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Arkansas County
Desha County, Arkansas
The Arkansas-Mississippi confluence and the Great Flood of 1927 - from the confluence of the Arkansas and Mississippi rivers at Arkansas City (one of the most significant river confluences in North America - the point where the Arkansas River enters the Mississippi after flowing 1,469 miles from the Colorado Rockies has been a landmark for river navigators for centuries) to the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 (Desha County was one of the most severely affected Arkansas counties in the catastrophic 1927 flood - the worst river disaster in American history - which displaced 700,000 people and prompted the federal Flood Control Act of 1928).
County SeatArkansas City
Population11,395
Founded1838
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Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Desha County Office of Emergency Management
Address: 2nd & Main, Arkansas City, AR 71630
Phone: (870) 877-2431
Alert System: AR Alert; CodeRed; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Contact county OEM; McGehee community facilities
FEMA Region: Region 6
Notes: Southeast Arkansas Delta county at confluence of Arkansas and Mississippi Rivers; McGehee is the largest city; Arkansas City is the county seat (small community on the Mississippi River); extreme flood risk (between two major rivers with complex levee systems); tornado corridor; majority African American county; one of Arkansas’s most economically distressed counties; site of Rohwer and Jerome Japanese American Internment Camps during WWII
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Road Dept: Desha County Road Department – (870) 877-2431
Public Transit: Very limited; rural Delta county
Road Conditions: ARDOT – idrivearkansas.com
Notes: US-65 and US-165 are main corridors; McGehee is the largest community and regional center; flat Delta terrain; levee roads are important county infrastructure; very rural
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Desha County – (870) 877-2431
Services: Basic building permits; McGehee, Dumas, Dermott separate
Notes: Very limited development; agricultural Delta county; rice and soybean farming dominant; one of Arkansas’s poorest counties
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Desha County Veterans Service Office – (870) 877-2431
VA Medical: Central Arkansas VA (Little Rock); very distant
Services: Benefits claims, VA healthcare enrollment
Notes: Remote rural county; VA access is a major challenge; telehealth critical
Services: Books, public computers, Wi-Fi, children’s programs; WWII internment camp history collection
Notes: Library system holds significant materials related to the Rohwer and Jerome Japanese American internment camps – unique WWII history in this county
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Rohwer Japanese American Relocation Center Memorial (National Historic Landmark – site of WWII internment camp where 8,475 Japanese Americans were held 1942-1945; cemetery with remarkable monuments created by internees); Jerome Relocation Center site (second internment camp); Mississippi River levee access; Arkansas River confluence recreation; Desha County Museum (McGehee – WWII internment history); duck hunting (White River NWR nearby)
Notes: Desha County is historically significant for two WWII Japanese American internment camps – Rohwer and Jerome; the Rohwer cemetery has extraordinary stone monuments created by the internees themselves and is a National Historic Landmark; Japanese American families continue to make pilgrimages to these sites; the Delta’s wetlands provide excellent waterfowl hunting; the Arkansas-Mississippi River confluence is geographically significant
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Very limited; Arkansas GIS – gis.arkansas.gov
Notes: Rural Delta county; state GIS primary; Army Corps levee mapping critical
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Desha County Animal Control – (870) 877-2431
Services: Very basic animal control
Notes: Extremely limited resources; one of Arkansas’s most economically distressed counties
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Desha County – (870) 877-2431
Environmental: Arkansas DEQ; Army Corps of Engineers (Mississippi and Arkansas River levees – critical); agricultural drainage management; rice field chemical use
Notes: The levee system protecting Desha County from the Mississippi and Arkansas Rivers is among the most critical infrastructure in Arkansas; Army Corps of Engineers maintains these levees; agricultural chemical use in rice and soybean production monitored by ADEQ; limited environmental management capacity; very limited waste management infrastructure
About Desha County
Desha County is southeast Arkansas’s Arkansas-Mississippi confluence county – the great river junction at Arkansas City and the county’s devastating 1927 flood experience define a Delta community shaped by water above all else.
Arkansas City (the county seat, population ~300) sits at the confluence of the Arkansas and Mississippi rivers – one of the most historically significant river junctions in North America. The community was nearly destroyed in 1927 and has never fully recovered its former prominence.
