Goodspeeds, 1889
Greene County, Ark., lies in the north eastern part of the State, in latitude 36º 37'North, and longitude 91º west from Greenwich, England. It is bounded on the north by Clay County, east by the St. Francis River, which separates it from Dunklin County, Mo., south by Craighead, and west by Lawrence and Randolph Counties. It has an area of 600 square miles, of which less than one tenth is improved. Its boundary lines areas follows:

Commencing where the line between Sections 21 and 28, Township 19, Range 9, intersects the middle of the main channel of the St. Francis River; thence down the middle of the main channel of that river to the line between Townships 15 and 16; thence west on the township line to the Cache River; thence up said river, with its meanderings, to the line between Townships 17 and 18; thence west on the township line to the line between Ranges 2 and 3; thence north on the range line to the north west corner of Section 30. Township 19, Range 3; thence east on the section lines, and on the county line, to the place of beginning.

Crowley's Ridge, from its continuation in Clay County, extends in a rather south westerly direction through Greene County, with a width varying from five to ten miles, and slopes gently on either side to the level of the bottom lands. This ridge in the southern part of the county is more rolling than elsewhere, and farms have been opened entirely across it, though generally speaking its summit is not much cultivated. The early settlers, for the most part, selected their homes on the foot of the ridge and on ridges between the creeks. The farms now extend from both slopes of the ridge far out into the rich level lands.

From Crowley's Ridge the waters flow through several small streams in a south easterly direction and empty into St. Francis River; and west of the ridge the waters course through small streams in a south westerly direction, emptying into Cache River; thus all that portion of the county lying between these rivers is drained. That part northwest of Cache River is drained through the streams tributary to Cache and Black Rivers.

The entire county, with the exception of places where the forest has been cleared and farms opened, is finely timbered with unequaled quality of white oak, redoak, hickory, sweet gum, ash, poplar, pine, and walnut timber. The Crowley's Ridge summit is timbered its entire length through the county with pitch or red pine of the finest quality, and the slopes with other timber named. At present lumbering is, and until the timber supply becomes exhausted will continue to be, one of the leading if not the principal industry of the county, and a great source of income. In April of the current year there were thirty four steam power saw mills, six stave factories, one shingle mill, and two planing mills, within the county, all engaged in cutting the timber into lumber, etc. One of these mills, that of the J. M. Reed Lumber Company, has capacity for cutting 100,000 feet of lumber per day. The most profitable source of revenue to the farmers consists in the raising of cotton and corn, which yield probably a nearly equal income. Most of the saw mills have cotton gins, and some grist mills attached.

In 1880 there were, according to the United States Census, 1,181 farms, with 30,596 acres of improved lands in the county, and from these the vegetable productions were as follows: Indian corn, 347,926 bushels; oats, 29,110 bushels; wheat, 10,475 bushels; hay, 124 tons; cotton, 3,711 bales; Irish potatoes, 5,181 bushels; sweet potatoes, 13,989 bushels; tobacco, 5,735 pounds. A large acreage has since been cleared, and the vegetable productions correspondingly increased.

The numbers of head of live stock within the county, as indicated by the same census, were as follows: Horses, 7,694; mules and asses, 760; neat cattle, 8,975; sheep, 1,727; hogs, 16,934. The following show the number of head of live stock in the county as declared by the assessment rolls for 1888: Horses, 2,326; mules and asses, 991; neat cattle, 10,125; sheep, 1,685; hogs, 16,481. The comparison of these figures is interesting. The decrease in the number of sheep is probably due to the reduction in the price of wool, while the decrease in the number of hogs is apparent but not real. The census of 1880 gives the number raised, sold and slaughtered during the year, while the assessment rolls show only the number on hand when listed for taxation; hence the increase must have been large.

As previously stated, all parts of the county are well supplied with streams, and an abundance of good well water can be obtained at a depth of from thirty to forty feet, without blasting through any rock, and as the lands are well adapted to the raising of grains, tame grasses and clover, this country must eventually, after the lumber industry ceases, become excellent for diversified farming, and especially for the raising of live stock, the climate being mild, and the shipping facilities to the great commercial centers unusually superior. The country is also well adapted to the growing of all manner of fruits common to this latitude.

The assessed value of the real estate of Greene County for the year 1880 was $426,685, and of the personal property $254,361, making a total of $681,046, and the total amount of taxes charged thereon was $16,099. The assessed value of the real estate of the county for 1888, including the railroad property, was $1,313,392.72, and of the personal property, $562,719, making a total of $1,876,111.72. Upon which the total amount of taxes charged was $29,103.63. This demonstrates that the taxable wealth of the county has about doubled since 1880, but that the taxes have not increased in the same ratio. The railroads, which now constitute a considerable portion of the taxable wealth of the county, and pay a large percentage of the taxes, were assessed for the year 1888 as follows: St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern, $330,750; St. Louis, Arkansas & Texas, $200,677; Kansas City, Fort Scott & Memphis, $4,560; total, $535,987.

The county has excellent public buildings, and a floating debt of only about $7,000, which will be canceled after another year's taxes are collected. This covers the whole indebtedness, there being no bonded debt at all. Such favorable facts prove that Greene County has many attractions for home seekers. Lands are yet cheap, and immigrants from the over crowded Eastern and Northern States can certainly do much better by coming to this country than by going west to points beyond the improvements of civilization. Capital is being rapidly invested here, thus insuring employment to the laborer. Here an industrious man with but small capital may soon possess and own a home, where society is good and the climate unexcelled; here he may gain, by application and energy, just recognition, and here, too, may he avoid the financial burdens which characterize other less favored communities.

The population of Greene County in 1860, including what is now the Eastern district of Clay County, was 5,654...189 of whom were colored. The population of 1870, comprising the same territory, was 7,417...156 of whom were colored. The population in 1880, embracing only the present area of the county, was 7,405...of whom only 75 were colored. Considering the recent rapid increase by way of immigration, together with the natural accession, it is safe to estimate the population of the county at the present writing, at more than double that of 1880.