The History of Harrison
Harrison, the county seat of Boone County, is located in northwest Arkansas in the beautiful Ozark Mountains. Boone County lies 36 degrees north latitude and 16 degrees longitude west of Washington D.C. The elevation is 1,250 feet above sea level.
Indians were the first inhabitants of the area, the first probably being the "Bluff Dweller", who lived in caves in the bluffs along the rivers. In later times, the Osage, a branch of the Sioux, was the main tribe in the Ozarks and one of their larger villages is thought to have been to the east of the present site of Harrison. The Shawnees, Quapaws, and Caddo Indians were also familiar to the area.
The Cherokee arrived around 1816 and could not get along with the Osage. This hostility erupted into a full scale Indian war in the Ozark Mountains. By the 1830's both tribes were removed to Oklahoma. Some historians contend that the first white man to visit the area were some forty followers of Hernando Desota and that they camped at an Indian village on the White River at the mouth of Bear Creek. It is more probable that the first white men were French hunters or trappers who followed the course of the White River.
Today over 12, 500 people call Harrison Home. Harrison's history has been on of constant growth and improvement in civic facilities, industrial expansion, agriculture, education and recreation. Harrison's economic base is built on manufacturing, retail, wholesale sales, agriculture, and tourism.
Boone County Historical Museums & Societies
Boone County Heritage Museum
Location: 110 S. Cherry Street
Phone: 870-741-3312
Hours: 10am to 4pm
Boone County Historical & Railroad Society
Location: 124 South Cherry Street - Harrison, AR 72601
Phone: 870-741-3312
Web site: www.bchrs.org