Dumas (population ~4,000) is the county’s largest commercial community, serving the agricultural delta region.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Local DHS offices: McGehee and/or Dumas (confirm via dhs.arkansas.gov)
Note: High poverty rate — significant DHS/Medicaid utilization
Recommended
Search Desha County public records for Arkansas City, Dumas, and Desha County residents.
Courts & Legal
Desha County Circuit Clerk at 102 E. Front Street, Arkansas City, AR 71630, phone 870-877-2431, handles probate.
Senior Services
Area Agency on Aging: Southeast Arkansas Area Agency on Aging (SEAAAA) — serves Desha County
Meals on Wheels, transportation, senior centers
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
204 W. Atlantic Dr., Arkansas City, AR 71630
(870) 877-2323
CIRCUIT CLERK (Deeds, Court Records)
204 W. Atlantic Dr., Arkansas City, AR 71630
(870) 877-2323
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Desha County Circuit Clerk (marriage licenses, will and estate case files – see Probate section above)
Local societies
Desha County Historical Society, 240 Stevens Road, Tillar, AR 71670
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Desha County Circuit Clerk – Probate Division 608 Robert S. Moore Avenue, Arkansas City, AR 71630 (870) 222-0930 Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Arkansas has one of the more generous small-estate thresholds in the country, so check this first.
Small Estate Affidavit – for estates where total property value (after debts, excluding the homestead and statutory spousal/minor-child allowances) is $100,000 or less. Available 45 days after the death. Filed using Form 23 (Affidavit for Collection of Small Estate by Distributee) under Ark. Code § 28-41-101 – no personal representative is appointed, and no full administration is needed.
Independent Administration – available when the will authorizes it, or when all heirs agree to it. The personal representative acts with minimal court oversight at each step.
Supervised Administration – the traditional, more heavily court-involved track; used for contested estates or when independent administration isn’t available or agreed to.
Administration with Will Annexed – used when a valid will doesn’t name an executor, or the named executor can’t or won’t serve.
If using the small estate affidavit
Wait at least 45 days after the death.
Confirm the estate’s total value (after debts, excluding homestead and statutory allowances) is $100,000 or less and there are no unresolved claims against the estate.
Complete Form 23, the Affidavit for Collection of Small Estate by Distributee, listing the property and heirs.
File it with the Probate Clerk, or present it with a certified death certificate directly to banks or other institutions holding the property.
If filing for independent or supervised administration
Gather the original will (if any), a certified death certificate, a list of assets/debts, and names of heirs.
File a Petition for Probate of Will and Appointment of Personal Representative (Form 3, if there’s a will) or a Petition for Appointment of Administrator/Administratrix (Form 2, if there isn’t) with the Probate Division. Filing fee is $165.
If there’s a will, the court formally admits it to probate; the court then issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
The personal representative must file an inventory of estate assets within 2 months of appointment.
Creditor notice must be published in a local newspaper, plus direct notice to known creditors; creditors then have 6 months from the date of first publication to file claims.
If independent administration applies, the personal representative can act on most matters without seeking court approval at each step.
After debts are resolved, the personal representative files a final settlement with the court; once approved, the estate closes.
What it costs
Small estate affidavit: no separate court filing fee (a nominal recording fee may apply depending on what’s being transferred).
Formal probate filing fee: $165 (may vary somewhat by county).
Personal representative and attorney compensation: no fixed statutory rate – courts typically look to roughly 2–5% of the estate’s value as a reasonable baseline, subject to court approval as “just and reasonable.”
No state estate tax or inheritance tax in Arkansas.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
Arkansas City, AR 71630
(870) 877-2381
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Unit
(870) 877-2332
DHS / SNAP / Medicaid
(800) 482-8988
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Desha County Health Unit – McGehee: (870) 222-5223
Services: Immunizations, WIC, family planning, STI testing, environmental health, vital records
Notes: Small critical access hospital; severe health disparities in this Delta county; some of the worst health outcomes in Arkansas; WIC and prenatal care critically important; poverty-driven health challenges
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