Randolph County is located between the Ozark Mountains and Arkansas Delta in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The county is named for John Randolph, a U.S. senator from Virginia influential in obtaining congressional approval of the Louisiana Purchase, which includes today's Randolph County. Created as Arkansas's 32nd county on October 29, 1835, Randolph County has six incorporated cities, including Pocahontas, the county seat and most populous city, Biggers, Maynard, O'Kean, Ravenden Springs, and Reyno. The county is also the site of numerous unincorporated communities and ghost towns.
History
Early History 11,000 BCE - 1836 CE
Native American History The earliest signs of human civilization in the Randolph County area have been traced to roughly 11,000 BC. Archaeological sites have been discovered that date all the way back to the Dalton Period (10,500 to 9,900 radiocarbon years ago), the most recent and well documented is the Mississippian culture, which lasted from 900 CE to roughly 1600 CE and has several sites and archeological artifacts that have been discovered across the county. Native Americans from tribes such as the Mitchigamea, Osage, Quapaw, Cherokee, Delaware, and Shawnee are believed to all have had a presence in the county with small settlements being established throughout history. Many of these native groups that may have settled the county are believed to have left by 1820 primarily due to the 1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes.
European Exploration 16th-17th Centuries Hernando de Soto, a Spanish conquistador was the first European to explore northeast Arkansas when he crossed the Mississippi River in June of 1541 near the present-day location of Memphis, Tennessee. While his exact route through the area is not known, he is speculated to have explored the Black River and other rivers that flow through Randolph county's present-day location. Several Spanish artifacts dated to the time of De Soto's expedition have also been discovered in Randolph County communities. De Soto would later die in Southeast Arkansas near Lake Village and his expedition left the state in 1543, without any permanent Spanish settlement being established in the Arkansas region.
French Rule 1682-1763 The next European explorers to come to the region would be a French Jesuit Missionary, Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet, a French fur trader. The Marquette-Joliet expedition began in 1673 and were tasked with mapping a river route from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi River. During the journey, the explorers ventured up parts of the Arkansas, White, and Black Rivers. Marquette discovered a small Mitchigamea settlement near the present-day city of Pocahontas in Randolph County and is thought to have established a small trading post for a short period of time. This voyage paved the way for De Salle in 1682, who claimed the entire Louisiana Territory for France that same year, and De Tonti in 1686 to also explore the area. De Tonti would also be recognized for establishing the Arkansas Post in 1686 near the confluence of the Arkansas and Mississippi River. This would be the first permanent European settlement in Arkansas.
Spanish Rule 1763-1800 In 1763, after France lost the Seven-Years war, the empire was forced to cede all of its North American territories to Britain and Spain. All land West of the Mississippi river was given to Spain, while all land east of the river was given to Britain. Much of the Louisiana territory, including Randolph county was now possessed by Spain. During Spanish ownership of the territory from 1763-1800, many French settlers remained in the area and had established trading posts and camps along the white river. Fur traders where a major market at the time and large posts along rivers would be created as a result. One group of French trappers and settlers moved to the Black river, coming from Kaskaskia, Illinois and St. Genevieve, Missouri. These settlers would obtain land grants with the Spanish government and large families like the French Janis family would quickly establish themselves in the region.
Louisiana Purchase In 1800 the Spanish quietly gave the Louisiana territory back to France, just for France a few years later sell the entire Louisiana Territory to Thomas Jefferson and the United States in 1803. The Louisiana Territory would eventually be divided up into different sections and later, new states. The Randolph County area would first be included in the new Missouri territory from 1812-1819. The Missouri territory was divided into several counties, the Randolph County area would be a part of the much larger Lawrence County, which at the time comprised many present day counties in northern Arkansas and southern Missouri and has been referred as the "mother of all counties."
Missouri Territory 1812-1819 As a part of Lawrence County, the Randolph County area would begin to see white American settlers moving into the region in addition to the French-speaking residents already established there. One notable French settler was Louis (Lewis) DeMun, DeMun, born in the French colony of St. Domingue (colonial Haiti), is known to have worked with the architect of the United States Capital, Benjamin Latrobe and was associated with Vice President Aaron Burr during his term. It was through Burr that DeMun found his way to Lawrence County. Demun obtained a land grant along the Black River around 1814 near present-day Pocahontas. There, he established a saw mill with his two brothers along the Black River named Demun & Co. In 1815, Demun would be credited with establishing Davidsonville by selling all of his land to Lawrence County where the new settlement and first platted city in Arkansas would be created. Davidsonville, named after John Davidson, a Missouri territorial legislator representing Lawrence County, would become an important city along the southwest trail. After its establishment, Davidsonville saw an increase in American settlers coming to the area. Davidsonville became home to the first post office in what is now the state of Arkansas. Prominent French and American families established businesses. There was also a U.S. Land office and a courthouse.
