Saline

Photo Courtesy of Arkansas Historic Preservation Program

The Saline County Courthouse in Benton, built in 1900, is a Romanesque Revival structure designed by Charles L. Thompson, a renowned Arkansas architect. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Saline County Website

Saline County Census

Saline County was formed in 1835 from parts of Pulaski and Hempstead counties. Its name derives from early salt works in the area that supplied salt to much of Arkansas and shipped salt to Tennessee, Louisiana, and east Texas. William E. Wodruff, founder of the Arkansas Gazette, once had the license to operate a salt works, conditional upon selling his product for no more that $1.50 a bushel.

Arkansas once accounted for 97 percent of the country's production of bauxite, used to make aluminum, and most of that came from Saline County. When state geologist John C. Branner discovered the ore in 1887, a work crew was using it to surface a new road.

Congressman Snyder is pictured with other constituents at the Saline County Airport dedication ceremony.

Bauxite and lignite mining has underpinned Saline County's economy ever since. But volatility in the aluminum industry have encouraged more diversification in recent years. County officials see further industrialization depending on development of a more reliable and abundant supply of fresh water. Much of the county currently uses well water, some of it substandard.

Benton is the geographical center of the state, within minutes of metropolitan amenities, small town comfort, or national forest recreation and natural beauty.

The Saline River, which begins in the mountains of northern Saline County, is the only major free-flowing stream in the Ouachita River Basin and popular for floating and fishing. The county's portion of the Winona Wildlife Management Area offers rugged, mountainous hunting and sightseeing. The Lake Winona Research Natural Area is located in the Fourche Mountains area of the Ouachita Mountains Natural Division. This forest of old-growth pines and hardwoods has been given special management status and a portion designated a National Natural Landmark.

Congressman Snyder speaks at the Benton-Bauxite Rotary Club.

The Ouachita National Forest includes the Flatside Wilderness Area, which has two extremely rugged mountains. A part of the 175-mile Ouachita Trail passes through this wilderness.

The Gann Museum of Saline County is composed of large bauxite boulders and contains a collection of antiques and memorabilia on the county's history.