August 5, 1959

The federal government purchased the last ton of manganese ore from mines in and around Cushman (Independence County). In 1952, a program had been established to stockpile high-grade steel used in the manufacture of weapons and other defense equipment. In 1956, more than $2 million of manganese was shipped from the Batesville Manganese District, an east-west belt twenty-four miles long and eight miles wide. Ore valued at $1 million had been shipped from the terminal at Cushman in 1958. Modern-day Cushman has made the transition from a booming mining town to a quiet bedroom community.