Little River News Memories
Carolyn Myers, Editor & Publisher
45 East Commerce Street
Ashdown, AR 71822
Phone: 870–898–3462
Fax: 870–898–6213
e–mail: ed.littlerivernews@sbcglobal.net
The Little River News was established in 1898. The Foreman Sun was another newspaper in Little River County, and it consolidated with the Little River News on January 1, 1975.
Excerpts from the Little River News
Friday, September 29, 1905
Local News
- Homer Turner visited his parents at Nashville Sunday.
- C.N. Thill left Tuesday for a business trip to St. Louis.
- Mr. and Mrs. J.M. Sullivan visited Texarkana Sunday.
- W.W. Bishop made a business trip to Texarkana on Monday.
- Judge L.A. Byrne of Texarkana was in the city Wednesday.
- Mrs. J.T. Cowling visited her parents in DeQueen last Friday.
- W.F. Bridewell made a business trip to Idabel Wednesday.
- A girl was born to Dr. and Mrs. McCombs of Millwood, last week.
- Hon. Otis T. Wingo of Dequeen was in town Tuesday night.
- Deputy Sheriff J.S. Bush made a trip to Texarkana on Tuesday.
- C.S. Cobb left Wednesday for a business trip to points in the territory.
- Mrs. N.C. Jones is visiting her son C.E. Jones at Winthrop this week.
- Mrs. Nannie White returned home Sunday after spending the summer in New York and other points.
- NOTICE:
You must do something with your cow. Cut her horns off or tie her head down at once or she will go to the woods and never return. This is the last notice, take fair warning now.
Your neighbor- NOTICE:
I am in receipt of the above notice and if the writer will let me know which one of my cows she has reference to, I will put her up.
Mrs. Ball
- NOTICE:
- The following young people were hunting Wednesday night and succeeded in catching two o'possums: Misses May and Daisy Varley, Velma Hicks and Marion Post, and Messrs. Milligan, Gus Orton, Chas. Boarman, Chas. Bowles, Ed Stuart and Ben Nolan.
Friday, October 6, 1905
- Little River County is to have a new 12,000 dollar courthouse. Citizens put up two thousand to add to 10,000 received for building.
- The Ashdown Public School opened last Monday for a term of eight months of free school, with Prof. W.F. Burns of Arkadelphia as principal. Miss Nichols, of Virginia, is in charge of the intermediate grades, and Miss Sallie Collins, of this city, is in charge of the primary grades. The enrollment Monday was 110 pupils, but the number was increased by the end of the week.
Friday, November 17, 1905
- Mrs. Dollarhide, wife of Judge J.S. Dollarhide deceased, died at her home at Rocky Comfort Monday at the age of 74 years. She was one of the oldest settlers of the county and her many friends will be grieved to learn of her death.
- I.T. Winfrey, who is teaching school at Yellow Creek, near Saratoga, came over Friday and remained until Monday with home folks.
- D.R. Fawcett has moved his store and family from Folmina to Ashdown and is now open and ready for business.
- Bob Price, Ed Stuart, and Jeff Lott are hunting squirrels today.
- Mike Allen, Henry Gist and Orus Leslie went hunting on Brushy Lake Tuesday evening.
September 14, 1915
Front Street Ashdown eight feet higher than originally..
The big sewer ditcher, which has been working on Front Street this week, has unearthed a large number of old culverts and bridge timber eight feet below the present surface of the street. Old residents say that this was formerly the street level and was at one time the site of a ravine. It was gradually built up, leaving the old crossties over, which the pioneers drove far below the surface. It is also stated that at that time the street west ran under the Kansas City Southern tracks, which were on a trestle.
Wilton Local News
September 4, 1915
- Mrs. E.C. Cooper and two little daughters, Thelma and Elizabeth, are spending a month at Hatfield to get the benefit of the mountain air and fine water at that place.
- Pipkin has been spending his vacation with his mother, Mrs. Marshall Pipkin. He returned to Gurdon Tuesday.
- Luther Clark, Grady Von, Lonnie Pugh, Homer Chambers and Willard Lay, who have been working in the oil field of Louisiana, are spending the week with relatives and friends.
- Miss Lon T. Jones, of Ashdown was in town Monday visiting her father — Mosely, who has been quite ill.
- Winfield Mills leaves the first of next week to attend Hendrix college.
Foreman Local News
October 23, 1915
- W.A. Bowden received a broken leg Saturday when a tree fell upon him. Mr. Bowden and another man were cutting down the tree.
