Mauldin, Arkansas facts for kids

Mauldin, also known as Mauldin Logging Camp, is a ghost town in Montgomery County, Arkansas, United States. It was a place where people lived and worked for a short time. The town started in 1918, created by Billy Mauldin and Thomas Rosborough. By 1922, many workers had moved there. They came to work in the forests, cutting down and processing huge, old trees. Mauldin was located between Mount Ida and Pencil Bluff.

The Story of Mauldin: A Logging Town

How Mauldin Began

William W. Mauldin, also called Billy Mauldin, was born in Greer County, Texas. Years before the town, in 1906, he had claimed land where Mauldin would later be built. Billy Mauldin worked with Thomas Whitaker "Whit" Rosborough. Rosborough had started the Caddo River Timber Company in 1906. He also founded the town of Rosboro in Pike County.

Life in a Company Town

Mauldin started cutting down lots of timber in 1922. It was a "company-owned town," which means one company owned most of it. The company provided homes and services for its workers. Mauldin had a post office, a school, a church, and many small homes called shotgun houses. There were also business offices.

The Caddo River Lumber Company built a railroad line. This train track went from Womble (now Norman, Arkansas) to Mauldin. Workers used the train to ship pine timber. The timber went to large mills in Glenwood and Rosboro. Rosboro was the main mill for Rosborough's company.

Why Mauldin Disappeared

For a while, the town of Mauldin was very busy and successful. But the company had a plan: "cut and move." This meant they would cut all the valuable trees in one area, then move to a new place. In 1933, after cutting all the old, tall trees nearby, the company packed up. They took apart the entire town almost overnight.

The town had two ponds, each about one acre in size. These ponds were used to float logs. Today, these ponds still exist. You can find them just outside Mount Ida on US Highway 270. There is almost nothing left of the town itself. You might see a few concrete blocks where the mill once stood.

In 1940, both ponds were turned into a fish hatchery. Next to the ponds is an empty field where the town once stood. All the bigger buildings were torn down. The smaller buildings were moved to a new location near Forester in Scott County.

The Company's Future

Later, the Caddo River Lumber Company sold most of its land in the area. The US Forest Service bought it. In 1939, Thomas Rosborough moved his whole business. He went northwest to Springfield, Oregon. Many loyal employees moved with him. Today, his company, called "Rosboro," is still a big timber company. It is one of the largest private owners of timberland in the Pacific Northwest.