Contact: Sharon Kanehl 870-404-1088; sharonkanehl@yahoo.com.

I am the poor person’s job and comfort, the rich person’s prize, the right hand of capital, the silent partner of thousands of successful people.

I am solace of the widow, the comfort of old age, and the cornerstone of security against misfortune and want. I am handed down through generations as a possession of great value.

I am the choicest fruit of labor, the safest collateral and yet I am humble. I stand before each person bidding them to know me for what I am and asking them to possess me.

I am quietly growing in value through countless days. Though I might seem dormant, my worth increases, never falling, never ceasing. Time is my aid and the ever increasing population adds to my gain. I defy fire and the elements, for they cannot destroy me.

My possessors learn to believe in me and invariably they become envied by those that have passed me by. While all other things wither and decay, I alone survive. The centuries find me younger, always increasing in strength. All oil and minerals come from me. I am the producer of food, building materials and the home to every living thing. I serve as the foundation for homes, factories, banks and stores.

I have not been produced for millions of years yet, I am so common that thousands, unthinking and unknowingly, pass me by.

Who am I? I AM LAND.                                                         ……..Anonymous

I received this from my friend Sandy Lantrip, The “LANDlady” from Ethel, LA. You need land in Louisiana and Mississippi, you call Sandy. www.thelandlady.net

When you visit or pass through Leslie, a town of four or five hundred, you would not even guess that it once supported a population of 10,000 or more people around 1900. What was the reason for this? Whiskey Barrels! Whiskey barrels from Leslie, Arkansas were known around the world. Leslie was the largest cooperage plant in the world at that time producing from 3,000 to 4,500 barrels a day. White Oak was plentiful around the area and supplied the “staves” to make the barrels. Miles and miles of tracks were laid for the trains to go into the mountains and retrieve the white oak logs. By 1910 Leslie was a “booming” community with plenty of employment. Trains, hotels, eating places and other businesses were thriving.

Prior to 1900 Leslie was known as Wiley’s Cove. Chief Wiley, from which it was named, was one of the prominent Indians that had settled in the area along with Chief Owl. Both were reported to be wealthy men. It does not take you long to realize why the Indians settled in this area. The beauty of the creeks and rivers and mountains are the natural habitat of an abundance of wildlife including deer, turkey, small game, fish and black bear. The grace and beauty of a bald eagle soaring along the river is a sight to behold. This alone will make you feel “wealthy”. Elk have been re-introduced into Searcy County and are thriving. Clear water, high bluffs and large valleys are arranged in a way that only Almighty God can speak into being.

Leslie is being re-vitalized. Many of the old buildings have been restored and now house some of the best Antiques and Collectables to be found anywhere. It is a place to enjoy quality of life, local arts, culture, and neighbors you know by name. Come and be a part of a unique Arkansas Ozark Mountain Experience.

Finding Your Ozark Sanctuary…That’s What We Do!