- The School Improvement Association is arranging to purchase a moving picture machine and will put on shows at the school auditorium every Friday night when the machine arrives.
Ashdown Local News
November 20, 1915
- J.H. Embrey was at Foreman Monday.
- Will Orton of Fulton was here Monday.
- Dr. W.W. York was at Texarkana Monday.
- W.W. Rayburn was at Lockesburg last week.
- J.W. Everett of Horatio was in the city Monday.
- Sam Dollarhide was here from Foreman Monday.
- Gus McKean of Hope was here Monday morning.
- Mrs. H.H. Hill is visiting relatives at Siloam Springs this week.
- Judge and Mrs. Lon T. Jones were in Texarkana Saturday.
- Mrs. Cora Millwee left Monday morning for a visit at Murfreesboro.
- Hamilton Conger and Frank Blan spent Saturday and Sunday at Arkadelphia.
- Ron Bryant is at Winthrop this week erecting a steel bridge over a creek near that place.
- An old well in the middle of Front Street caved in Sunday night. Old settlers say the old well was filled up 14 years ago.
August 25, 1923
Red Bluff News
- Mr and Mrs. Jim Buster of Ogden spent Saturday night and Sunday with the former's brother, Jess Buster and family of this place.
- J.C. Stafford was in Ashdown Monday.
- Mrs. P.M. Wood visited with relatives in Ashdown Sunday.
- Leslie Judd is very ill at this writing.
- Jack Gorman is spending a few days in Ashdown with his friend, Wallace Dickenson.
- Misses Amy Lee Gilbert and Marjorie Combs and John Crippens attended singing at Hopewell Sunday.
- Mrs. R.P. Pasley and little daughter, Ivy Bell, are visiting relatives in Howe, Oklahoma.
- A.N. Gilbert was looking after business in Ashdown Friday.
- John Buster was a visitor in McNab Sunday.
- Jess Buster is very low at this writing.
Winthrop News
- Miss Juanita Huggins went to Texarkana Thursday.
- Mrs. J.T. Gish and children are visiting relatives in DeQueen this week.
- Miss Zenobia Webb entertained the younger set Saturday evening.
- Oscar Lewis made a business trip to Texarkana Saturday.
- G.B. Moncrief of Alleene was here Sunday.
AUGUST 29 1923
Ashdown Trade Edition
Ashdown has business facilities to handle the trade of much territory. Ashdown has:
- two sound banking institutions
- four exclusive dry goods stores, carrying large stocks of up–to–date and staple merchanidise, such as would be found in any modern city store.
- four general merchandise establishments, carrying both dry goods and groceries and farm supplies
- two large hardware and furniture stores, carrying standard lines of farm machinery and everything likely to be found in any store of the kind
- one variety store, carrying a large stock of popular merchandise and novelties
- eight exclusive grocery stores furnishing as good service and as low priced merchanidse as it would be possible to find
- four meat markets with cold storage, buying and selling fresh, cured and canned meats
- four modern drug stores, each one with registered pharmacists and each carrying large stocks
- one jewelry store, one of the best in the state
- two automobile and automobile supply agencies with everything that motorists need
- three garages or automobile repair shops, with efficient mechanics three gasoline filling stations
- one up–to–date millinery store
- one bakery with large baking capacity
- three wholesale grocery concerns, selling over a large territory to the wholesale trade
- These concerns also carry feed.
- two wholesale gasoline and oil wholesale concerns, supplying the retail stations over this section
- one undertaking business
- four blacksmith and repair shops
- one cleaning and press shop
- two shoe repair shops with expert workmen
- three barber shops
- three plumbers, with one specializing in plumbing and sheet metal work
- five hotels, one a modern three–story brick, with all modern equipment three splendid restuarants
- one creamery and bottling works
- two grist mills
- four cotton gins, 250 bales daily capacity
- one large cotton seed oil mill, four cotton offices
- one saw mill and planing mill and several operating in the vicinity of Ashdown
- one handle factory
- one big cotton compress, the plant covering six acres
- one potato curing house
- electric light plant
- one ice plant and cold storage
- two abstract offices
- three fire insurance agencies
- three concerns in real estate
- six or seven concerns dealing in farm and city loans. The office of the Little River Federal Farm Loan Association is located here.
Among the professions we have:
- five firms of lawyers with more than a local reputation and standing
- six physicians of professional standing
- one dental office
- one twice a week newspaper with modern job printing plant,
- transportation facilities of Ashdown and Little River County.
to be continued…
