Dumas was named for William B. Dumas, a
local landowner. Desha County was formed in 1839
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and named in honor
of Colonel Ben Desha (pronounced "De-Shay").
From 1861 on, through a series of boundary
changes, Desha County lost
most of its western uplands to neighboring counties, but later gained
a large part of northern Chicot County. Desha County now consists of
some 805 square miles.
Belleville, later Red
Fork, was Desha’s first
county seat. In 1843, the seat was moved to
Napoleon, then to Watson and finally to Arkansas City, where it
remains today.
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