Page 14 - Jefferson County AR 1889 History (Goodspeed)

JEFFERSON COUNTY. 129

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and 1833, there being nine and seven respectively ber 3, 1831, October 29, 1836, and March 20,

in the last two, and six in 1829, all but one of 1879, until the present territory was embraced;

which were formed on November 2. These were 1 and mu~ricipaltownships have been erected from

Union, Pope, Monroe, Jefferson, Hot Spring and time to time until the two townships have become

Jackson. This was seven years before stntebood. nineteen: Bnrraque, Bolivar, Dudley Lake, Rob-

The law entitled "An Act to erect and estah- erts, Jefferson, Pastoria, Plum Bayou, Washing-

lish the county of Jefferson," was approved on ton, Vangine, Bogy, Spring, Niven, Vaugine,

November 2, 1829, and its first section provides as Victoria, Richlaud. Talledega, Rhiteville and

follows: "That all that portion of the counties of , Milton, a fair record for a sixty~year-oldcounty.

Pulaski and Arkansas included in the boundaries Jefferson County is one of the largest and

as follows, to-wit: beginning on the Arkansas River most regularly formed in the State, and lies divided

where the line between townships three and four by the Arkansas River, within about fifty miles of

southstrikes the same; thence easttothe range line its mouth in a direct line. Its happy distance from

hatween ranges nine and ten west; thence north the Mississippi, and its proximity to the capital, and

along the west side of township three to the north- surrounded as it is by Saline, Pulaski and Lonoke

west corner of said township; thence east to the 1 Counties on the north, with Arkansas, Lincoln,

range line between ranges six and seven west; Cleveland and Grant on the east, south and west,

thence south with range line between six and seven I make its situation particularly fortunate. Its large

to the township line between townships eight and territory of twenty-nine miles square, making 841

nine; thence west on said township line to the I square miles, or 538,240 acres, located in a latitude

range line between ten and eleven; thence north of 34' north (on 15' of west longitude), similar to

on said range line ia the tornship line between tb8 aurtbern parts of Mississippi, Alabama and

three and four; thence east to the beginning; be, Georgia, and with a climate whose annual ternper-

and the same is hereby erected into a separate and ature averages less than 62O Fahrenheit, all serve to

distinct county, to be called and known by the explain its rapid growth and many of its excellent

/name of Jefferson." "The temporary seat of jus- characteristics; for it must be remembered that the

tice," co~~tinutehse sixth section, " for the county total population, which at theolose of the war decade

of Jefferson hereby established, shall be at the was but 15,714, is now very fairly estimated at

h o u r of Josepb Bone [Bonus] until otherwise p r o nearly &i,OOo, nearly trebled within twenty y m .

vided for by law;" and this act bears thesignatures But iu order to understand this the internal

of John Wilson, speaker of the house of represent- qualities of the county it,self must be seen; and,

,atives; Charles Caldwell, president of the legisla- as in all these western andeveloped regions, its

tive council; and John Popn, the Governor. On future history is to be greater than its past, and

November 17, however, a special act provided

for the county seat question by the election of

three commissioners of locatioo-one for Vaugine

Township, one for Richland, and one for the county Two general levels compose the county, as may

generally, who were to confiider offers, locale, be see11 by the bluff at Pine Bluff, which indicates

build temporary buildings, name the site, and pro- tbe difference in height to be comparatively small,

vide for the sale of lots. This was done, but as while the whole county is about 800 feet above

no records exist here previous to 1837, it must sea-level, and with a slope toward the Mississippi

suffice to say that Joseph Bonne's house on the so gentle as to be practically a level. The higher

river bank (the site of Pine Bluff) audother houses level runs southwest from the Pine Bluff shore of
were the seat of justice for Jefferson County the river, and embraces about one-third of the
county in the muthwest, the entire remainder be-
1always. ing the lower level and water s u r f m . This water

1 Changes were made in the boundarias Novem