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Arkana, Louisiana

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Coordinates: 33°01′06″N 93°40′29″W / 33.01833°N 93.67472°W / 33.01833; -93.67472
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Arkana, Louisiana
ghost town
Arkana, Louisiana is located in Louisiana
Arkana, Louisiana
Arkana, Louisiana
Arkana, Louisiana is located in the United States
Arkana, Louisiana
Arkana, Louisiana
Coordinates: 33°01′06″N 93°40′29″W / 33.01833°N 93.67472°W / 33.01833; -93.67472
CountryUnited States
StateLouisiana
ParishBossier
Elevation
244 ft (74 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code318
GNIS feature ID541047[1]

Arkana was a former town that crossed the state lines between Louisiana and Arkansas in the United States, although mostly lying in the latter state.[2]

In the 1890s, Arkana was described as a new railroad town, and was later the site of a rail station, lumber mill, church, post office, and school. The community was also the site of the Arkana and Eastern Railroad Company, a rail line which operated between Arkana and Springhill in the early 20th century.

Naming

Arkana was named "ark-" plus "-ana" from "Louisiana" and "Arkansas".[3][2]

Geography

The community was at altitude 244 feet (74 m) and in the 1940s had a population of 50 people.[2]

History

Arkana at the north end of Bossier Parish, Louisiana, 1925

Early years

One of the early settlers of Arkana was Jackson Clark Byram, who established a homestead in 1848.[4] He was the veteran of three wars and had a large family.[5]

Arkana was originally a rail station on the Cotton Belt Route (the St. Louis Southwestern Railway),[6] a major railroad connecting the US states of Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Texas.[7] A sawmill owned by the Arkana Lumber Company operated in Arkana until 1899, when it burned, at a loss of $45,000.[8] This was one of several sawmill fires in Arkana; an earlier fire had occurred in 1892.[9]

By the 1890s, a history of northwestern Louisiana called Arkana "a new railroad town",[10] and in 1912, the Bossier City Banner described Arkana as a "place and community".[11] The population of Arkana was 12 in 1900.[12]

A tract of 4,000 acres was platted for the Arkana townsite in 1915, with plan for small parcels to be sold to settlers.[13] Arkana was soon home to several stores, a church and a post office.[14] The Arkana townsite was developed by the Cotton Belt Land and Development Company, headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.[15]

Arkana in Northern Bossier Parish, Louisiana, in 1907

Arkana was also the site of the Arkana and Eastern Railroad Company, a short rail line which operated between the communities of Arkana and Springhill in the late 19th and early 20th century.[16][17]

20th century

The Burton Lumber Company operated a lumber mill in Arkana during the 1920s and 1930s.[18][19] Portions of the Burton Mill caught fire on five occasions in 1922.[20]

Circa 1920, the community of Arkana was the site of the Arkana School.[21] The population of Arkana in 1920 was 63.[22]

In April 1936, Louisiana Highway 10 (now Louisiana Highway 3) between Arkana and Plain Dealing was completed. It was reported that "Arkana will have a good road leading both north and south."[23]

Arkana's population in 1940 was 63.[24] In 1952, The Plain Dealing Progress reported that the hard surface road between Hope, Arkansas, and Arkana had been extended.[25]

In 1980, it was reported that the Crystal Oil and Land Company was pumping over 2 million cubic feet of gas per day from a site 0.5 miles (0.80 km) southwest of what had become known as "the old Arkana townsite."[26][27]

References

  1. ^ "Geographic Names Information System". edits.nationalmap.gov. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c FWP 1941, p. 635.
  3. ^ Leeper 2012, p. 20.
  4. ^ "Byram Family Holds Biennial Reunion Near Ida". The Madison Journal. August 5, 1966. Retrieved November 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "125 Descendants Of Pioneer Local Family Stage Reunion". Bossier Tribune. July 20, 1966. Retrieved November 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ The Official Guide of the Railways and Steam Navigation Lines of the United States, Porto Rico, Canada, Mexico and Cuba. National Railway Publication Company. 1910.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  7. ^ "The Cotton Belt Route Story". arkansasrailroadmuseum.org. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  8. ^ Fire and Water. New York, NY: F. W. Shepperd. 1899. pp. 197–198.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  9. ^ "N/A". Bossier Banner-Progress. Benton, LA. February 4, 1892. p. 2. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  10. ^ Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Northwest Louisiana: Comprising a Large Fund of Biography of Actual Residents, and an Interesting Historical Sketch of Thirteen Counties. Chicago, IL: Southern Publishing Company. 1890. p. 122.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  11. ^ "Arkana". The Bossier Banner. Bellevue, LA. August 1, 1912. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  12. ^ "Image 280 of Dun and Bradstreet Reference Book: March, 1901; Vol. 132, part 1". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  13. ^ The Lumber Trade Journal. 1915. p. 36.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  14. ^ "The Towns in Bossier Parish Were Named By Early Settlers" (PDF). Ark-La-Tex Genealogical Association. 1990.
  15. ^ "Visit of Indiana Party to This City Will be of Value, Says Mr. Bolinger". The Times. Shreveport, LA. June 6, 1915. p. 6. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  16. ^ Bruner, E.O. (1912). A Hand-book of Louisiana: Giving General and Agricultural Features, together with Crops that can be Grown. Description of each Parish, Climate, Health, Education, Industries, Railroads, Water-Courses, Forestry, Etc (PDF). Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State Board of Agriculture and Immigration. p. 33.
  17. ^ "Arkana & Eastern Railroad Company (La.), Map Showing Route in 1907". ttarchive.com. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  18. ^ Southern Lumberman Directory of Southern Saw Mills (PDF). 1934. p. 189.
  19. ^ The Lumber Manufacturer and Dealer. Kriechbaum Publishing Company. 1925. pp. 30c.
  20. ^ "Around Arkana". The Bossier Banner. Bellevue, LA. October 25, 1922. p. 1.
  21. ^ "Arkana". The Bossier Banner. April 1, 1920. p. 3. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  22. ^ Premier Atlas of the World. New York: Rand McNally and Company. 1925. p. 198.
  23. ^ "Arkana News". Bossier Banner-Progress. April 19, 1936. p. 2. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  24. ^ The Attorneys List. United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company, Attorney List Department. 1940. p. 85.
  25. ^ Phillips, F. G. (March 27, 1952). "Mid-Century Plain Dealing". The Plain Dealing Progress. Retrieved November 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "Completions". The Times. Shreveport, LA. May 4, 1980. p. 62. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  27. ^ "New pay indicated in Bossier". The Times. Shreveport, LA. January 27, 1980. p. 56. Retrieved November 29, 2023.

Sources

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