Rancho Grande 1936

A Historic 320‑Acre Park in Southern Miller County

Alex Smith Park and Nature Center—also known locally as Smith Park or Miller County Park—is a 320‑acre public park located approximately 15 miles south of Texarkana, Arkansas/Texas along Arkansas Highway 237 (Blackman Ferry Road), just a half‑mile south of the Sulphur River.
The land was generously donated in 1962 by Mr. Alex Smith, a prominent farmer, rancher, and oilman whose legacy continues to shape Miller County. Originally gifted jointly to the City of Texarkana, Arkansas and Miller County, the property later came under the sole ownership of Miller County. Today, the park is operated by a committee of private citizens under the supervision of the Miller County Judge and the Miller County Quorum Court.

The Life and Legacy of Alex Smith

Born in 1862 during the Civil War, Alex Smith entered the world on a large ranch in far south Texas near the Mexican border. His family, Unionist in a region dominated by Confederate sympathies, temporarily relocated to their ranch near Tampico, Mexico, where they cultivated oranges and other crops.
After the war, the family returned to Texas to find their ranch buildings burned, livestock gone, and wells destroyed. While the exact date of Alex Smith’s arrival in Miller County is unknown, local accounts suggest he may have settled here as early as the mid‑1880s.

Rancho Grande: The Arkansas Home of Alex Smith

The large white home at the park entrance served as Mr. Smith’s residence. According to longtime resident Glenn Blackman, whose family worked for Mr. Smith, the house was likely built in the late 1920s or early 1930s. The structure incorporates an earlier log cabin, estimated to date to around 1885, suggesting Smith may have established his presence in Miller County during that period.
Over time, Alex Smith assembled a ranch of approximately 6,700 acres, with the 320 acres now comprising the park forming part of his Arkansas holdings. The name “Rancho Grande”, still displayed at the park entrance, reflects both the scale of his ranch and his deep ties to Mexico.

A Distinctive Figure in Miller County History

Few residents remain who personally remember Alex Smith, but those who do describe an older gentleman with a dignified Latin presence, always dressed in a white suit and driven by his Mexican chauffeur. The chauffeur and his wife lived in the upper floor of the former carriage house—today the residence of the park caretakers.

Alex and his wife Belle divided their time between their Arkansas ranch and their summer home in Tampico, where they owned oil interests and a housing development.
Mr. Smith passed away in 1962 at the age of 100. He and Belle, who preceded him in death, are buried in Pine Crest Cemetery in Atlanta, Texas. In addition to their Arkansas ranch, they left behind a 30,000‑acre ranch and an orange grove in Mexico.