Oil Trough in Independence County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)

Oil Trough, Arkansas

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 22, 2023

1. Oil Trough, Arkansas Marker

Inscription. When the white man came into the White River valley, Oil Trough Bottom was covered with a dense canebrake inhabited by bear. Early hunters rendered the bear oil and stored it in troughs made from hollowed out tree trunks. Use of these troughs is the legendary origin of the name.

A post office was opened here as Pleasant Island in 1832 and the name was changed to Oil Trough in 1849. Oil Trough Bottom has been known widely for its productive soil in growing corn, cotton, grain, and soybeans.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1832.

Location. 35° 37.946′ N, 91° 27.815′ W. Marker is in Oil Trough, Arkansas, in Independence County. It is at the intersection of Arkansas Route 932 and Main Street ( Route 14), on the left when traveling north on Arkansas Route 932. Marker is in front of Oil Trough City Hall. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 50 Main St, Oil Trough AR 72564, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Arkansas’ Ozark Plateau.

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It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Shelling of Jacksonport (approx. 8½ miles away); The Port of Jacksonport (approx. 8½ miles away); Welcome to Jacksonport State Park (approx. 8.6 miles away); Building the City (approx. 8.6 miles away); Jacksonport in the Civil War (approx. 8.6 miles away); Jackson Guards Monument (approx. 8.6 miles away); Jacksonport Civil War Cannon (approx. 8.6 miles away); Surrender at Jacksonport (approx. 8.6 miles away).

Also see . . . Oil Trough (Independence County). Beginning around 1800, the area was a favorite hunting ground for French frontiersmen. The Oil Trough Bottoms were settled as early as 1817, when Hardin Hulsey arrived. (Nancy Griffith, Encyclopedia of
Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, August 28, 2009

2. Oil Trough, Arkansas Marker
Arkansas) (Submitted on April 26, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 22, 2023

3. Oil Trough, Arkansas Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on July 9, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 26, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 986 times since then and 99 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on April 26, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 2. submitted on July 1, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. 3. submitted on April 26, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.