Ink is an unincorporated community in Polk County, Arkansas, United States.[1] The elevation of Ink is 1,033 feet.[2]

Ink, Arkansas
Road marker for Ink
Road marker for Ink
Ink, Arkansas is located in Arkansas
Ink, Arkansas
Ink, Arkansas
Ink, Arkansas is located in the United States
Ink, Arkansas
Ink, Arkansas
Coordinates: 34°35′14″N 94°07′27″W / 34.58722°N 94.12417°W / 34.58722; -94.12417
CountryUnited States
StateArkansas
CountyPolk
Elevation
1,033 ft (315 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code479
GNIS feature ID72147[1]

A popular and apocryphal story of how the town got its name in 1887 is one based on a misunderstanding. When the townsfolk were completing the government application to establish a post office, they interpreted the instruction "Please write in ink" literally and entered the name "Ink" as the proposed town name.[3] This was accepted as the official name.[4]

The true story is that many towns were trying to register at the same time, and the United States Postal Service was trying very hard to limit the number of duplicate place names. Postmasters of the various post offices trying to register their towns were required to give several name alternatives. Most towns did not get their first, second, or even third choices. Ink was actually the second choice, the first being "Melon."[5]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "Ink, Arkansas". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ Arkansas Hometown Locator. Retrieved May 2009.
  3. ^ Remington, Frank L. (September 8, 1969). "Take a Good Look at the US Map. Towns Have the Craziest Names". The Milwaukee Journal. p. 1. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  4. ^ "Colorful Names". Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism. Archived from the original on November 24, 2013. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  5. ^ HOW THE TOWN OF INK, ARKANSAS GOT ITS NAME. Retrieved April 2013.