Monkey Run, Arkansas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Monkey Run, Arkansas
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| Country | United States |
| State |  Arkansas |
| County | Baxter |
| Elevation | 712 ft (217 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 77681 |
Monkey Run is a small, unincorporated community located in Baxter County, Arkansas, in the United States. An "unincorporated community" means it's a place where people live, but it doesn't have its own local government like a city or town.
This community is found along Arkansas Highway 126. It's about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of the Ozark Regional Airport. Monkey Run is also about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) west of a larger town called Mountain Home, which you can reach by taking Arkansas Highway 178.
The Story of Monkey Run
Early Days and Mining
Monkey Run was most active between the year 1900 and the time of the Great Depression. During this period, seven different zinc mines operated around the community. Zinc is a type of metal used in many things, like making brass or protecting steel from rust.
Miners would dig up the zinc ore, which is rock containing the metal. This ore was then loaded onto wagons. These wagons would travel to Cotter, Arkansas, where the ore could be processed or shipped further.
How Monkey Run Got Its Name
The community was not always called Monkey Run. Its first name was Pilgrim's Rest. The story of how it got its current name is quite interesting!
A local storekeeper was watching a group of boys playing a game of tag. As the boys ran around, the storekeeper reportedly exclaimed, "watch them monkeys run!" From that moment on, the name "Monkey Run" stuck.
Later, a company that owned a vegetable canning plant tried to change the name of the community. They wanted to call it "Pleasant Valley." However, this new name never became popular, and the community kept its unique name, Monkey Run.
