The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1896-09-26
nsus report as follows:

from 1870 to 1880 Arkansas out
stripped all the states in the union in
increase in population, save Indiana,
Illinois and Michigan. From 1880 to
ls40 Michigan was the only state that
eNcelled her in population growth.
From 1910 to 1850 she kept pace with
all save Iowa an1 Wisconsin. While
from 1850 to 1860 she outstripped all
The rest save Iowa, California and
Texas. The strength of country's soil
and the attractiveness of its climate
are best attested by the comparative
ratios of those who seek it and remain
with It, Judged by this standard, there
must have been remarkable vigor in
the soil to place Arkansas so high in per
centage when compared in population
growth with other states. The war was
not strong enough to stay the inflow
and when peace blessed the country
with prosperity Arkansas made the re-
markable record of almost doubling
her population in the sixth decade of
her existence. From 1870 to 1880 the
population ran up from 484 Al to 500, 525.
The steady stream of emigration so
regularly maintained through sixty
years did not fall back from 1880 to
1890 when the state reached its maxi
mum population of 1,12S, 179 souls.
Within the past three years there has
been greater population movement
toward Arkansas than ever before.
Thousands of people who went west
ward to the treeless plains, where
wood, coal, fruits and many other nee
essaries of life must be imported for
time while the new land is being put in
order to yield its fruits, having ex-
hausted their capital are returning in
large numbers with but little left of
their worldly goods except team and
a large family to find home in the
genial climate of Arkansas, where the
soil is ever fertile and productive.
Thousands of homeseekers, too, who
have abundant means are coming. Be
sides capitalists and spectators who,
in anticipation of rapid settlement and
consequent development of industries
with opportunities for making fortunes,
are buying large tracts of land, espec-
tally in the mining and lumber regions.
Commercial leagues, immigration So
cieties and the land department of the
Iron Mountain railroad system have
sent abroad much printed matter CIV
ing information respecting the lands,
climate and general features of Arlan-
sas The people of the state join in an
invitation to homeseelers and capital
lists. New railroads are being built,
new opportunities and inducements to
investors are opening daily. The
United States offers for homestead
nearly 1000, go acres, while the
state has 100000, four-ffths of
which is subject to donation under the
state homestead law, while the Iron
Mountain Railroad Company has 2,O00,
600 acres acquired under land grant
40 years ago, which is offered on time
payments. The railroad lands were Sc
lccted when the state was new and but
a small portion settled, consequently
embrace a large area of the best lands
traversed by that line, which extends
from the northeastern to the south
western corners, touching Little Rock,
the state capital, situated near the geo
graphical center, and running west
ward up the Arkansas river to Fort
Smith, and southeast to Arkansas City
on the Mississippi river.