Who Is Fergus Snoddy?

Jonesboro, Arkansas

Now the sixth largest city in Arkansas, Jonesboro was established in 1859 in the northeastern corner of Arkansas on the edge of Crowley's Ridge, about fifteen miles from the current state park.  The new city became the seat of Craighead County and a major railway for trains passing through northern Arkansas.  The rail system brought tremendous growth to the new city, even as nearby towns along the ridge dwindled and vanished.  The city is now home to over 55,000 residents.

The Founding of Jonesboro

In the fall of 1859, four men set out on horseback to find a location for the new county seat.  They found the highest location in the area and then walked about 150 yards west to a spot that is now the southwest corner of the Main Street and Oak Avenue.  This area seemed appropriate to serve as the center of the new town, so the men drove a wooden stake into the ground and officially named the town Jonesboro.

Jonesboro was later reestablished in another location when a local farmer took an interest in the new town.  Fergus Snoddy offered fifteen acres of his family farm in hopes that he might benefit from his close proximity to the town's foundation.  The county land surveyor of J.N. Burk found a slight clearing in the woods on the newly acquired land, which seemed like an ideal location to establish the town center.  Hunters resisted the new developments, because this clearing was one of the best deer crossings in the region.  The swampy area nearby was visited by thousands of ducks in the winter months, and the banks of Lost Creek served as excellent feeding grounds for wild turkeys.

Despite the misgivings of local hunters, the newly acquired land was soon divided into lots, and revenues from sales were used to build a new frame courthouse.  Construction of the courthouse began in 1862, but a fire destroyed this building in 1869.  Jonesboro's modern day courthouse still resides on the same plot as the original courhouse.

The Birth of Craighead County

During the 1850's, county officials had difficulty governing the growing populations of northeastern Arkansas, because the distances between these large counties were too far to travel by horseback.  In 1858, Senator William A. Jones of St. Francis and Poinsett Counties suggested that the Greene, Poinsette, and Mississippi Counties each contribute excess land to create a new county.  Senator Jones believed that the smaller counties that resulted from this change would be easier to govern.  Each time Senator Jones proposed his idea to the Legislature, the bill met opposition from Senator Thomas B. Criaghead of Crittenden and Mississsippi Counties.  Senator Craighead repeatedly delayed the bill from coming to a vote, thus stalemating the effort for a time.

Senator Jones supposedly arranged for Senator Craighead to be called out of the senate chamber for several minutes in order to bring the bill to a vote.  With Senator Craighead out of the chamber, the bill was finally passed, and the new county was created.  On February 19, 1859, Senator Jones proposed that the county be named "Craighead" after the senator who had opposed its creation so vehemently.  In turn, Senator Craighead motioned to name the new county seat "Jonesboro" after Senator Jones.

Jonesboro Up Close

If you would like more information regarding Jonesboro or the history of Jonesboro, please visit the following sites.

Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce

City of Jonesboro