Drew County, Arkansas: History
Modern-day Drew County was once inhabited by the Folsom culture, and later by the Quapaw, who foraged and farmed much of present-day Arkansas. Drew County was created on November 26, 1846 from parts of Arkansas and Bradley counties. Part of Chicot County was added to Drew County in 1846. The first county seat was at the home of Alexander M. Rawles, until part of the county including the home was given to Ashley County in 1848. The county seat was relocated to Rough and Ready, an early settlement near Monticello. Parts of Desha County were added to Drew County in 1861 and 1873. Following the Civil War, the boundaries of Drew County changed as some property, including Mill Creek Township, was reassigned to the new Lincoln County established by the Reconstruction-era legislature in 1871. A final change in 1873 along the Chicot County line established the current boundaries of Drew County.
White settlers were predominantly from the Deep South, and farming was the predominant occupation. Located on the edge of the Arkansas Delta and the Arkansas Timberlands, its fertile lowland soils produced prosperity for early settlers in the antebellum era. Cotton was the major commodity crop, cultivated by the labor of enslaved African Americans. Corn, apples, peaches and tomatoes were also grown through their work. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, timber harvesting became a more important industry here than cotton. The population declined from 1910 to 1970, as fewer workers were needed in timber. In addition, many African Americans left the oppressive social conditions of racial violence, disfranchisement, and Jim Crow laws to join the Great Migration to northern and midwestern industrial cities. After World War II, an even greater number migrated to the West Coast.
As a variety of industries began to move to the county, several colleges were founded here in the early part of the 20th century. One developed as University of Arkansas at Monticello. Today, the county has a diverse economy and is an economic center in southeast Arkansas. Its population is majority white; these voters are mostly affiliated with the Republican Party.