Magnolia Arkansas & Columbia County: Area History

Prior to the discovery of oil in 1921, the area's economic future was linked to declining cotton and timber markets. No one anticipated one of the wildest oil booms in the nation's history.

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The Busey No. 1 well near El Dorado was struck on January 10, 1921. The oil boom was soon directed north toward the village of Smackover and the nearby Ouachita River fault line.

On July 29, 1922, the Richardson No. 1 brought in the newest discovery. The small village of Smackover boomed within months. Within a year the 40 square mile Smackover Field was producing oil in abundance and soon ranked first among the nation's oil fields. Though the fury of the boom is over, the south Arkansas oil fields cover a ten county area and are still producing.

Bromine extraction followed the oil discovery. Columbia and Union counties sit on one of the largest brine reserves in the world. Albemarle Corporation in Magnolia and Great Lakes Chemical in El Dorado play an international role in the commercialization of bromine.

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Magnolia Arkansas & Columbia County Area History