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Vision Realty in Mena, Arkansas

Montgomery County was created on December 9, 1842.  The county was once the hunting grounds of the Caddo Indians.  The county seat is Mount Ida.  Landscape of the county is long, narrow ridges of folded rock, large fertile valleys, and mountains (Ouachita) covered with oak and pine timber. 

Montgomery County's natural resources and its rugged beauty are its livelihood.  Sixty-three percent of the county is national forest land with the federal government being a stable employer.  Cattle, swine and poultry production, along  with mining and tourism makes up the economy.  The Ouachita range of Arkansas is one of the only three areas in the world to have enough high quality quartz crystal to warrant mining.  In 1987, more than two million tons of quartz was mined in Montgomery County for uses ranging from decorative items to computer chips. 

Each year Montgomery County has an annual Quart Crystal Festival and Crystal Dig.  Many Tourists come to dig quartz crystal.  The scenic beauty and recreation draw visitors from far and near.  Lake Ouachita, Arkansas' largest covers so many acres the county had to have a lake patrol in addition to its regular sheriff's and forest patrol.  Thousands visit the park areas each year to enjoy the clear water, fishing and many other water sports. 

The Ouachita River, the Caddo River and the Little Missouri Rive all flow through the county.  The Missouri River drops an average of 35 feet per mile in its 29-mile journey through southern Montgomery County. 

The Montgomery County Courthouse houses early history of the county.  It is made of native stone and is now listed on the National Register of Historical places.  Montgomery County is within easy driving distance of metropolitan areas offering shopping, restaurants, and other services.

The County was name for Richard Montgomery.

Richard Montgomery (12/2/1738 - 12/31/1775) was an Irish-American soldier.  He was born in Swords, County Dublin, Ireland, the son of Thomas Montgomery (a member of Parliament) and Mary Franklin Montgomery.

He was an officer in the British Army in the Seven Years' War.  His service was in Canada and the Caribbean.  He reached the rank of captain in May 1762.  In 1763, when peace was concluded, he went to New York, and in 1765 returned to England.  In England he associated with liberal members of Parliament who supported the colonists in their demands for more freedom.  On April 6, 1772, he sold his Army commission and decided to move back to New York, buying a sixty-seven acre farm at King's Bridge in what is now the Borough of The Bronx of New York City.

On July 24, 1773, he married Janet Livingston, daughter of Robert R. Livingston, a prominent New Yorker who was on the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence.  He then moved to his wife's farm near Rhinebeck, which was to be his home for the few remaining years of his life.  In 1775, although having resided in New York only three years, he was elected to the New York provincial legislature.

He served as the second-ranking brigadier general in the American Revolutionary War, led the army into Canada where he captured two forts and the city of Montreal, and died while attempting to capture the city of Quebec during a fierce snow storm on the 31st day of December 1775.  The British recognized his body and ordered a honorable burial.  In 1818, his body was moved to New York City and interred at St. Paul's Church.  Shortly after his death, the State of Maryland, when creating a new county, named it Montgomery County in his honor.  Subsequently, many other states have honored Richard Montgomery by naming counties for him.  Five ships in the United States Navy, USS Montgomery have been named for him.

Sources:  National Association of Counties, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Census, Wikipedia (the free encyclopedia), and public records of Scott County Arkansas.

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Hickory Nut Mountain:  This Forest Service public use area is located at the eastern border of Montgomery County off Hwy 270.

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Willaims Ranch Airport

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