1890 Map of Mt Ida

About this map

Mt Ida serves as a central hub in this late 19th-century reconnaissance survey, positioned near the South Fork of the Ouachita River. The landscape is dominated by a series of parallel ridges, including White Oak Mountain, Petit Jean Mountain, and Fourche Mountain, which dictate the early settlement patterns of Montgomery, Scott, and Yell counties. These mountains channel the drainage of major systems like the Fourche La Fave River and create isolated valleys where small communities such as Silver City, Oden, and Sulphur Springs emerged. The cartography reflects a pre-industrial era of the Ouachita Mountains, where human presence was concentrated along watercourses and at the foot of prominent peaks like Buck Knob. Geographers Henry Gannett and J. H. Renshawe overseen this mapping, which highlights the transition from upland ridges to the essential river bottomlands.