Prairie County, Arkansas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Prairie County
County
Prairie County Courthouse, Des Arc
Location within the U.S. state of Arkansas
Arkansas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
Founded	November 25, 1846
Named for	Grand Prairie
Seat	Des Arc, DeValls Bluff
Largest city	Des Arc
Area
• Total	676 sq mi (1,750 km2)
• Land	648 sq mi (1,680 km2)
• Water	28 sq mi (70 km2)  4.1%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,282
• Density	12.251/sq mi (4.730/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st

Prairie County is a county in the Central Arkansas area of the U.S. state of Arkansas. It's named after the Grand Prairie, a special part of the Arkansas Delta. This area is famous for growing rice and raising fish (called aquaculture).

Prairie County became Arkansas's 54th county in 1846. It has four small towns and two larger cities. DeValls Bluff is one of the county seats (where the county government is). Des Arc is the other county seat and the biggest city.

The county also has many small unincorporated communities and even some ghost towns (places where people used to live but don't anymore). Prairie County covers about 676 square miles (1,750 square kilometers). In 2020, about 8,282 people lived there. This makes it one of the smaller counties in Arkansas.

Major roads like Interstate 40 (I-40) and several U.S. highways cross through Prairie County. There are also eleven Arkansas state highways. The county has two public airports and six systems that provide clean drinking water.

History of Prairie County

Early Days and Native Americans

Long ago, this land was given to Cherokee Indians who moved from Tennessee. From 1812 to 1836, it was a special area for the Western band of Cherokee. Even today, many people in the county have some American Indian family history.

The town of Fredonia (Biscoe) got its name from an event in 1826. Some Arkansas Cherokee and Texan settlers tried to create their own country called the Republic of Fredonia in what was then Mexican Texas. The town of DeValls Bluff was once the main place for the Western Cherokee.

Challenges During the Civil War

Prairie County faced many challenges during the Civil War. The city of Des Arc was partly damaged. One local historian said that after the war, very few horses were left in the county. Soldiers from both sides had taken them.

A Unique Plant Discovery

In 1990, a new plant species called Stern's Medlar was found in Prairie County. It's special because it doesn't grow anywhere else in the world! This plant is very rare, with only about 25 known plants. They all grow in one small wooded area, which is now protected as the Konecny Grove Natural Area.

Geography and Landscape

Prairie County is located between two main areas of Arkansas: Central Arkansas and the Arkansas Delta. The Arkansas Delta is a flat area with rich soil from the Mississippi River.

The county is often seen as part of the Grand Prairie. This part of the Delta is known for rice farming and raising fish. The county gets its name from this "Grand Prairie" feature. The total area of Prairie County is about 676 square miles (1,750 square kilometers). Most of this is land, with about 28 square miles (73 square kilometers) being water.

A small bayou crosses Highway 33 and Highway 38 east of Des Arc.

Before people settled here, Prairie County was a big, flat grassland. It was different from the swamps and wet areas nearby. Farmers found that cotton and other row crops grew well in the soil. Later, growing rice became very popular.

Today, much of the county (about 44 percent) is still used for farming. Some natural areas, like the Cache River NWR and Wattensaw Wildlife Management Area, are protected. These areas are managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

Prairie County is about 53 miles (85 kilometers) east of Little Rock. It is also about 90 miles (145 kilometers) west of Memphis, Tennessee. Five other counties border Prairie County: White County to the north, Woodruff County to the northeast, Monroe County to the east, Arkansas County to the south, and Lonoke County to the west.

Climate and Weather

Prairie County has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has all four seasons. Summers can be very hot and humid, while winters are usually mild with little snow.

• Hottest Month: July, with an average high of 92°F (33°C) and a low of 73°F (23°C). Temperatures can sometimes go above 100°F (38°C).
• Coldest Month: January, with an average high of 48°F (9°C) and a low of 31°F (-1°C).
• Record Temperatures: The highest temperature ever recorded was 109°F (43°C). The lowest was -5°F (-21°C).
• Snowfall: The most snow recorded in Des Arc was 18 inches (46 cm) on January 7, 1912.

People of Prairie County

Age pyramid for Prairie County.

Population in 2020

In the 2020 United States census, there were 8,282 people living in Prairie County. These people made up 3,776 households and 2,495 families.

Economy and Jobs

The main part of Prairie County's economy is agriculture (farming), which makes up about 25.6% of jobs. Many people also work for the government (14.3%) or in professional services (14.3%).

Communities in Prairie County

A street in Hazen, Arkansas.

Prairie County has two cities and four towns.

• Des Arc is the largest city and one of the county seats. It's in the northern part of the county, along the White River. In 2010, about 1,717 people lived there.
• Hazen and DeValls Bluff (the other county seat) are in the middle of the county, along US 70.
• Fredonia (Biscoe) and Ulm are smaller towns. In 2010, Fredonia had 363 people, and Ulm had 205.

Prairie County also has many unincorporated communities and ghost towns. These are places where people settled in small groups long ago, rather than in official towns. Some, like Slovak, even had a post office at one time. Others are just a few houses at a crossroads that have a common name.

Unincorporated Communities

Historical Communities (Ghost Towns)

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 Prairie County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township.

Transportation and Services

Airports

Prairie County has two public airports for small planes. Both were built during World War II for the United States Army Air Forces. After the war, they were given to local towns. Today, they are mostly used for farming activities, like spraying crops.

• The Hazen Municipal Airport is west of Hazen.
• The Stuttgart Municipal Airport is in southern Prairie County.

Major Roads

Water Systems

The Arkansas Department of Health makes sure that public water systems are safe. Prairie County has six community water systems:

• Biscoe Waterworks
• Des Arc Waterworks (serves the most people)
• DeValls Bluff Waterworks
• East Prairie County Public Water Authority (PWA)
• Hazen Waterworks
• Southeast [White County] PWA
• Ulm Waterworks

Most of these systems get their water from underground sources. Ulm buys its water from another regional system.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Prairie (Arkansas) para niños