BlockBefore

Potter, Arkansas

22 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1890 and the latest in 1989. It stands in Eagle Township. It lies in ZIP code area 71953. It stands on Thompson Creek. The Survey maps it on the Potter quadrangle. It stands 932 feet above sea level.

Potter within Polk County

Topographic sheets covering this place

10 surveys from 22 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.

Fires near this place

65 since 1996

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 65 fires within 5 miles of Potter between 1996 and 2019, burning about 528 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 12 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
Debris and open burning22
Missing data/not specified/undetermined19
Arson/incendiarism12
Railroad operations and maintenance3
Smoking2
Equipment and vehicle use2
Natural2
Recreation and ceremony2
Misuse of fire by a minor1

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

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
5 September 1998Arson/incendiarism9.0 acresOuachita National ForestTITSWORTH
27 September 2011Debris and open burning1.0 acresArkansas Forestry Commissionnot named
26 September 2001Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresArkansas Forestry Commissionnot named
25 September 2012Debris and open burning1.0 acresArkansas Forestry Commissionnot named
25 September 2001Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresArkansas Forestry Commissionnot named
20 September 2004Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreOuachita National ForestMILL CREEK
19 September 2001Debris and open burning10 acresArkansas Forestry Commissionnot named
18 September 1997Debris and open burning1.0 acresArkansas Forestry Commissionnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Polk County

Mines and quarries near this place

7 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 7 workings within 5 miles of Potter: 5 past producers, 2 prospects. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Barium-Barite. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Bee MountainBarium-BariteProspect
Don H WilliamsBarium-BariteProspect
Dierks PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerBedded
UnkSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
UnkSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
UnkSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
UnkSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Polk County

Storms near this place

20 since 1993

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Potter in 20 storm reports between 1993 and 2018: 8 thunderstorm wind, 7 hail, 2 tornado, 2 flash flood. The reports record 3 deaths and 30 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
April 2009Tornado (EF3)Potter3 killed, 30 hurt, $130,000,000A tornado began to the west-southwest of Mena, then tracked through the northwest side of Mena. According to the Polk County Judge, 165 houses were destroyed, 701 houses had major damage, and more than 11,000 trees were blown down. The Polk County Courthouse, county jail, Mena City Hall, and the police and fire departments were damaged in downtown Mena, as were several businesses. Mena Middle School, also located downtown, was structurally damaged beyond repair. A nursing home was also damaged. Most of the city lost electricity. The tornado then tracked to the northeast, badly damaging several industrial buildings. There was considerable roof damage at Rich Mountain Community College, and lesser damage to the hospital. As the tornado continued to the northeast, a tractor dealership was destroyed. A number of rural residences and farms were damaged as the tornado moved out into rural Polk County. North of Ink, damage was noted along Polk 74 and Polk 71; these same areas had been damaged by a tornado on October 6, 2008. Three fatalities occurred on the northwest side of Mena. One was a woman at a Masonic Lodge, and the others were a man and woman at separate residences.
May 2015Flash FloodPotter$100,000Several roads were washed out, and bridges along Polk County Road 40 and 95 were washed out completely.
July 2009LightningPotter$60,000A lightning strike set a house on fire on Polk County Road 93.
September 2013Thunderstorm WindPotter$10,000Several trees and power lines were blown down on U.S. 71.
October 2009Flash FloodPotter$5,000Roads were underwater.
October 2014Thunderstorm WindPotter$2,000Trees were blown down on U.S. 71.
April 2018Thunderstorm WindPotter-Multiple residents were without power and downed trees were blocking roads.
November 2005Tornado (F0)Potter-A weak tornado touched down in Polk County, about 1.5 miles northeast of Potter. Winds were estimated at 60 mph. A couple of older chicken houses sustained structural damage. A number of trees were also snapped off along the path of the tornado. The tornado dissipated about 1.8 miles southwest of Mena.
November 2001Thunderstorm WindPotter-Several trees were knocked down.
May 1997Thunderstorm WindPotter-Thunderstorm winds blew down a few trees.
March 1995Thunderstorm WindPotter-Thunderstorm winds blew down some trees and power lines.
March 2016HailPotter-no account filed
April 2004HailPotter-no account filed
April 2004HailPotter-no account filed
February 2000HailPotter-no account filed
April 1999Thunderstorm WindPotter-no account filed
August 1998HailPotter-no account filed
August 1998HailPotter-no account filed
March 1996Thunderstorm WindPotter-no account filed
April 1993HailPotter-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Polk 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.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Gann (historical)0.5 miles22
Potter Junction1.8 miles22
Two Mile (historical)3.0 miles22
Shady Grove3.0 miles22
Rocky3.1 miles22
Olivers Chapel4.3 miles22
Hatfield5.1 miles16
Center Point5.3 miles22

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on PotterAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q54888544The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 78086. 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.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.