March 26, 1883

The post office for what became Marked Tree (Poinsett County) was established, originally in an abandoned steamboat tied to the depot. In the 1880s, about 142 people lived in the area around Marked Tree, and more than 100 of them were railroad workers. By 1890, however, the first sawmills were built, beginning what would be Marked Tree’s biggest industry for the next few decades. The town was named Marked Tree for an oak tree marked with a foot-high “M” that used to stand on the bank of the Little River.