The Mena weekly star., 1922-01-26
! 2
 DALLAS AND DALLAS VALLEY HISTORICAL AND OTHERWISE
(By Joe Lewis)

To visit Dallas is to receive an in- spiration. It lies in level valley and is surrounded by some beautiful wreath-shaped blue mountains. Mena also lies on the outer edge of this valley and Dallasites and Menaites Kare right in their exuberance when they tell visitors that they have the most wonderful country in all west ern Arkansas. The scenery alone, outside of the many agricultural in- terests that already are and are to be, is worth more than any ordinary Trouble and expense that a sightseer would be out in coming to see the place. And the only reason that can be assigned for this valley not having been thickly settled years ago is the long distance from big waterways and big railroad centers. Some day this country will blossom into veri- table paradise.
 As far back as 1880 Col. Thomp- son, writing in Arkansas Forest and Farm, calls Dallas valley a park, 12 miles wide and IS miles long-a place where flowers, fruits, cereal and grasses grow in a way that are un- exceiled anywhere in the broad land
 Here at one place are to be found 40 springs, with water as pure as ever dropped from the clouds, all within the space of an acre. Some of these springs are noted for their cur alive properties and visited by the people of the low lands of Louisiana, Texas and this state. With easy &C., cess the region would soon become Famous, among health and pleasure oC hn 1,l~x 41.1 resorts of the East. Surely this is a Hand for the home of the gods" Three main chains surround this valley the Cossatot, Fourche and Rich Noun tains and in this enclosure four rivers take their rise-the Cossatot. Qua chita, Poteau and Mountain Fork,
 First Settlers.
 Dallas is the oldest town in Polk county. It was first called Panther, because here panther attacked baby that belonged to the Daniels Family. Some girl, either thru brav- ery or not knowing the danger she was in, drove the panther away with a battling stick. Ben Pirtle with his dogs and others caught the panther the next day in its den with three cubs north of town. The panther bitten girl grew to womanhood and married man by the name of D. w. Byers. Uncle Nat Allen knows her and has seen the scars.
 Thomas Griffin, Jacob Miller and AGeorge Wilds were the first persons sto settle in or near Dallas. This was aln 1850. Griffin was from Illinois. So far. the writer has not learned where Miller and Wilds came from. Old Arecords show that Griffin settled near the present site of Dallas, Miller set tied the place now owned bv Ben Thompson and Wilds settled near Miller. It is of James Pirtle, who came here from Tennessee in 1893 that we have the first clear records. He was camped at the B. F. Thomp- son place when the stars fell. Here a sister took sick, died and was bur jed. The late Ben Pirtle, who died in 1908 was son of James Pirtle. And the present day descendants of Ben Pirtle, the father, and James Pirtle. the grandfather, are A. V. and Gus of Hatfield, Burt, of Dallas, and Mrs. .J. I. Alley, Mrs. John Bratcher and Mrs. Will Alexander of Mena. Of the Griffin, Miller and Wilds families the records are more obscure. But Ed mond Griffin of 0ctavia, Ok, is said to be grandson of Thomas Griffin and some of George Wilds' descend ants are said to be living in Posey Hollow.
 Burt Plrtle now owns the place set tied by Ms grandfather and some of the land still produces as much as 50 bushels of corn per acre. The old log house has been torn down and part of used for a blacksmith shop. In tearing up the hewed puncheons used as flooring in this old house Burt Pirtle says that distinct blood stains were easily visible from the murdered body of Joe Ivy, who was killed bv Blake Thompson over 50 years ago in horse race quarrel. This was the first murder to be committed in DaI- las and a fulfillment of the talk of the times that, some men would have to be killed before they could start graveyard.
 Mir. Pirtle showed the writer some hand-sawed blanks in his barn that had been cut out years and years ago by John Longacre and Bill Goslin. He also showed me an 11-pound. 5-foot rifle that was once owned by Caleb Cox. father of Mrs. John Gibson. Mrs. Burt Pirtle was Swift before mar rIage and is cousin of Uncle Bill Harweil- And she and her husband used to go to dances as far away as Cove and the Oklahoma line. And | Mr. Pirtie says that his father used to swap work with the late Uncle Bill | Henderson of Hatfield and Jim Owens of Owens Chapel settlement.
 Quotations From Old Records.
 In q book Biographical and His torlcal Memoirs of Western Arkan- sas" we get the following:
 Other arrivals 10 Polk county in the year of '33 were Isaac and Ben Pirzie. brothers of James Pirtls: Wal ter Scott and Allen Trusedals. all of