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The City of Clinton, Seat of Van Buren
County, southern gateway to the Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas,
has a heritage of progressive idealism dating back well beyond its 125
official years as a mainstay of commerce and community good will
throughout the region.
Factually, Clinton is one of the oldest
if not the oldest community settled by homesteading pioneers in this
region of Arkansas with a dynamic history dating back more like 175
years into times past.
Back to at least the 1830's, when
hunting was a primary means of earning a living and one man's annual
harvest of the abundant local deer herds could produce 500 hides to
barter for necessities and luxuries at the mercantile.
Back to the time when the Great American
Buffalo drank from Archey Fork Creek (pictured below).
Back to a time when convicted criminals
were hung by the neck until dead from scaffolds constructed with planks
hewn by local sawmills from timber locally felled and thirteen carefully
turned wraps of a homespun hempen
noose.
Back to a time when the idea of boys and
girls going to school together, as they did in Clinton's "Male & Female
Academy," was considered "radical" and the newspaper in which everyone
read such facts was called "The Clinton Banner."
Back to before there was electricity,
when indoor plumbing was unheard of and folks burned slabs of pine to
cook. When five cents bought an ice cream cone and when $3.50 paid for
the delivery and finishing of each square yard of masonry rock used to
build the Van Buren County Courthouse (photo below).
On Saturday, August 14, 2004, the City
of Clinton celebrated this illustrious heritage, with an afternoon and
evening filled with homespun events that would make any founding pioneer
family proud.
Things got off to a mid-afternoon start
with volunteers moving picnic tables, getting ready to grill hot dogs,
and making sure everything was in place. In the photo below, City of
Clinton Clerk Merl Eoff (on the right), coordinated the plethora of
activities.
Volunteers with
Main Street Clinton
proudly displayed their community spirit...
...and hosted an excellent exhibit of
the City's outstanding history.
| Chip Ellis, Mayor of
Clinton, opened the celebration with Samantha Shelton, a senior at
Clinton High School, performing the National Anthem as a trumpet
solo. |
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Celebrated musicians entertained, including Cotton
Nixon (of RaggMopp fame) and Steve Trawick (center and far right, below)
who usually perform as the "Cotton Patch" duo.
Noteworthy speakers, including Clinton
native and former head of the National Transportation Safety Board, Jim
Burnett (center stage, below), told tall but true tales about Clinton's
civic and colloquial past.
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Pretty girls of all
ages (at left and below) bestowed smiles to warm every visitor's
heart and served up heaping helpings of hospitality, including a
delicious "Happy Anniversary" cake... |
...along with platters full of ice cold
watermelon.
And of course, found a moment or two
to enjoy the treat!!!
All in all and for whatever it's worth,
the event (in my humble opinion) came together as excellent family-style fun. The
kind of success every community strives for and deserves to enjoy.
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