calsfoundation@cals.org
February 4, 1869
Governor Powell Clayton signed a bill creating Grant County. Those behind the creation of the new county had been supporters of the Union during the war, so they named the new county after General Ulysses S. Grant and the county seat after General Philip H. Sheridan. Residents tried several times to change the names but failed. Grant County, located in central Arkansas, is best known for its timber industry. The county is saturated with logging operators who use modern techniques to harvest pine trees and hardwood saw logs. The logs are transported to the International Paper Company mill in Pine Bluff (Jefferson County) and to sawmills in Leola (Grant County), Benton (Saline County), and nearby towns.