Economic History

Polk County, of which Mena was to become the county seat, was formed November 30, 1844, from territory taken from Sevier County and named for President-elect James K. Polk. The county seat was first established at Panther, which was renamed Dallas in honor of the Vice President-elect, about 3 miles southeast of Mena.

Early economic activity, after some settlements were established, centered on the agricultural pursuits of growing corn, wheat, oats and cotton.  The pioneers used most of their crops themselves, but also grew enough to trade for other items, such as sugar and coffee.

Mining was an early industry, but never fulfilled its promise. The area around Dallas had several mines operating by the 1880s, especially for manganese.  There were also promising assays of gold, silver, tin, and nickel.  There remains some interest in mining and petroleum and natural gas in the area, with much of the petroleum and gas deposits held in reserve by various interests.

In the early 1890s, Arthur Stillwell, an insurance company executive, embarked on his dream of building a railroad which would reach from Kansas City, Missouri, to the Gulf of Mexico. His goal was to create a railroad which would assist in the economic development of the Midwest region of the United States.  Along the way, he determined to create towns and plant economic development, partly to give his railroad something to carry.

In 1896, the Kansas City Pittsburgh & Gulf Railway (KCP&G) reached Western Arkansas and Mena was created. The new community was by far the largest town in Polk County with a population of about 4,000, and the county seat was moved from Dallas to Mena in 1898.  Many of the residents and businesses of Dallas had already moved to Mena.

KCP&G established Mena as a division point, with shops including a round-house being built. This was the major employer in early Mena, but in 1910 moved its division shops to Heavener, Oklahoma.  Rather than become a ghost town, as was expected, Mena held its own and quickly regained its population to around 4,000.  It has experienced stability from that time onward and has experienced steady but slow growth since the 1970s. The population at the time of the 2000 census was 5,637 compared to 4,530 in 1970. At the same time Polk County has grown from 13,297 in 1970 to 20,229 in 2000.

Today, Mena and Polk County retain a strong agricultural sector, especially in terms of lumber, cattle and other livestock. It also has several Arabian horse breeding farms which have made their mark on that industry.  But, a most remarkable aspect of the area's economic history is the development of industries dedicated to the refurbishing of aircraft.  These companies are mainly located at the Mena Intermountain Municipal Airport, just east of the city.

Other major employers in the area include U.S. Electrical Motors (a division of Emerson Electric), Tyson Foods (poultry processing), Sterling Machinery (elevator parts, etc.), Brodix, Inc. (aluminum cylinder heads for high performance auto engines), Street & Performance (high performance engines), R & D Industries (plastic & rubber parts), Hatfield Lumber Co., Lewis Lumber Co., and Smith Pallet Co. This industrial base is also served by numerous small feeder companies.  The unemployment rate in Polk County was 4-5% range through the first half of 2007.