Page 4 - 2020-21 Chamber Booklet (2)_Neat

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south logan county

ooneville was founded in
1828 by Walter Cauthron,
Bone of the early explorers of
the Arkansas Territory. Cauthron
built a log cabin and a store along
the Petit Jean River, providing
the start for one of the oldest
townships in western Arkansas.
Two theories prevail regarding the
naming of the town. One has that
Cauthron originally named the
town “Bonneville” after is friend
Benjamin Bonneville. The other
theory holds that the town was
named in honor of Daniel Boone,
a friend of the Logan family for
which Logan County is named.

ooneville’s economy was
historically based on the
Brailroad and then later
the Arkansas State Tuberculosis
Sanitorium. However, the town
has currently evolved into a diverse
economy of small businesses,
farms and light industry.

rom the beginning,
education was important
Fto the town of Booneville.
In 1874, as a response to needs
for higher learning in western
Arkansas, the Fort Smith District
of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, South, authorized the
establishment of the Fort Smith
District High School in Booneville.
BOONEVILLE
Upon its closure in the early 1900’s,
a group of citizens formed the
Booneville Education Association.