Editing Drew County, Arkansas (section)

==History==
Located on the edge of the [[Arkansas Delta]] and the [[Arkansas Timberlands]], its fertile lowland soils produced prosperity for early settlers in the antebellum era. Cotton was the major commodity crop, cultivated by the labor of [[Slavery in the United States|enslaved African Americans]]. Corn, apples, peaches and tomatoes were also grown through their work.

Following the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], the boundaries of Drew County changed as some property, including Mill Creek Township, was reassigned to the new [[Lincoln County, Arkansas|Lincoln County]] established by the Reconstruction-era legislature in 1871.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, timber harvesting became a more important industry here than cotton. The population declined from 1910 to 1970, as fewer workers were needed in timber. In addition, many African Americans left the oppressive social conditions of racial violence, [[Disenfranchisement after the Reconstruction era|disfranchisement]], and [[Jim Crow]] laws to join the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]] to northern and midwestern industrial cities. After World War II, an even greater number migrated to the West Coast.

As a variety of industries began to move to the county, several colleges <!-- or were these the equivalent of seminaries/high schools? -->were founded here in the early part of the 20th century. One developed as [[University of Arkansas at Monticello]]. Today, the county has a diverse economy and is an economic center in southeast Arkansas. Its population is majority white; these voters are mostly affiliated with the Republican Party.