Aurora

History

The Honey Creek area, near Aurora, was originally settled by pioneers from Tennessee, including James D. Hillhouse, E. B. Hillhouse, Reverend A. A. Young, James Barrow and James Gibson. They were later instrumental in founding Aurora. Their descendants include actor Brad Pitt and novelist and national security analyst Raelynn Hillhouse. Aurora was platted in 1870 by Stephen G. Elliott. It was reportedly named after Aurora, the Roman goddess of dawn. Galena ore was discovered in 1885 while digging a well on the farm of Thomas D. Liles in November, marking the beginning of Aurora as a mining town. Mining of surface outcrops began in 1886. Large scale commercial mining began shortly afterwards as the mines grew deeper and zinc and galena were discovered. The zinc from the Aurora mines was of exceptional purity and high grade. By 1893, 12,651 tons of zinc ore were mined and shipped from Aurora. The mines attracted prospectors and miners. Aurora's population peaked at 10,000 circa 1900. The Frisco Railroad (now Burlington Northern-Santa Fe) and the Missouri Pacific (now Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad) previously had depots in Aurora. The train master for the Missouri Pacific Railroad's White River division was headquartered in Aurora until the mid-1950s. From 1911 to 1920, the virulently anti-Catholic newspaper The Menace was published in Aurora by W. F. Phelps and Earl McClure. In 1914, it achieved a national circulation of over one million, according to the March 1932 issue of American Mercury.

Geography

Aurora is located at (36.969956, -93.720574). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  397
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  385
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  355
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  276
• Common Grackle

  Quiscalus quiscula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  275
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  240
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  225
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  221

Largest nearby schools

• AURORA HIGH
  High · AURORA · 573 students · 15.9:1 ratio
• ROBINSON SCHOOL
  Elementary · AURORA · 535 students · 12.7:1 ratio
• PATE EARLY CHILDHOOD CTR.
  Elementary · AURORA · 497 students · 12.4:1 ratio
• MARIONVILLE ELEM
  Elementary · Marionville · 368 students · 13.1:1 ratio
• AURORA JR. HIGH
  Middle · AURORA · 283 students · 12.3:1 ratio
• MARIONVILLE HIGH
  High · MARIONVILLE · 207 students · 12.9:1 ratio
• VERONA HIGH
  High · VERONA · 195 students · 10.3:1 ratio
• VERONA ELEM.
  Elementary · VERONA · 170 students · 11.3:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.52 — 2017-06-21
  6 km N of Bergman, Arkansas
• M 2.89 — 2017-06-16
  6 km N of Bergman, Arkansas
• M 3.6 — 2017-06-11
  6 km NNE of Bergman, Arkansas
• M 2.52 — 2015-05-13
  8 km E of Lead Hill, Arkansas
• M 2.6 — 2010-05-21
  2 km SW of Centerton, Arkansas
• M 2.5 — 2010-04-29
  3 km SW of Centerton, Arkansas