Editing Montgomery County, Arkansas (section)

==History==
Stone [[spear]] and [[Dart (missile)|dart]] points found in the area verify that people from the [[Dalton tradition]] were present in Montgomery County around 8500 BC. Early signs of houses and [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]] cemeteries are present in and around [[Caddo Gap, Arkansas]], indicating the definite presence of the [[Caddo Indians]] having settled in the area in the 13th century and 14th century. In 1541, the explorer [[Hernando de Soto (explorer)|Hernando de Soto]] fought the [[Tula tribe|Tula Indians]] at [[Caddo Gap]], and he was injured during that battle.<ref name=c21>Carter, Cecile Elkins. [https://books.google.com/books?id=eYtJfJ9yDEQC&q=Spiro&pg=PA17 ''Caddo Indians: Where We Come From''.] Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2001: 21. {{ISBN|0-8061-3318-X}}</ref>

The first white settlers arrived in 1812, when Martin and Mary Collier settled what is now Caddo Gap. They befriended the local tribes, and seemingly had no problems from them whatsoever. Granville Whittington arrived in 1835, and built a road that led from [[Hot Springs, Arkansas]] to his farm about a mile north of the settlement of Montgomery. By 1836 when Arkansas received statehood, most of the native Indians were gone. Some of the native Indian women had intermingled and intermarried with local white settlers. Whittington opened a [[general store]] that drew customers from the surrounding area, and in 1842 he opened the Mount Ida Post Office in Mount Ida. West of the [[Ouachita River]], settlers from a [[wagon train]] wintered in what is now Oden, and decided to stay when the weather cleared. Montgomery County was named after General [[Richard Montgomery]], an American general who died during the [[American Revolution]].

Originally part of the [[Louisiana Purchase]], it was first claimed by Spain, then France, and in 1813 was part of [[Arkansas County, Arkansas|Arkansas County]], then in 1818 was part of [[Clark County, Arkansas|Clark County]]. On December 9, 1842, Montgomery County became its own county, with Montgomery as its county seat. In 1850 Salem became the county seat, but later that same year the county seat changed again, to Mount Ida, where Whittington's Post Office was located. Mount Ida [[Municipal corporation|incorporated]] in 1854.

===Civil War era===
When the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] broke out, most of Montgomery County favored the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]]. Mount Ida settlers John Lavender and John Simpson formed one company to serve in the [[Confederate Army]], and the [[4th Arkansas Infantry]] originated in Mount Ida also, but after the war few from the company organized by Lavender and Simpson returned to Montgomery County. With mostly women left to tend to the farms, soldiers from both the Confederate and the [[Union Army]] raided homes and farms for supplies, leaving settlers with little to eat. After the war, soldiers from both armies settled in the area, building schools and homes. In 1884 Oden built a [[steam saw]], a [[cotton gin]] and a [[gristmill]].

===Up to modern times===
With the arrival of the [[Missouri Pacific Railroad]] in Caddo Gap around the turn of the 20th century, Caddo Gap and Black Springs began to thrive. In 1910 the county population reached its peak, with [[sawmill]]s springing up in several locations. That same year, the town of Womble was settled. It changed its name to Norman in 1925. In 1918 the logging camp of [[Mauldin, Arkansas]] sprang up, and a railroad line was built to it from Norman. However, almost overnight in 1936, Mauldin closed up, dismantled everything, and moved on having depleted the [[virgin timber]] in the area. This, combined with the [[Great Depression]], had a devastating effect on the county.

Many people moved away to find work elsewhere, while others found employment with the [[Civilian Conservation Corps]]. During [[World War II]], people continued to leave Montgomery County, with the men going off to war, and others leaving to find employment in war plants. Mining became one source of local employment for a time, but did not last. Most mines were due to a large abundance of [[quartz]] in the county. In 1922 there were eighty three school districts in Montgomery County. Today there are three, Caddo Hills, Mount Ida, and Ouachita River. Cattle, [[swine]], and poultry are now the main areas of employment in the region.