ArkansasJames F. KasermanSarah J. Kaserman

I Save A TreeElectronic Books

"The people rule"

Little Rock

C 2003 I Save A Tree Inc. ISBN# 0-9714299-1-X

The United States of America

Table of Contents

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Location 5

History before statehood 7

History since statehood 9

State government 11

State flag 13

Current facts 15

Industry today 17

State landmarks 19

Weather and land 21

Animals in Arkansas 23

State bird 25

State tree 27

State flower 29

Famous people from Arkansas 31

Things to do in Arkansas 33

Popular sports in Arkansas 35

Fast facts 37

Glossary 39

Web sites / books for information 41

Index 43

Credits 45

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Location

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Little Rock

Arkansas is a Southern state. It isthe western most state of the regioncalled the South. Arkansas is borderedby the states of Oklahoma,Texas,Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri andTennessee. The Mississippi River runsalong its eastern border with the statesof Mississippi and Tennessee. The RedRiver forms a southwestern borderwith Texas.

The capital is Little Rock. It is locatedin the center of the state.

HistoryBefore Statehood

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The Louisiana purchase

The Quapaw Nation flag

Before the Europeans arrived, themain Native American tribes in the

area were theCaddo, Osage andQuapaw. Startingin the mid-1500s,

Spain and Francelaid claim to thearea. In 1803, thenew UnitedStates bought the Arkansas land from France as part of the Louisiana Purchase.In 1819, the U.S. organized the Arkansasarea as a territory.

HistorySince Statehood

Confederate soldiers

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Bauxite

Arkansas became a state on June15, 1836. Many farmers grew cottonand forced slaves to pick it.. In the Civil

War (1861-1865),Arkansas foughtwith the South,the side thatwanted to keepslavery. The Southlost the war.

In the late1800s, railroadsbrought in newpeople.. Rice andsoybean farms,large sawmills and the mining of bauxitewere started. Oil was discovered in 1921,and many oil wells sprang up.

Government

Governor Mike Huckabee

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Judicial branch

The state government of Arkansasis divided into three branches. Thelegislative branch is called the GeneralAssembly. It makes the laws.The General

Assembly has twoparts, the Senateand the House ofRepresentatives.Governor MikeHuckabee is headof the executivebranch. This

branch isin charge ofcarrying out thelaws. The thirdbranch is thejudicial branch.This branch interprets the laws.

Arkansas has 75 counties. Eachcounty has a local government.

State Flag

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The Arkansasstate flag wasadopted in 1913.It has a redbackground. The diamond shaperepresents the fact that Arkansas is theonly place in North America wherediamonds are mined.

The 25 white stars in the diamondrefer to Arkansas being the 25th stateto join the U.S. The three large starsin the center represent Spain, Franceand the U.S.The large starat the toprepresents theConfederacy.

Current Facts

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Meadow

Rock quarry

Over 2,673,400 people live in Arkansas. The state is ranked the 33rd largest state for the number of people living in it. The state covers 52,075square miles. It ranks 27th in total area in the U.S.

Arkansas has so many factories, farms,mines and natural resources, that itis sometimes called "The Land of Opportunity." Wal-Mart stores were founded in Arkansas in Bentonville.

IndustryToday

Grinder

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Diamond jewelry

The manufacture of electricequipment, fabricated metal productsand machinery is big business inArkansas. The processing of agriculture

products such aspoultry and eggs,soybeans, cattle,cotton, rice, hogsand milk are alsoimportant to theeconomy.

Arkansas is rich in natural resources.It is the largest producer of bauxite inthe U.S. Outside of Murfreesboro,prospectorscan search fordiamonds,amethyst,garnet andquartz.

Landmarks

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Quapaw Hot Springs

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Ozark forest

Arkansas isfamous for hotsprings, placeswhere hot waternaturally bubblesto the surface.People believe the minerals in thewaters are helpful for aches and pains.Hot Springs, Arkansas has 47 hotsprings with a temperature of 143°Fahrenheit.

Mammoth Springs is one of thelargest springs in the world. Arkansashas many state and national parks.The Ozark National Forestcovers morethan onemillion acres.Magnet Coveclaims 102varieties ofminerals.

Weather & Land

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Wild flowers

Thunderstrom

Arkansas haswarm-to-hotsummers andcool winters.The average

temperature in July is 81° Fahrenheit and in January it is 40° . The annual averagetemperature is 62°. Arkansas has fivemain land regions.

The land elevation in the state rangesfrom 54 feet above sea level in the farsoutheast cornerto 2,753 feet atMount Magazine.On average, itrains 42 inchesannually.

Animals

In Arkansas

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Weasel

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Snakes

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The white-tail deer is the stateanimal. It lives in the Arkansas forestswith bobcats, foxes, squirrels and rabbits.Animals in the mountains include:

minks, muskrats,opossums,raccoons, skunks,weasels andwoodchucks.

Ducks, wildturkeys andgeese live inthe regionalong withmanysongbirds. The 600,000 acres of lakesand 9,700 miles of streams and riversare home to many kinds of fish, lizards,turtles and snakes.

