Lake Village, AR

Lake Village is Chicot County's seat on the west bank of Lake Chicot, the large oxbow left when the Mississippi changed course. The lake gave the city its name and its original pull: river traffic, fishing, and a county town that had to move inland after earlier seats at Vilemont, Columbia, and Masona were lost or proved ill-suited. The Lake Village Commercial Historic District keeps the older commercial center legible, while the courthouse and county offices keep the seat visible. A local legend places Hernando de Soto's burial beneath the lake, adding a story that the town still carries. Lake Village is an Arkansas Delta town where farm country, county government, and a Mississippi backwater meet.