Oark, AR

Along the Mulberry River, Oark occupies a Johnson County stretch of Highway 215. The road is one of the river corridor's access routes, and current management work addresses riparian conditions and erosion along the watershed. Oark School remains on the highway, serving grades K-12 under the Jasper School District. At the center of its campus stands a southern red oak estimated at more than 300 years old; a marker in front of the school records its dedication in 2012. Oark's local map brings a river road, an active school, and a centuries-old tree into the same setting.