Early settlers found large stands of oak, hickory, cedar, walnut, cherry, and pine.  Railroads headed for Northwest Arkansas in the 1880s in part to take advantage of its vast timber reserves.  Logging became a major industry, creating jobs and boom towns along the line.

Once saws and axes felled the giant trees, teams of mules hauled the logs to sawmills and factories where the timber was turned into barrel staves, railroad ties, lumber, fence posts, and tool handles.  When the trees were gone in one area, operations moved to the next.  New settlers farmed the cleared land.