Arkansas City, first known as Creswell, was settled in 1870, was chartered as a city under its present name in 1872 and was rechartered in 1880.
In 1829 the Safety-Fund Act was passed, which required each bank thereafter chartered or rechartered to pay into the state treasury 3% of its capital stock other than that owned by the state, and from this fund the debts of insolvent banks were to be paid.
Hartford was first chartered in 1784, was rechartered in 1856 (the charter of that date has been subsequently revised), and in 1881 was made coterminous with the township of Hartford.
The first settlement was made here in 1830; and the place which was named in honour of the explorer, Rene Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, was chartered as a city in 1852 and rechartered in 1876.
It was officially organized in part in 1847, formally incorporated as a town in 1850, chartered under its present name in 1853, rechartered in 1875, in 1889 and in 1908.