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Local History Rogers and Lowell both
enjoy long and interesting histories tied
together by the common threads of the
Overland Butterfield Stage Line, the Old
Wire Road and the St. Louis and San
Francisco (Frisco) Railroad.
Prior
to 1830, only Native Americans inhabited
Northwest Arkansas. The area was opened to
settlers in 1830 and Benton County was
organized in 1836 with Bentonville as the
county seat. Rogers was founded on May 10,
1881, the date the first train came through
the area. The city was named for Capt. C.W.
Rogers, general manager for the St. Louis
and San Francisco (Frisco) Railroad.
Long
before Rogers and Lowell were founded, a
settlement one mile east of Lowell was a
town called Bloomington, situated on the Old
Wire Road, with a tavern that was a stop on
the Overland Butterfield Stage Line. The
fate of Bloomington was sealed with the
completion of the railroad line one mile
west in 1881. The residents were considering
moving their small town when a tornado blew
in and settled the question. Several homes
and buildings were destroyed. Most of the
remaining buildings were moved west and
Bloomington changed its name to Lowell.
Many Civil War monuments and historical
sites are located in and around the area.
For more information on local history, visit
these websites:
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