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A 1919 Look at Rogers
Benton County, Arkansas
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By the
time this article appears in print,
Rogers, the metropolis of Benton County, will
have marketed 300,000 bushels of apples for the
1919 season, which is equivalent to 500 cars.
This does not include the by products which
consist of vinegar, cider, dried apples,
canned and preserved apples, the manufacture of
which required another hundred cars. Previous
to this a tremendous strawberry and cherry crop
was marketed during the 1919 season, yet Rogers
claims to be primarily the market point for a
large area of agricultural and dairy products.
It is a thriving little city of 4,000
prosperous, home-loving people, endowed with
the comforts of the large cities, including
splendid water, light and sewer systems that
were built with a view of serving a town many
times the size of Rogers.
It is located on the main line of the Frisco
railroad, about 200 miles northwest of Little
Rock, the capital of Arkansas, 333 miles
southwest of St. Louis, 350 miles northeast of
Dallas, Texas. It is located in Benton county,
about 20 miles from the Oklahoma line, and 11
miles from the Missouri line. Right in the
heart of the Ozarks mountains where the hills
stretch off to one side and the Ozark plateau
to the other. In the mountains to the east are
abundant springs which furnish the city with
its water supply. The water is pumped from two
springs, one of which affords enough eater for
a town of 72,000 people, furnishing 1,220,000
gallons daily.
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The
city has excellent schools. A high school
building, practically new, costing over
$30,000. There are two ward school buildings,
besides the old Rogers Academy, valued at
$40,000, which is now used by the public
schools. The high school is one of the best in
the State and is accredited with all of the
universities of the South. It has a four year
high school course and a well equipped
laboratory. Not only this, but Rogers is
located only 20 miles from the University of
Arkansas.
For those seeking church connections, Rogers
has much to offer as practically every
denomination is represented, and several of
them are endowed with splendid edifices, three
of which are equipped with pipe organs. The
denominations represented are, Methodist, South
Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, Church of
Christ, Holiness, Christian Science, Episcopal,
Christian, and Roman Catholic. Special effort
is made to take care of the young people of the
community in various ways.
Industrially Rogers plants are adapted to
working up the raw materials produced in the
territory adjacent thereto. As an example, it
might be stated that the largest vinegar
factory in the world is located at this point.
It began grinding apples the 15th of August and
will continue until the first of December. The
factory has ground 20,000,000 pounds of vinegar
apples this year, paying to the farmers in
Benton and Washington counties, $350,000 for
cull apples. The plant at Rogers has 45 tanks
with a storage capacity of 1,500,000 gallons of
vinegar. It employs a force of 75 people in
Rogers. The seven plants will have more than
3,000,000 gallons of vinegar to supply the
trade in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico,
and Arizona. Many fruit evaporating plants are
located in and around Rogers, as well as
canning factories, which employ during the busy
season, hundreds of women. Other industries
include, two large flour mills, a cooperage
plant, creameries, broom factories, sawmills,
and lime manufacturing plants, and a large
sweet potato storage and curing plant, as this
section has become an important sweet potato
producing territory. In connection with the
local ice factory a large cold storage plant is
operated and this year is filled to capacity
with fancy apples which are being carried for
spring delivery in nearby cities. |
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Rogers
is also an important jobbing center due
to its advantageous location. The largest
wholesale hardware concerns in the state have
their warehouses and headquarters here. There
is also a large wholesale grocery company. In
addition wholesale dry goods and grocery
concerns in St. Louis and Kansas City have
local display and ware rooms with resident
representatives. There are numerous commission
firms here doing a jobbing business, each with
its own packing facilities and employing many
people in this industry. Here also is located
the home office of a large co-operative
insurance society, which does a nation-wide
business and employs some 75 people who make
their home in Rogers. This institution has had
built a magnificent office building, modern in
every respect, and which is one of the show
places of the city. Here also is located the
home office of the largest Marketing
Association in the southwest, and is the means
of making Rogers the mecca for fruit buyers
from all parts of the United States. There are
numerous stores of practically every
description, carrying up-to-date and attractive
stocks, two weekly newspapers, one daily,
giving telegraph news, several hotels,
hospital, a new $70,000 federal building, a new
union station, six garages, and men
representing the various professions. The city
has a modern and paid fire department which
contributes much to the low fire insurance
rates in effect here.
There are three banks located here, one of
which is houses in one of the handsomest
banking buildings in the State. The aggregate
deposits of local banks is $1,500,000 and is
steadily increasing east and there are many
small towns and prosperous merchants who
contribute much toward the prosperity of this
city. Most of these points are inland towns
and are reached by truck lines which radiate in
all directions from Rogers. These trucks go
out daily, laden with consignments from local
jobbing houses and come in heaped with produce,
fruits, cream, and various other products of
nearby farms. Thus has the dairy and poultry,
and egg business become one of the most
important in this section, which has excellent
marketing facilities. During the months of
February and March, 1919 there were 36 cars of
poultry and eggs shipped to the north and east.
The produce business has proved so profitable
that more and more farmers are going into it,
with the intention of marketing through the
produce houses in Rogers. According to the
Agricultural Department at Washington, this is
the finest poultry country in the United
States. The country surround Rogers is an
ideal agricultural country. Corn, wheat, oats,
alfalfa, clover, timothy, orchard, and blue
grass are grown profitably and sold at good
prices. Live stock is one of the principal
pursuits. There are hundreds of car loads of
cattle, sheep, and hogs shipped annually. The
hills to the east afford excellent grazing
facilities for stock. Pure bred cattle and
dairy farms surround the city. The cream sold
daily in Rogers amounts to $150 and for a month
this makes $4,500 for cream alone.