State Bird

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Mockingbird

Mockingbird

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The mocking-bird (Mimuspolyglottos) wasnamed the statebird of Arkansasin 1929. It has a

white breast and light gray coat. Thewings and tail are darker gray withwhite markings. The bird builds a nestin low trees and bushes and fiercelydefends it.

The mockingbird eats insects, lizards,crayfish, weed seeds and wild fruitsand berries. Themockingbird gotits name frommocking orcopying thesounds of otherbirds.

State Tree

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Pine tree

Pine cone

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The pine tree(Pinus) was namedthe state tree ofArkansas in 1939.The pine tree is anevergreen tree.

Pine trees have needle-shaped leavesthat grow in bunches. Instead of flowersand fruit, pine trees have pine cones.

Pine cones areseed makers.Two kinds ofsouthern pinesare common inthe state, the loblolly and short-leaf pine.The southern yellow pine can grow100 feet tall. It is grown and harvestedfor lumber.

State Flower

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Apple blossom

Apple blossom

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The flower ofthe apple tree(Pinus coronaria)was named thestate flower on

January 30, 1901 . Apple blossoms havepink and white petals that open inspring. Johnny Appleseed, an early settler,

is credited with planting most of theearly apple trees in northern Arkansas.Arkansas usedto have manyapple orchards.Today, it is nolonger a majorapple-producingstate.

Famous People

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Bill Clinton

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Douglas McArthur

One of America's most famous army generals, Douglas MacArthur, wasborn in Little Rock. Former President of the United States

William JeffersonClinton was born

in Hope, Arkansas.

Notable authors and poets fromArkansas include Maya Angelou,John Grisham,Helen Gurley Brown and John GouldFletcher. Many singers and actors are also Arkansans.

Things to Do

In Arkansas

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Night fishing

Dulcimer

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Musician

People go toArkansas to hunt,fish or prospect forminerals natural tothe state.. Othersenjoy the hot

springs and mineral waters. There aremany places to camp and hike inArkansas.

The Ozark Mountains are known forarts and crafts.. People who live theremake cornhuskdolls, fiddles,dulcimers,baskets and quilts.The largest makerof dulcimers in theworld is located inMountain View.

SportsIn Arkansas

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_______________________Jumping Toad

Arkansas enjoys high school andcollege football. The team at theUniversity of Arkansas is called the

"Razorbacks," andtheir cheer is ahog call. TheRazorbacks havewon manychampionships andbowl games.

Some unusualsports takeplace inArkansas. TheWorld Championship Duck CallingContest takes place in Stuttgart.Another sport is a toad-jumpingcontest.

Fast Facts

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Governor: Mike HuckabeeCapital: Little RockSize: 52,075 square miles, 27th in the U.S.Population: 2,673,400 people, 33rd in theU.S.Major cities: Little Rock, Fayetteville, FortSmith, Conway, Jonesboro, Hot SpringsNickname: "The Natural State"State animal: white-tail deerState bird: mockingbirdState flower: apple blossomState tree: pine treeState song: "Arkansas" and "Oh, Arkansas"State motto: "The people rule" ( Regnatpopulus) Sawgrass

Arkansas mountain valley

Glossary

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amethyst, a gemstone containing clearpurple or bluish-violet quartz.bauxite, a rock that contains theprincipal ore of aluminum.dulcimer, a musical instrument withmetal strings that are struck with lighthammers.fabricated, to construct or manufacturesomething.fiercely, menacingly wild, savage orhostile.

notable, noteworthy, distinguished; aperson of note.prospect, the act of looking forsomething of value.razorback, a hog that has a sharp,narrow back.quilt, a padded bed-coverlet.weasel, a carnivore having a long,slender body.

Links & BooksFor more information

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Link1Link2Link3Link4

Visit our website @ www.isaveatree.com

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Title: The World Book EncyclopediaPublisher: World Book, Inc.Copyright: 2002

Title: The Kid's World Almanac of the UnitedStatesAuthor: Dr.Thomas G. AylesworthPublisher: World AlmanacCopyright: 1990

Title: Exploring the 50 StatesAuthor: Marcie AndersonPublisher: Willowisp Press, Inc.Copyright: 1983

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Index _______________________

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agriculture, 17

apple blossom, 29

bauxite, 10, 18

Clinton, William Jefferson, 31

deer, white-tailed, 23

diamond, 13, 18

dulcimer, 34

Huckabee, Mike, 11

MacArthur, Douglas, 31

mockingbird, 25, 26

Ozark National Forest, 20

springs, hot, 19, 33

pine, southern, 27, 28

slaves, 9

Credits

_______________________46I Save A Tree Inc. reserves the right to remove or exchange any

photo/illustration at any time without notice.

Written by

James F. Kaserman

Sarah J. Kaserman

Produced by

Robert Rance

Technologies

Doug Meyers

Design

Dan Mader

Photo creditsArkansas Department of Natural

Resources

www.arttoday.com

Edited by

Linda Coyner