 After the Christmas Fire, the town struggled through most of the 20th century to recapture its former prosperity.This was made particularly difficult by the economic pressures of the Great Depression and the steady decline of passenger rail service through the area after World War II, which inevitably led to a contraction in the population of the town.The Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad ceased operation in 1958 after heavy rains washed out several bridges and a large section of track between Seligman and Beaver, Arkansas.