Pruitt: The Economic Evolution of Newton County, Arkansas

In Consuming Newton County: A Short History, Lisa R. Pruitt (University of California-Davis Law) presents a history of economic evolution and the concomitant tensions between consumerism and conservation in rural Newton County, Arkansas. Tucked away in the Boston Mountains and the home of the Buffalo National River’s headwaters, Newton County is home to 8,000 residents and has long attracted the attention of nature conservation and recreational tourism groups alike.

As a resident of Newton County in her childhood, Pruitt reflects on dramatic shifts in industry and the rising tensions between multi-generational “legacy families” of the area and newcomers. Pruitt explains that these tensions first began when the federal government established the Ozark National Forest and later recognized Buffalo River as a national river. As a result, many of the area’s long-term residents lost their land and their ability to make their living. Pruitt notes that this loss prompted many of the area’s legacy families to oppose the increasing recreational tourism, particularly as the emphasis on the county’s potential for scenic and recreational consumption often conflicts with the traditional extractive practices used to sustain local livelihoods.

Pruitt further explains that recent trends have continued in the direction of a tourism-based economy. Old buildings have been turned into AirBnBs, and investments from outsiders have poured in, including a notable mountain bike trail project by the Walton family—who founded Walmart. Pruitt notes that this investment in Newton County has threatened to price out the legacy families now working in hospitality and tourism focused jobs. With rising land prices and property taxes, an uneasy divide has formed between the legacy families and those investing in the area.

Pruitt hopes that new investment projects in Newton County will undertake a purposeful inclusion of legacy families in the area, ensuring that they receive a “piece of the economic pie,” while honoring their knowledge and history in the area. She points to a non-profit program called “Ozark Ecotours” (which ran for nearly a decade in the 1990s) as a potential model for these kinds of constructive alliances. This model of economic development could balance recreational consumption with the preservation of the unique and beautiful rural landscape of Newton County.