as of 2020) to carry this county was Bill Clinton in 1996.

United States presidential election results for Montgomery County, Arkansas^[15]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	3,046	78.65%	731	18.87%	96	2.48%
2016	2,643	74.26%	748	21.02%	168	4.72%
2012	2,369	69.59%	920	27.03%	115	3.38%
2008	2,365	65.30%	1,092	30.15%	165	4.56%
2004	2,367	59.80%	1,524	38.50%	67	1.69%
2000	2,128	56.91%	1,438	38.46%	173	4.63%
1996	1,137	32.86%	1,830	52.89%	493	14.25%
1992	1,205	32.46%	1,904	51.29%	603	16.24%
1988	1,752	55.99%	1,362	43.53%	15	0.48%
1984	2,221	59.12%	1,497	39.85%	39	1.04%
1980	1,585	43.88%	1,878	51.99%	149	4.13%
1976	924	27.63%	2,420	72.37%	0	0.00%
1972	1,555	68.17%	688	30.16%	38	1.67%
1968	885	35.04%	649	25.69%	992	39.27%
1964	832	37.78%	1,358	61.67%	12	0.54%
1960	836	49.85%	788	46.99%	53	3.16%
1956	965	52.76%	846	46.25%	18	0.98%
1952	815	50.25%	807	49.75%	0	0.00%
1948	236	18.99%	935	75.22%	72	5.79%
1944	349	37.77%	573	62.01%	2	0.22%
1940	400	28.23%	1,012	71.42%	5	0.35%
1936	465	30.61%	1,034	68.07%	20	1.32%
1932	211	12.13%	1,495	85.97%	33	1.90%
1928	976	56.91%	726	42.33%	13	0.76%
1924	360	40.82%	431	48.87%	91	10.32%
1920	615	54.96%	430	38.43%	74	6.61%
1916	432	31.51%	939	68.49%	0	0.00%
1912	221	21.44%	471	45.68%	339	32.88%
1908	522	43.98%	553	46.59%	112	9.44%
1904	491	56.50%	342	39.36%	36	4.14%
1900	293	38.15%	468	60.94%	7	0.91%
1896	220	17.92%	1,008	82.08%	0	0.00%

Communities

Cities

Mount Ida (county seat)

Towns

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Alamo
Black Springs (Black Springs)
Caddo Gap
Caney (small parts of Glenwood)
Center
Fannie
Hopper
Mount Ida (Mount Ida)
Norman (Norman)
Oden (Oden)
Pencil Bluff
Sims
Washita

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 Montgomery County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township. ^[16]^[17]