1890 Map of Mount Ida

About this map

The Washita or Ouachita River winds through the heart of this 1887 survey, carving through the Ouachita Mountains in a period when the region was defined by isolated mountain settlements and the early timber and mining industries. Mt. Ida serves as a primary hub in Montgomery county, while smaller outposts like Silver City and Oden represent the scattered population of the late nineteenth century. The landscape is dominated by significant ridgelines, including Petit Jean Mountain and Fourche Mountain, which dictate the paths of early wagon roads and the courses of numerous waterways like the Fourche La Fave River. To the east, Sulphur Springs and Bluffton sit near the transition to the creek valleys, providing a look at the early township boundaries of Big Fork, South Fork, and Center before modern infrastructure transformed the Ouachita National Forest region.