Arkansas Educational Resources

Prepared by:

Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism 1 Capitol Mall Suite 4A-900

Little Rock, AR 72201 501-682-7777

1-800-NATURAL

The Flag of Arkansas

The diamond shape is because Arkansas is the only diamond producing state. The 25 stars on the diamond belt are

because we were the 25th

state. The original three stars were placed for three reasons: Arkansas had belonged to only

three countries at that time (Spain, France, and the US); 1803 was the year of the Louisiana Purchase; we were the

third state to be created out of the lands of the Louisiana Purchase. A fourth star was added in 1923, because we

were a Confederate state. It was decided to treat the Confederacy as a ‘real’ separate nation from the US.

Officially Arkansas

Motto: Regnat Populus - The People Rule

Nickname: The Natural State

Tree: Pine

Flower: Apple blossom

Fruit/Vegetable: South Arkansas Vine Ripe Pink Tomato

Grain: Rice

Bird: Mockingbird

Mammal: White-Tailed Deer

Insect: Honeybee

Butterfly: Diana Fritillary Butterfly

Soil: Stuttgart soil series

Gem: Diamond

Mineral: Quartz crystal

Rock: Bauxite – This was discovered in our state in 1887 by John C. Branner, a state geologist.

Beverage: Milk

Instrument: Fiddle

Anthem: Arkansas by Terry rose

Songs: Arkansas (You Run Deep in Me) by W. Holyfield & Oh, Arkansas by T. Rose

Dance: Square dance

Geographic Information

Geographic area: 53,179 sq. miles – as of 2010

Land area: 52,035 sq. miles – as of 2010

Water area: 1,143 sq. miles – as of 2010

Lowest elevation: 55 ft. above sea level - Ouachita River at the Louisiana border

Highest elevation: 2,753 ft. above sea level - Mt. Magazine

Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism

There are seven geological regions, and six geographical regions in Arkansas. Crowley’s ridge, found within the

Delta, is unusual. It is made of loess, which is very fine silt that was produced by glaciers long ago. Arkansas has

two mountain ranges, the Ozark Mountains and the Ouachita Mountains. There are many lakes and rivers, but the

two biggest are the Mississippi River that makes the eastern border of most of Arkansas, and the Arkansas River,

which flows through the River Valley and all the way across the state to the Mississippi River. Many smaller rivers

are very popular to float in kayaks and canoes, especially the Buffalo River. In 1972, the Buffalo River was

established as the very first National River. It is 135 miles long, most of which is floatable.

Maps by http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/ and http://www.arkansas.com/

Arkansas Counties

There are seventy-five counties. The first five were established while Arkansas was a part of Missouri. Those were

Arkansas, Lawrence, Pulaski, Clark, and Hempstead. The last county created was Cleburne in 1883.

Industry

Our principal industries are: Manufacturing, agriculture, and tourism. We are #1 in the nation for the production of

rice, second in chicken (broilers), and third in cotton. We are also large producers of timber, soybeans, pecans,

grapes, and cattle. Almost half of the land in Arkansas is used for some form of agricultural enterprise.

Names in Arkansas

The name of Arkansas comes indirectly from the Quapaw. Other tribes in the area referred to the Quapaw as

‘Arkansea’, which means “South Wind.” The spelling comes from early French usage and the precedent set by the

Arkansas Gazette. In 1881, the General Assembly determined the official pronunciation after a scholarly

investigation. It is pronounced ‘Ar-kan-saw’ (ar-kən-saw), and does not rhyme with Kansas.

The Ozark Mountains comes from the French ‘aux arcs,’ but the meaning is not clear. It could have meant several

things: ‘of the Arkansas,’ ‘from among the Arkansas,’ ‘with bows’ to refer to the Native Americans, or even to refer

to the curves and bends of the rivers. Ozark is pronounced ‘Oh-zark’.

The Ouachita Mountains take their name from a Native American tribe in what is now Louisiana. Ouachita is

pronounced ‘Wash-eh-taw’ (wosh-i-taw).

Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism

Little Rock – The Capital

Our state capitol is Little Rock. The capital of Arkansas Territory was Arkansas Post from 1819-1821, then the

capital was moved to Little Rock. During the Civil War, the capital moved again, this time to the town of

Washington in Hempstead County. That was from 1863-1865. At the end of the Civil War, the capital moved back

to Little Rock.

Little Rock got its name from early European travelers to the region, and refers to a landmark. There was a big cliff

called “Big Rock” upstream, and a smaller stone outcropping on the bank of the Arkansas River that the French

called “La Petite Roche,” or, ‘the little rock.’

Early History

Several tribes were already living in Arkansas at the time Europeans first arrived. There were the Quapaws, who

lived on the lower Arkansas River near the Mississippi. The Osages lived in the Ozark region. The Caddo lived

along the streams of the Southwest.

