Blytheville. In the Heart of the St. Francis Valley In the State of Arkansas

Blytheville, AR: Press of the News for the Business Men's Club, 1912. [16]pp. Original printed wrappers, stapled. Photographically illustrated. Minor wear and toning to wrappers, ink ownership signature on front wrapper from local resident. Text block detached but clean. Very good overall. An unrecorded promotional for home seekers in northeastern Arkansas in the early 20th century. Blytheville was founded by Methodist clergyman Henry T. Blythe in 1879. The lumber industry brought sawmills and a rowdy crowd of settlers, as the area became known for its disreputable saloon culture in the 1880s and '90s. After clearing the land through the lumber industry, cotton became a thriving local commodity, encouraged by ongoing levee building and waterway management. The population grew significantly after the turn of the century. The text here contains numerous facts about the town, as well as promotional passages about the town's agriculture, roads, water supply, schools, and so forth. The text is profusely illustrated with photographs on just about every page showing the first Methodist Episcopal Church, numerous agricultural scenes (timber, alfalfa, cotton, corn, and strawberry harvesting), livestock, the local high school, and more. We were unable to locate any holdings in OCLC.