Dallas is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in Polk County,

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

, United States. The community is approximately three miles south of

Mena The Middle East and North Africa (MENA), also referred to as West Asia and North Africa (WANA) or South West Asia and North Africa (SWANA), is a geographic region which comprises the Middle East (also called West Asia) and North Africa together ...

History

Pioneers arrived in Polk County around 1830, mainly from

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

and

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

. They settled near Dallas, surviving off the area's abundant wild game, and building shelters from its rich timber resources. Polk County was created by the state's General Assembly in 1844, with Dallas as its county seat. The village was named for Vice-President George M. Dallas. The first Polk County courthouse was located in Dallas, but was destroyed by fire. In 1869 a second courthouse was built, which was also destroyed by fire, in 1883. Dallas became a regional center due to its location along Long's Trail, a stagecoach route which connected to the Butterfield Overland Mail Trail to the north, and passed west into what is now

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

. At one time, Dallas had three mills, livery stables, boarding houses, two churches, several stores, and a weekly newspaper. Arthur Edward Stilwell built the

Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad The Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad was a railway company that began operations in the 1890s and owned a main-line between Kansas City, Missouri, and Port Arthur, Texas. It was led by Arthur Stilwell before being thrown into receiversh ...

(now the Kansas City Southern) from

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

Port Arthur, Texas Port Arthur is a city in the state of Texas, United States of America, located east of metro Houston. Part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, the city lies primarily in Jefferson County, with a small extension in Orange County. ...

during the 1890s. Nearby

was selected as the site for his railway stop, and train service to Mena began in 1896. A special election was held in 1898, and residents voted to move the county seat to Mena. Dallas Creek flows through the village, and Dallas Cemetery is located east of the community.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Polk County, Arkansas Unincorporated communities in Arkansas George M. Dallas