In 1541 to 1542, Hernando de Soto led a group of Spanish explorers. They were the first Europeans to set foot in the

land that would someday be Arkansas. The French came along the Mississippi to the mouth of the Arkansas River in

1673. Another Frenchman, La Salle, came in 1682 to claim the land for the King of France. The first permanent

European settlement was founded in 1686 by Henry de Tonty on the Arkansas River, south of present day DeWitt. It

was named Arkansas Post. La Harpe, a French explorer, led more expeditions up the Red River and Arkansas River

in 1719-1722.

The Path to Statehood

In 1762, France ceded the Louisiana Territory, which included Arkansas, to Spain. The Spanish helped in the

Revolutionary War against England. In 1783, pro-English forces attacked Arkansas Post. The attack was defeated by

the Spanish and the Quapaw. This came to be known as the Colbert Incident.

In 1800, a secret treaty returned Louisiana to France, but the Spanish officials were still in charge when the

Americans took over Arkansas Post in 1804. Arkansas became an American territory in 1803, when the Louisiana

Purchase took place. Arkansas was a part of Louisiana Territory, and then of Missouri Territory before it became the

Territory of Arkansas in 1819. Arkansas was admitted to the Union as the 25th

state on June 15, 1836.

The Trail of Tears

After 1790, Cherokee, Choctaw, Shawnee, and Delaware tribes were relocated to Arkansas. One Cherokee,

Sequoyah, invented an alphabet for the Cherokee language. He lived in Arkansas for a few years before 1828. In

1834, the Quapaw were forced from their lands in Arkansas. Between 1838 and 1839, eastern Cherokee were forced

from their lands to Oklahoma. The trail they followed came to be called the Trail of Tears. This path crossed

through Arkansas, as did the paths taken by other tribes forced to relocate to Oklahoma. While those of Native

American ancestry do still live in Arkansas, there are no reservations or tribal lands left in Arkansas.

The Civil War

Arkansas seceded from the Union in 1861 to join the Southern Confederacy. About 60,000 Arkansans fought for the

south, and 15,000 for the Union. There were important battles fought in Arkansas. They were, in order of

importance, Pea Ridge, Prairie Grove, Arkansas Post, Helena, Poison Springs, Marks’ Mills, and Jenkins’ Ferry.

There is a famous figure from Arkansas, David Owen Dodd, who is called the Boy Martyr of the Confederacy. He

was hanged as a spy by the Union military in Little Rock in 1864. Several Confederate generals came from

Arkansas. They were Patrick R. Cleburne, Thomas C. Hindman, Thomas J. Churchill, and James F. Fagan.

Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism

Arkansas Firsts

Arkansas had a major earthquake in 1811-1812. The New Madrid earthquake affected northeastern Arkansas.

The first post office was established in Arkansas in 1817. It was in Davidsonville, near Pocahontas.

The first governor of Arkansas was James S. Conway. Ambrose H. Sevier and William S. Fulton were the first

senators. Archibald Yell was our first representative in Congress.

The first newspaper in Arkansas was the Arkansas Gazette. It was founded at Arkansas Post in 1819 by William E.

Woodruff. It moved to Little Rock in 1821.

The first roads in Arkansas were the Southwest Trail, which crossed from the northeast to Fulton on the Red River,

and the Memphis military road to Little Rock that was built in 1826-1828.

The “Arkansas Traveler” was a humorous dialogue and fiddle tune that grew to be very popular. It is attributed to

Sanford C. Faulker. Edward Payson Washburn did a painting to illustrate the story.

“Hanging Judge Parker” has appeared in various media. These depictions are based on a real man, Judge Isaac C.

Parker, who presided over the U.S. district court at Fort Smith from 1875-1896. He hanged 88 criminals and had

almost 9,500 convictions.

The first successful crop of rice was grown near Hazen by William H. Fuller in 1904.

John M. Huddleston, a Pike County farmer, found the first diamonds in Arkansas near Murfreesboro in 1906.

The University of Arkansas athletic teams are called Razorbacks, after a type of very aggressive wild pigs that once

roamed Arkansas. Coach Hugo Bezdeck is credited with naming the football team when he called his men, “a wild

band of razorback hogs.”

Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism

For more information on Arkansas, check:

www.arkansas.com – Arkansas tourist attractions

http://issuu.com/arkansas - Downloadable versions of many brochures about Arkansas, including a tour guide.

www.arkansas.com/kids – Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism’s page for children.

www.arkansasheritage.com – The Department of Arkansas Heritage

www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/ - The history of everything about Arkansas

http://www.ark-ives.com/ - The Arkansas History Commission

http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/ - Information about all 52 Arkansas state parks

http://www.agfc.com/ - Arkansas Game & Fish Commission

http://www.sos.arkansas.gov/educational/Pages/default.aspx - Secretary of State’s Resources for teachers & students

http://www.arkansasarts.org/ - Arkansas Arts Council

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/05000.html – Arkansas Census Information

http://www.geology.ar.gov/education/kids_corner.htm - Arkansas Geological Survey’s Kid’s Corner

Mockingbird

Apple

Blossom