Property in Rogers is very active and the
demand for houses and homes for rental purposes
is great. Every desirable house is occupied
and there is not a vacant store room in the
city. A building program is better inaugurated
which will provide additional hoes for the many
families seeking to locate here. A $250,000
modern hotel is now being planned and
construction will be commenced as soon as
details can be worked out, as all the hotel
facilities are now much overtaxed. Practically
every fraternal organization is represented
here, and several have comfortable and cheerful
lodge and club rooms. There are various Masonic
bodies located here, including the Knight
Templar Commandery.
The Rotary Club with a membership of 45, is
full of interest for the betterment of the city
and has helped much in its advancement since
its organization. The co-operation among the
business men is one of the assets of Rogers,
because they are all co-operating for the
promotion of the city.
The city has miles and miles of cement walks,
beautiful residences, usually good telephone
and telegraph service, every advantage of a
city and yet all the advantages and the
friendliness of a small town, ideally situated
in the heart of the Ozarks with mild winters
and cool summers.
Land values in and about Rogers have a great
range in price. The writer of this article
bought 360 acres during October 1919, situated
within three miles of Rogers, at $12.50 an acre
yet the same land improved, at a greater
distance from town, is selling as high as
several hundred dollars per acre. There is a
wonderful opportunity in the undeveloped land
within the trade territory of this city. This
section of the country in contour is
considerably broken, but the hillsides are
peculiarly adapted to fruit growing, while the
valleys are exceedingly fertile, the soil being
alluvial and on the entire plateau around
Rogers is known as the Springfield soil, a
light loam. With some heavy red clay soil
under the surface and is considered an
excellent soil for growing small fruits and
fruit trees of every description. Not only is
the climate here well adapted to fruit raising,
but is splendid for stock raising, as the
winters are short and usually mild and permit
of long pasturage. Average summer maximum
temperature is 86. Average summer minimum
temperature is 65. Average winter maximum
temperature is 48. Average winter minimum
temperature is 28. Average rainfall in eight
years, 39 inches. Average snowfall in eight
years, 17 inches.
This territory surrounding Rogers has long been
believed to be rich in mineral deposits. This
fall, for the first time, the development of
these mineral possibilities has really been
undertaken, when a party of Tennessee
capitalists came to Rogers, bringing with them
the necessary equipment and began the work of
developing a copper prospect that had
previously been leased. The ore and began the
ore being mined is extraordinarily rich and
mining will no doubt be one of the chief
industries of this section in the future.
Large tracts of virgin timber lay east of
Rogers, yet undeveloped, and the present high
price of lumber is bringing about the
development of these tracts. Numerous small
lumber mills are being constructed and one
large company has begun the erection of a big
mill which will transport its supplies from
Rogers by truck and bring the finished product
which will be principally hardwood for
furniture and wagon making to Rogers by truck.
The section around Rogers is the summer
playground for thousands of tourists. Hotels,
club houses, camping grounds have been provided
for these, who are chiefly auto travelers.
Many beautiful spots exist along the White
river and other streams in the vicinity of
Rogers, where those in search of sport may
gratify their aim. Let it suffice that once
these scenic beauties attain renown, there will
be countless seekers after rest and sport, who
will make this their annual vacation ground,
and ere the primitive mark is erased by the
growing popularity of this picturesque section,
make up your mind to spend awhile amongst us.
If you have a true appreciation of the places
where nature's bucket of beauty has been
allowed to splash over and leave an outstanding
mark for men to marvel at, you will not be
disappointed when you visit Rogers. It will be
of peculiar interest to the prospective visitor
here to know that work has already commenced on
the greatest system of improved, rock based,
hard surfaced highways ever undertaken by any
county in this state. These roads radiate in
all directions from Rogers, and not only will
very stream be bridged and every town in the
county connected by these roads, but they will
also connect with Missouri Roads at three
different points on the northern boundary and
with Oklahoma roads at two points on the
western border.
There are many spots to be visited that are
rich in historical value. The famous Pea Ridge
battleground, where souvenirs of that memorable
battle yet abound. Caverns used by the early
Spaniards as depositories for gold and silver
are sources of never ending interest to the
visitor.
Thus, including, may we not say that the people
who live in Rogers and Benton County, are so
thoroughly convinced of the superiority of this
section of the country, from the standpoint of
natural beauty, of agricultural advantages and
of commercial opportunity, that we dedicate
this page to the humble duty of carrying to you
a brief outline of the reasons for our
satisfaction, and a message of invitation to
pay a brief visit to our community, if you are
so disposed, and see for yourself, the many
advantages we have to offer. For the tourist
and vacationist, we have tired to give some
idea of those scenic beauties with which our
section abounds. For the farmer, or
prospective farmer, there is a picture of peace
and plenty. For everyone, there is health,
happiness, and prosperity, in proportion to the
effort of the individual. The diversity of our
soils and surroundings afford a wide range of
selection.
For further information about Rogers, or Benton
County, write any of the following: Ozark Cider
& Vinegar Co., I.S. McNut Auto Co., Rogers
Wholesale Grocery Co., Fashion Clothing Co.,
J.O. Bridwell, Benton County Hdw. Co., Laumore,
J.W. Kent, Benton Realty Co., McGill Drug Co.,
E.G. Sharp.
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Location List |
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