Arkansas Territory 1819-1836 By 1819, the Missouri Territory would be split in half at the 36-degree parallel to form the Arkansas Territory, which would become a factor of the Missouri compromise in 1820. This resulted in Lawrence County to now be included in the new Arkansas territory. In 1819 the Arkansas territory was vastly empty besides a couple larger settlements, Davidsonville would be an important trade post and steppingstone to settlers moving into the area, the town would have a population over 400 by 1820. Around 1829 Davidsonville would see a rapid decline, this was in part due to the movement of the southwest trail onto a permanent road in a more convenient location, where a new town named Jackson would be established. The county seat would also be moved to Jackson in 1829, resulting in a quick decline in the towns population. Jackson would also be a short lived settlement, as little is known of the community. Another growing community was Bettis Bluff (now Pocahontas) which developed into the economic seat of the county after the demise of Davidsonville and Jackson. Steamboats arrived in Randolph County in 1829, and the favorable geography of the county, which contained over five rivers, led to an economic surge and the establishment of Randolph County as one of the most important trading centers in the state. The county was broken off from Lawrence county in 1835 and Bettis Bluff, renamed to Pocahontas, became the new county seat. and by 1860 its population had surged from a few hundred in 1815 to nearly 7,000.
Civil War and Reconstruction While slavery had never been crucial to the county's economy, nor was there a large slave population (only slightly over 5% of the county), the geographic importance of the county and the presence of Pitman's Ferry made Randolph an early assembly area during the American Civil War. After the Confederate army assembled and moved east, the county was left weakly defended and skirmishes ensued. The Union captured the county in 1862, and it remained in Union hands until the end of the war.
After the war, Randolph County, which had been spared most of the South's devastation and had few economic setbacks due to the limited amount of pre-war slavery, continued to prosper as the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway came to the county. The lumber industry gained importance during this time, and post-war prosperity led to a series of public works projects and the development of a tourist industry centered around the hot springs. A large number of German immigrants came to the county during this time, creating a strong Catholic presence.
20th century to present day Like many rural counties, Randolph County suffered economically during the Great Depression, although the Works Progress Administration was especially effective in the county and produced several public works projects and new highways, which dampened the economic blow. World War II brought mixed results for the county, with hundreds of working men being killed in action or moving to other more high-paying areas even as the introduction of light manufacturing led to a slight economic boom. Randolph County's population eventually rebounded during the late 20th century, although its economic growth remained stagnant after.
Today, Randolph County has a stable population due to its relatively diversified economy, although like many agricultural counties, the overall economic status of the county remains poor. The county remains dominated by public services and light industry, although it has benefited from the growth of the Jonesboro metropolitan area and the local tourist economy.
Geography
Randolph County is located where the foothills of the Ozark Mountains intersect the Arkansas Delta (in Arkansas, usually referred to as "the Delta") in the southeast part of the county. Two of the six primary geographic regions of Arkansas, the Ozarks are a mountainous subdivision of the U.S. Interior Highlands, and the Arkansas Delta is a subregion of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, which is a flat area consisting of rich, fertile sediment deposits from the Mississippi River between Louisiana and Illinois. The Black River roughly divides the two regions in Randolph County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.6%) is water.
The county is located approximately northeast of Little Rock, northwest of Memphis, Tennessee, and southwest of St. Louis, Missouri. Randolph County is surrounded by three Delta counties: Clay County to the east, Greene County to the southeast, Lawrence County to the south, one Ozark county, Sharp County, to the west, and two Missouri counties, Oregon County to the northwest, and Ripley County to the northeast.
Hydrology
Water is an extremely important part of Randolph County's geography, history, economy, and culture. The many rivers, streams, and ditches crossing the county have featured prominently since prehistoric times, and many of the hundreds of archaeological sites are along waterways. Tribes of Lenape, Shawnee, and Cherokee were settled in the area along rivers but left the area following the 1811–12 New Madrid earthquakes.
Randolph County is home to five major rivers: Black River, Current River, Eleven Point River, Fourche River, and Spring River.