The power of the plantation model: the sunk lands controversy

During the early 20th century the Department of the Interior strived to enhance the public domain and to aid homesteaders in their bid to settle on newly opened lands. In a number of areas, including the plantation belt of northeastern Arkansas, these efforts ran into serious obstacles. The sunken lands and swamps located near the St. Francis River began to be drained by state and local government agencies. Prominent local businessmen and big landowners raised the issue of riparian rights which, they maintained, granted them legal right to large tracts of the reclaimed land adjacent to their own property. A legal battle followed, culminating in the Supreme Court's 1917 'United States' v. 'Wilson' decision that the land belonged to the federal government. But the wording of the decision also led to its undoing; it gave supporters of riparian rights an opportunity to gain ownership through legislation. This route was pursued by the large landowners with great success. Although the total acreage available for farming in northeastern Arkansas soared, most remained in the hands of the plantation owners.