Ida Mae Collier

Sod and Ida Mae Collier standing outside the front of their cabin

NPS Archives

Quick Facts

Significance:

Ozark Homesteader

Date of Birth:

November 16, 1882

Date of Death:

October 15, 1974

Place of Burial:

Leslie, Arkansas

Cemetery Name:

Elberta Cemetery

During the Great Depression, Ida Mae Collier, her husband Sod, and four of their seven children left their home in Kentucky and headed west in an old Ford truck toward a new life and new opportunities. One week and 600 miles later, they arrived on a hilltop high above the Buffalo River with only 15 cents to their family’s name. With some good old-fashioned Appalachian determination, this land would become their new home under the provisions of the Homestead Act of 1862.

Ida Mae and family spent nearly a decade making improvements to the property, including the construction of a log cabin, a barn, a smokehouse, a cistern, orchards, and agricultural fields. Ida Mae was a skilled herbalist known for growing a variety of medicinal plants and concocting home remedies for any ailment. The family also raised livestock and grew a variety of row crops on their 40-acre homestead. Ida Mae grew and canned apples and peaches, and the whole family hunted and fished for additional sustenance. Ida Mae’s story is yet another testament to the laborious but rewarding task of settling the rugged Ozarks.

The Colliers' handiwork can still be seen along the Riverview Trail at Tyler Bend. Imagine the immense sense of pride in forging a livelihood out of just 15 cents and the resources around you.