PEA RIDGE — Editor’s Note: The following article is from Billie Jines’ 1996 booklet, “The Streets of Pea Ridge.” It has been updated to include new streets and those scheduled for future development.
Pickens Road - Runs east-west all the way through town, passing the downtown business section and school campus and becoming a county road at both the east and the west later. Here, again, two brothers, Cyrus L. Pickens and Robert A. Pickens, of the 34th Arkansas Infantry and the 15th Arkansas Infantry, respectively, lived on that road after the war.
Cyrus L. was the judge for Pea Ridge for 31 years, and Robert A., at one time, was Benton County sheriff.
Both were among the 100 original shareholders, who made possible the founding of the Bank of Pea Ridge in 1911.
Pike Street - A twoblock-long one at the north end of Curtis Avenue, dead-end at the west and running into Clark Street behind the school campus at the east. It honors Brig.
Gen. Albert J. Pike. General Pike led the Indian Brigadeat the Battle of Pea Ridge.
He was a colorful Arkansas teacher, poet, editor and a lawyer.
Price Street - Three blocks long, it goes from North Curtis Avenue to Carr Street and honors Major Gen. Sterling Price.
Gen. Price is reported and documented to have been hit when a bullet went through his right arm below the elbow and hit him in the side, causing a contusion. This took place early on March 7, on the first day’s fighting around Elkhorn Tavern. The general did not get off of his horse, staying put but having an aide bandage his arm with handkerchiefs.
In fact, there he sits on his horse during the fighting on March 8 and again as the retreat is about to begin. These can be seen in paintings of the battle by Hunt P. Wilson, who was there. Price is seen withhis right arm bandaged and him handling his horse with the left arm.
Rains Street - A oneblock long street between South Curtis Avenue and South Davis Street. It is the second street south of Lee Town Road. Honors Brig.
Gen. James S. Rains of the 8th Division Missouri State Guard.
Sims Lane - East off North Weston near West Pickens Road. It was named for Col. W.B. Sims, who led the 9th Texas Cavalry for the Confederacy.
Slack Street is Arkansas Hwy. 72 West - Heads west from Curtis Avenue. It honors the third general killed at the Battle of Pea Ridge, Brig. Gen.
William Y. Slack, who led the 2nd Missouri Brigade.
Gen. Slack had been seriously wounded the August before the Battle of Pea Ridge when he fought at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek near Springfield. He had not completely recovered at the battle here. At Pea Ridge, a bullet struck him in the abdomen only inches from his earlier wound. Mortally wounded, he was carried to a fieldhospital at the tanyard and later moved to a farmhouse on Rollers Ridge near the present site of Gateway.
There he died March 20, 1862, several days after the battle. He was buried in that area, but in 1880, his body was re-interred in the Confederate Cemetery at Fayetteville. His widow brought their two sons for the service. One son had only been six months old when his father had been killed, but was 18 years old when he came for the reburial at Fayetteville.
There are two monuments on the Pea Ridge National Military Park, not including grave markers in Ford Cemetery. One of the two monuments bears the names of the generals killed at Pea Ridge: Mc-Culloch, McIntosh and Slack. Pea Ridge has a street that honors each ofthem.
Stone Street - Turns east off of North Curtis Avenue opposite the street named Patton, goes one block passing the Church of Christ as it heads to North Davis Street. Honors J.A. Stone, Co. K, 4th Arkansas.
Opinion, Pages 4 on 03/28/2012