 Nicknamed the "Land of
Opportunity," Arkansas, which joined the Union in 1836, was the
25th state. The early French explorers of the state gave it its
name, which is probably a phonetic spelling for the French word
for "downriver" people, a reference to the Quapaw Indians and
the river along which they settled. Arkansas is the only state
in which diamonds have been mined, although today the mine
operates only as a tourist attraction. The state flower is the
apple blossom.
In 1686, Frenchmen established the first European settlement
on the lower Mississippi. Near the Arkansas River, it was known
as Arkansas Post. The area became American soil in 1803
as part of the Louisiana Purchase.
Lone cabins, then towns began appearing at scattered points
along the rivers and Native American trails that were the main
wilderness travel routes. Among early settlements were Cadron,
Batesville and Washington, which later became a gathering place
for those seeking to free Texas from Mexico.
Historic Arkansas Changes Capitols
In 1819, Arkansas became a territory with Arkansas Post
as its capital. Two years later, the capital was moved to a
central location, the fledgling settlement of Little Rock.
 Travel
became easier as roads were built, steamboats began traveling
the state's larger rivers and new stagecoach lines were
established with inns on their routes. Among early commercial
concerns were sawmills and grist mills.
Historic Arkansas Becomes a State
In 1836, Arkansas became the 25th state with a population of
just over 50,000 and a new Capitol.
Prior to the Civil War, most Arkansans were small-scale
farmers, but large plantations existed in the Mississippi Delta
below Helena, in the Arkansas River valley and in the
bottomlands along smaller rivers.
Arkansas railroads, delayed by the war, began in the 1870s to
spur the building of new towns and to hasten the harvest of the
state's virgin forests. Lumber emerged as an economic mainstay,
while the cleared land in the Delta region enabled a major
agricultural expansion.
Explore our state, county and local museums - many listed in
the regional sections of "Attractions, Lodging & Dining Section"
-- to learn more about Arkansas's pioneers and early development
of historic Arkansas. |
