Halfway to St. Louis
Corning, like many towns across Arkansas, was a product of the railroad. In late 1872, the Cairo & Fulton Railroad met the Iron Mountain Railroad on the Arkansas-Missouri border. The Cairo & Fulton came north out of Little Rock. The Iron Mountain came south out of St. Louis. As the crow flies, Corning is 150 miles from Little Rock and 155 miles from St. Louis.
Source: arkansasonline.com