The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Des Arc was laid out in 1871. According to folk etymology, Des Arc, meaning "the bend", was so named from a big bend in the railroad at the town site. However, the State Historical Society of Missouri believes the name may be a corruption of aux arcs, the origin of the name Ozarks. A post office called Des Arc has been in operation since 1871.
Des Arc was significantly affected by tornadoes on two separate occasions in 2025. On March 14, an EF3 tornado affected the downtown area. On May 16, an EF2 tornado affected much of the same area.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Start Des Arc’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Des Arc’s history is told.
0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Des Arc, decade by decade
2000
Nothing in Des Arc is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Des Arc has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Sam A. Baker State Park Historic District in Des Arc, 6.3 miles away.
Des Arc and the nearest listed places
Closest to Des Arc
How a place gets listed
Then & now
When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.
Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.