Editing Cotter, Arkansas (section)

===White River Line===
Seeking to capitalize on the growing trade in the area, the [[St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway]] (St. L., I. M. & S.) commonly known as the Iron Mountain, (merged into the [[Missouri Pacific]] in 1917) announced plans to open the White River Line which would run through the area and would connect with the main line in Lake's Landing. In 1905, the Iron Mountain
bought the area and sold over one thousand lots, mostly to railroad employees.<ref>Bennett, Lola and Smith, Corinne. "Historic American Engineering Record Cotter Bridge (R.M. Ruthven Bridge)." 1988.[http://www.arkansashighways.com/historic_bridge/HAER%20Documents/AR-15%20Cotter%20Bridge%20(00702).pdf History.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213204906/http://www.arkansashighways.com/historic_bridge/HAER%20Documents/AR-15%20Cotter%20Bridge%20(00702).pdf |date=December 13, 2010 }} Page 3. Retrieved August 20, 2010.</ref> The city was incorporated in 1905 as Cotter, Arkansas.<ref>Ramey, Ann. "Cotter Historical Briefs." [http://www.cotterar.com/history/aramey1.htm History.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110115114330/http://www.cotterar.com/history/aramey1.htm |date=January 15, 2011 }} Retrieved August 20, 2010.</ref> By that time, the population was over 600. The town was named after William Cotter, an official for the Iron Mountain. The materials required to build the town and railroad had to be brought in by steamboats down the White River. Once the railroad was completed, the use of steamboats on the rivers of Arkansas decreased and eventually ceased altogether. In 1906, the first passenger train arrived, and the tourist era began.  The Missouri Pacific was merged in the [[Union Pacific]] in 1982, and the White River division was spun off as the [[Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad]] MNA in 1992.