GENTRY — As I mentioned in my last column, 2012 marks the 40th anniversary of the outcome of a battle that spanned several years, when in 1972 an act of congress declared the Buffalo our country’s first National River.
This decision ensured that the river would remain a free-flowing stream and that the wilderness around it would be preserved. Although several groups and individuals stepped forward to oppose the building of proposed dams and to make sure the river was kept in its natural state, one of the leaders who took charge in the battle was Dr. Neil Compton of Bentonville.
A while back I spent a couple of intriguing hourswith Dr. Compton’s daughter, Ellen Compton, and learned just how strong their family’s ties are with our neck of the woods. I met Ms. Compton at the Special Collections sectionof Mullins Library on the University of Arkansas campus where she works. I was shown some of the items being gathered for special displays to commemorate her father’s accomplishments and to honor him on what would have been his 100th birthday later this summer.
Ms. Compton kindly shared her family’s fascinating history, including many old photographs that aided in bringing the stories to life. I took notes as I listened and watched with the hope I would collect enough details to share the interesting story with my readers. It seems evident that Dr. Compton’s inclination to appreciate and protect nature and later his resolve to stand up tosave a beautiful river was likely influenced by his early experiences as a youth living near Gentry.
Ms. Compton began the story with Dr. Neil Compton’s grandparents, David Compton, Sr., and Mary Eyre Haller Compton, who moved to the fruit-growing community of Orchard (now Gentry) in the late 1800s. Although he was originally from New Jersey, and she from Philadelphia, the couple had been living in Iowa at that time where Mr. Compton served as a school teacher and administrator. He brought his family here for a fresh start. Back in Iowa, they had endured traumatic hardships that included losing three little boys to scarlet fever (or a similar Illness), all occurring within just a few hours.
In search of a new home, David Compton, Sr., discovered Orchard while on a trip through the South when the train he was riding made a stop in the fruit-growing community. He appreciated the natural beauty of the area and decided the warmer climate and soil for crop growing would provide the means his family needed to live a happy, healthy lifestyle.
He brought his family (which included son Dave, Jr., Neil Compton’s father), to the area in 1891. They stayed in the Elberta Hotel in Orchard/Gentry for a time until they purchased land and moved to what isnow part of Wild Wilderness Drive-through Safari. The land had a nice spring for water, good soil for growing crops, and land for vineyards, fruit trees, vegetables and hay. Their new residence also provided plenty of room for the children, and later grandchildren, to roam and explore the land. David, Sr., a Princeton graduate, used his knowledge and expertise as an educator to see that his children (and later grandchildren) were well educated. He taught them many different subjects, including several foreign languages, which were of particular emphasis since hehad previously studied modern languages in Germany. In addition to academics, the children also learned about living off the land.
Although coming to Orchard/Gentry provided the family a new beginning, it was not an easy life. The crops made barely enough profit to get by. Mr. Compton attempted to get school jobs and he did teach at Gentry Academy for a while.
Upon his death in 1923, his obituary in the county paper praised “Professor Compton” as a man of exceptional good character and intelligence. His wife, Mary, who struggled to adjust to her life’s hardships and lack of wealth, lived until 1934.
Next time I will continue with more details about the Compton family’s years in the Gentry and other areas of Benton County. Darla Threet, librarian at the Gentry Public Library, provided the photo from an old post card of the Elberta Hotel taken about 1904.
Annette Rowe is a freelance writer from rural Gentry and a speech-language pathologist at Siloam Springs High School. She may be reached by email at [email protected].
Opinion, Pages 6 on 06/06/2012