Bests, Arkansas

16 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1903 and the latest in 1989. It stands in Union Township. It lies in ZIP code area 71720. The Survey maps it on the Bearden quadrangle. The federal gazetteer marks this settlement historical: it is no longer a populated place, though the surveys that recorded it still are.

Bests within Ouachita County

On record in Bests

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register within a mile 2 records

The National Register names another town for these. They stand within one mile of this settlement's coordinate.

Bearden Waterworkslisted 2006 · 0.8 miles away
Ouachita County Training Schoollisted 2023 · 0.2 miles away

Topographic sheets covering this place

9 surveys from 16 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

1903 USGS Camden quadrangle1:125000, 3 printings
1953 USGS El Dorado quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
1957 USGS El Dorado quadrangle1:250000
1958 USGS El Dorado quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
1960 USGS El Dorado quadrangle1:250000
1973 USGS Bearden quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
1978 USGS Bearden quadrangle1:62500
1986 USGS Camden quadrangle1:100000
1989 USGS El Dorado quadrangle1:250000

Fires near this place

150 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 150 fires within 5 miles of Bests (historical) between 1997 and 2020, burning about 1,356 acres in total. 14 started naturally. 34 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	40
Debris and open burning	38
Arson/incendiarism	34
Natural	14
Equipment and vehicle use	13
Railroad operations and maintenance	4
Misuse of fire by a minor	3
Recreation and ceremony	3
Smoking	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
8 September 2011	Arson/incendiarism	6.0 acres	Arkansas Forestry Commission	not named
7 September 2005	Debris and open burning	14 acres	Arkansas Forestry Commission	not named
6 September 2007	Recreation and ceremony	1.0 acres	Arkansas Forestry Commission	not named
6 September 2005	Equipment and vehicle use	2.0 acres	Arkansas Forestry Commission	not named
4 September 2005	Debris and open burning	3.0 acres	Arkansas Forestry Commission	not named
4 September 2005	Debris and open burning	40 acres	Arkansas Forestry Commission	not named
3 September 2006	Debris and open burning	1.0 acres	Arkansas Forestry Commission	not named
3 September 2000	Natural	1.0 acres	Arkansas Forestry Commission	not named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Ouachita County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 33 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 33 workings within 5 miles of Bests (historical): 24 past producers, 6 unknowns, 3 producers. 3 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status
Bearden-Holly Springs Mine	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Fairchild Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Millville Pit & Plant	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Pine Bluff Sand & Gravel Co Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Unk	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Unk	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Unk	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Unk	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Unk	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Unk	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer

Every working recorded in Ouachita County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Place	Distance	Sheets
Bearden	0.8 miles	16
Millville	3.2 miles	16
Salem	4.0 miles	16
Eagle Mills	6.3 miles	16
Shumaker	7.7 miles	16
Onalaska (historical)	8.4 miles	16
Lilley (historical)	8.5 miles	16
Vanduzer	10.6 miles	15

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 64363. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.