Long story short, I'm in the process of finalizing the transfer of the property deed for a ~1.5 acre lot in Oxford, AR.

The property has been in the family since the 1960's, has access to electricity, and that's literally it. There is no address, there is no driveway, no mailbox, nothing.

As an avid fisherman from the Western Suburbs of Chicago, finding a local fishing spot can be difficult. Oxford is ~8.5 hours south of my home and by all accounts, seems like a great opportunity to potentially build a pole barn home & small pond.

I've purchased Mike Otto's book, waiting to receive it. Been reading threads here for hours every single day.

I'll be in St Louis for work next week, and I'm going to grab a rental car and go survey the land to better understand where my lot starts, ends, etc.

Should I start looking for a company that can do soil boring/testing? When I contacted Izard County, they told me Oxford had no zoning laws (Population is less than 1000 people) and gave me the impression I could simply start bringing in earth moving equipment. I don't think that's wise, but could admittedly use some contacts in the Arkansas area to assist me in telling me what is and is not possible on this land.

Any advice?

I don't know Arkansas laws so check that out first, then explore what size watershed is available to your potential pond and you are on the right track being concerned with the soil types. A 1.5 acre lot probably does not have a lot of options for location and pond size. An excessive watershed will not be a good thing...too much water flow through the pond can be challenging with respect to maintaining the dam/overflow system and can lead to a muddier pond that will fill in sooner than later...too little watershed and the pond dries up or never fills. Not to mention, with a smaller lot (1.5 acres), you will not have much control over the water shed. Of course, these watershed comments only apply to watershed ponds, unlike groundwater ponds.

Welcome to the forums by the way!

Thanks Noel!

I should've mentioned, my Aunt owns the neighboring lot which is also ~1.5 acres. Nobody in the extended family have been to either lot in decades, if at all.

I have zero doubt if that land is suitable for what I'd like to do, I could buy the neighboring lot from my Aunt.

I'm planning on checking out both properties and will report back my findings and pictures.

Looks like Oxford has a number of different terrains in the area. I'd suggest looking up the topo map and aerial maps and see if there is a slope, "holler", low spot or someplace for a pond beside the top of a ridge. And how big is the watershed. See what the neighbors are up to. Etc etc. All from the comfort of Chicago.

Added a topographic view of the approximate property location.

I'll get some pictures when I heard out there and report back. Any tools you guys recommend for plotting out land? Definitely a total rookie here!