Editing Foreman, Arkansas (section)

=== World War II through Modern Era ===
By 1950, manufacturing plants began to change the economy. The development of Millwood Lake in 1965 was of major importance to the county's industrial growth. Access to water was a necessity for industry, and Ashdown's rivers and lake provided plenty. Nekoosa Paper Mill was built in Ashdown in 1968 because of its access to the Red River. The plant was sold to Georgia-Pacific in 1991 and to Domtar Industries in 2001. Presently, the timber industry is paramount in Ashdown; Domtar Industries is a major employer there. Another key company, generating millions of dollars for the county, is Ash Grove Cement Company in Foreman. It was built in 1956 and rebuilt in 2010.

After the paper mill and the cement company came to Little River County, many citizens prospered. They began many building projects, including medical facilities. In 1958, the present Little River Memorial Hospital was constructed in Ashdown, and as of 2006, there are two nursing facilities and a retirement center. A new high school building, replacing the 1954 building, is under construction and is expected to be completed by 2007.

A modern bridge was constructed in 1980 over the Red River to replace the Index Bridge, built in 1919. Four-lane highways have encouraged easy access to Texarkana, now only a twenty-minute drive from Ashdown, which now has a bypass bridge to shorten the distance from Foreman to Texarkana.

Ashdown is home to the Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas. Millwood Lake and Millwood State Park are well known for trophy fishing contests and camping sites and sports facilities. The county courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and it draws many tourists each Christmas season when the entire courthouse and its dome are covered in lights. Nine other properties are on the National Register, including the Hunter/Coulter House in Ashdown, the Will Reed House in Alleene, and the New Rocky Comfort House in Foreman. Ashdown recently established the Two Rivers Museum, which is a favorite tourist site, sponsored by the Little River County Historical Society.