Bear, Arkansas
Encyclopedia
Bear, Arkansas, formerly also called Bear City, Arkansas is a small unincorporated place in Garland County, Arkansas. It is close to the shore of Lake Ouachita
which was formed by the building of the Blakely Mountain Dam arcoss the Ouachita River
. Up until some point in the early 20th century after 1910 Bear was in Montgomery County, Arkansas
. However it was decided to make the boundary more regular so Bear as well as Buckville
and Cedar Grlades were transferred to Garland County.
Bear City began with the founding of a post office in 1882. The area only had a few homesteaders. It was named for nearby Bear Mountain. In 1884 rumors of gold in the area began to circulate. The first plat for the city was also filed that year. By 1887 there were 35 mining companies in Bear City, as well as two newspapers the Bear City Times and the Arkansas Mining Journal. The city had between 1,200 and 5,000 people.
Unfortunately for Bear City, the gold mining companies were built on false hopes and and scams. When the state geologist John Casper Branner
exposed the gold scams the citizens of Bear City burned him in effigy. However, this burst the bubble of speculation and most people moved away.
Bear remained as a small community. A school was built there in 1906. Starting in 1930 there was a chair factory that employed 12 people. Sometime in the 1940s the school was consolidated into the Lake Hamilton School District.
Today Bear has very few inhabitants and is surrounded by the Ouachita National Forest
.
Lake Ouachita
Lake Ouachita is a reservoir created by the damming of the Ouachita River by Blakely Mountain Dam . The lake is located near Hot Springs, Arkansas. Lake Ouachita is the largest lake completely in Arkansas, as the larger Bull Shoals Lake extends into Missouri. Lake Ouachita has over of shoreline...
which was formed by the building of the Blakely Mountain Dam arcoss the Ouachita River
Ouachita River
The Ouachita River is a river that runs south and east through the U.S. states of Arkansas and Louisiana, joining the Tensas River to form the Black River near Jonesville, Louisiana.-Course:...
. Up until some point in the early 20th century after 1910 Bear was in Montgomery County, Arkansas
Montgomery County, Arkansas
Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 9,487. The county seat is Mount Ida. Montgomery County is Arkansas's 45th county, formed on December 9, 1842, and named after Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War...
. However it was decided to make the boundary more regular so Bear as well as Buckville
Buckville, Arkansas
Buckville is an unincorporated community in Garland County, Arkansas, United States. It is located on the mountain sides within the Ouachita National Forest. Originally Buckville was located further down in the valley nearer the Ouachita River...
and Cedar Grlades were transferred to Garland County.
Bear City began with the founding of a post office in 1882. The area only had a few homesteaders. It was named for nearby Bear Mountain. In 1884 rumors of gold in the area began to circulate. The first plat for the city was also filed that year. By 1887 there were 35 mining companies in Bear City, as well as two newspapers the Bear City Times and the Arkansas Mining Journal. The city had between 1,200 and 5,000 people.
Unfortunately for Bear City, the gold mining companies were built on false hopes and and scams. When the state geologist John Casper Branner
John Casper Branner
John Casper Branner was an American geologist and academic who discovered bauxite in Arkansas in 1887 as State Geologist. He was Chair of the Department of Botany and Geology at Indiana University. He served as President of the Indiana Academy of Science in 1889. He was President of the...
exposed the gold scams the citizens of Bear City burned him in effigy. However, this burst the bubble of speculation and most people moved away.
Bear remained as a small community. A school was built there in 1906. Starting in 1930 there was a chair factory that employed 12 people. Sometime in the 1940s the school was consolidated into the Lake Hamilton School District.
Today Bear has very few inhabitants and is surrounded by the Ouachita National Forest
Ouachita National Forest
The Ouachita National Forest is a National Forest that lies in the western portion of Arkansas and portions of eastern Oklahoma.-History:The Ouachita National Forest is the oldest National Forest in the southern United States. The Forest encompasses , including most of the scenic Ouachita Mountains...
.
Sources
- Encyclopedia of Arkansas entry on Bear
- The Farm Journal Complete World Atlas, 1912 Edition, p. 14
- Haymond's Complete World Atlas, 1952 Edition, p. 160