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.
Topographic sheets covering this place
10 surveys from 22 printed sheetsMatched 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.
- 1890 USGS Poteau Mountain quadrangle1:125000, 2 printings
- 1899 USGS Poteau Mountain quadrangle1:125000, 6 printings
- 1950 USGS Mcalester quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Potter quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Potter quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1962 USGS Mc Alester quadrangle1:250000
- 1962 USGS McAlester quadrangle1:250000
- 1965 USGS Mc Alester quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1965 USGS McAlester quadrangle1:250000
- 1989 USGS Mena quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
65 since 1996Regional 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 burning | 22 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 19 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 12 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 3 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 2 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 September 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 9.0 acres | Ouachita National Forest | TITSWORTH |
| 27 September 2011 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 26 September 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 25 September 2012 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 25 September 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 20 September 2004 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Ouachita National Forest | MILL CREEK |
| 19 September 2001 | Debris and open burning | 10 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 18 September 1997 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
7 within 5 milesRegional 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 | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bee Mountain | Barium-Barite | Prospect | ||
| Don H Williams | Barium-Barite | Prospect | ||
| Dierks Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Bedded | |
| 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 |
Storms near this place
20 since 1993Regional 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2009 | Tornado (EF3) | Potter | 3 killed, 30 hurt, $130,000,000 | A 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 2015 | Flash Flood | Potter | $100,000 | Several roads were washed out, and bridges along Polk County Road 40 and 95 were washed out completely. |
| July 2009 | Lightning | Potter | $60,000 | A lightning strike set a house on fire on Polk County Road 93. |
| September 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Potter | $10,000 | Several trees and power lines were blown down on U.S. 71. |
| October 2009 | Flash Flood | Potter | $5,000 | Roads were underwater. |
| October 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Potter | $2,000 | Trees were blown down on U.S. 71. |
| April 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Potter | - | Multiple residents were without power and downed trees were blocking roads. |
| November 2005 | Tornado (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 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Potter | - | Several trees were knocked down. |
| May 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Potter | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down a few trees. |
| March 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Potter | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down some trees and power lines. |
| March 2016 | Hail | Potter | - | no account filed |
| April 2004 | Hail | Potter | - | no account filed |
| April 2004 | Hail | Potter | - | no account filed |
| February 2000 | Hail | Potter | - | no account filed |
| April 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Potter | - | no account filed |
| August 1998 | Hail | Potter | - | no account filed |
| August 1998 | Hail | Potter | - | no account filed |
| March 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Potter | - | no account filed |
| April 1993 | Hail | Potter | - | no account filed |
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 | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gann (historical) | 0.5 miles | 22 | |
| Potter Junction | 1.8 miles | 22 | |
| Two Mile (historical) | 3.0 miles | 22 | |
| Shady Grove | 3.0 miles | 22 | |
| Rocky | 3.1 miles | 22 | |
| Olivers Chapel | 4.3 miles | 22 | |
| Hatfield | 5.1 miles | 16 | |
| Center Point | 5.3 miles | 22 |
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 Potter | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q54888544 | The 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.









