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15 amazing facts about Arkansas
Officially nicknamed the "Natural State" (formerly Bear State), Arkansas is the 25th state to join the United States of America on June 15, 1836.
It has a population of 3,013,825 people, making it the 33rd most populous state.
Arkansas is bordered by the states of Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Louisiana.
With a total of 53,180 sq mi (137,773 km²) of land and water, it is the 29th largest state.
The capital of Arkansas is Little Rock, located in the center of the state.
That is the basic truth about how;
Arkansas is not pronounced like Kansas.
While it is very possible that Arkansas and Kansas both came from the same line, their pronunciation is very different.
The State of Arkansas is named after the Arkansas River, which in turn is named after the French word "Arcansas."
Arcansas itself is confusing because it is the plural form of a transcribed word, akansa.
Akansa is from the Algonquian to refer to the Quapaw, indigenous people who settled in present-day Arkansas before European settlers arrived.
For a long time, there was a debate over whether to pronounce the state's name in French, make the last “s” silent, or pronounce it in a manner similar to Kansas.
This was eventually resolved in 1881 as it was, and the word has since been pronounced "Ar-ken-saw".
Arkansas's nickname is part of the state's travel advertising campaign.
The long-running nickname of the state of Arkansas was "Bear State," because when the first European settlers arrived in Arkansas, they found the state home to a large number of bears.
This unofficial nickname was first mentioned in print in 1858 and has been an unofficial state nickname for a long time.
In the 1970s the state nickname was officially changed to "Natural State".
This is an attempt to promote tourism to the area, as tourism is seen as crucial to the state's economy.
More than half of the entire state is forest.
As of 2010, there are approximately 18,720,000 acres (75,757 km²) of forest land in Arkansas, representing 56% of the state's total area.
On this whole forest land there are about 11.8 billion trees.
Interestingly, not even half of Arkansas's forests are part of the national forest - just 13%.
Private landowners actually own the majority, 58%!
The first explorers to Arkansas were Spanish.
The conquered and explorer Spaniards Hernando de Soto was the first to lead an expedition into present-day Arkansas in 1541.
Hernando crossed the Mississippi River and explored as far into central Arkansas before returning to the river after finding he or Spain was not interested.
In an area that is now most likely McArthur, Mississippi, Hernando fell ill and died.
His men continued south to Texas, before running out of food.
They then continued back in Arkansas, where they built a fleet of boats to navigate down the Mississippi towards Mexico.
The first European settlement in Arkansas was founded by the French.
In 1681, French explorers Robert La Salle and Henri de Tonti, familiarly known as the "Arm of Thunder", explored the area.
Henri went on to establish the territory's first European settlement, the Arkansas Post, in the lower Mississippi Valley of Arkansas in 1686.
Around this time, the French name "Arcansas" was used to refer to the surrounding area.
The Arkansas Post was the capital of Arkansas for nearly 200 years, changing to Little Rock only in 1836.
The Arkansas Post Office site is now part of the Arkansas Postal National Monument sanctuary, covering 757.51 acres (306.55 hectares).
The 42nd President of the United States is from Arkansas.
William Jefferson Clinton (commonly known as Bill Clinton) was born in the small town of Hope, southwest Arkansas.
His father was a traveling salesman who passed away just before he was born, and his mother left him with her parents to study as a nurse in New Orleans.
At the age of 17, he was inspired to join the ranks of civil servants after meeting John F. Kennedy, and after watching Martin Luther King's speech "I have a dream" on TV.
At the age of 32, he became the youngest governor in the country, when he was elected governor of Arkansas.
He then spent the next few decades in and out of office, before running for president in 1992.
Against George H. Bush, Bill Clinton won a resounding victory and was inaugurated as the 42nd president of the United States on January 20, 1993.
A high school in the capital Arkansas was the battle for civil rights in 1957.
In 1954 it was thought that discrimination in public schools was unconstitutional, but it took a while for it to take effect in Arkansas.
Problems culminated in 1957 with Little Rock Nine, a group of nine African-American students who attempted to enroll at Little Rock Central High School.
The Governor of Arkansas strongly opposed the idea, so he ordered the state's National Guard to go to high school to stop Little Rock Nine from entering.
When news of this came to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, he immediately intervened.
After three weeks of trying to reach out and argue with the governor of Arkansas, the president resorted to force.
Therefore, the president sent 1000 soldiers from the Airborne Division 101 of the US Army to escort the children to school.
This event is considered a cornerstone of the US civil rights movement.
Arkansas has the only active diamond mine remaining in the US.
The last place left in the United States where you can mine diamonds is in Crater of Diamonds State Park, located in Pike County, Arkansas.
In fact, there are only two diamond mines throughout the United States, with the other being the Kelsey Lake Diamond Mine in Colorado.
However, the biggest draw to Crater of Diamonds State Park these days is that you can actually try your luck in diamond digging!
Arkansas has its own version of Bigfoot.
Most people may have heard of the American folk legend Bigfoot, also known as the Sasquatch.
Lesser known is the very own version of Arkansas - the Fouke Monster.
This legendary beast is said to be about 7 feet (2 meters) tall, and resembles other hominids like gorillas, but is covered with a long, dark coat.
It is believed to have been around the Miller County, Arkansas area since the 1960s, attracting the attention of the country in the '70s.
The Fouke Monster's popularity is believed to be due to an incident that occurred on the night of May 2, 1971, when it was reportedly attacked someone's home.
Arkansas is home to some pretty weird laws.
Over the years, Arkansas has built up a rather bizarre collection of laws.
For a while, it was illegal for the Arkansas River to cross a bridge on the main street in the state capital, Little Rock.
Another strange Little Rock law is that honking the horn after 9pm in the vicinity of establishments selling cold sandwiches or drinks is against the law.
However, another quirky law that is more urban legend than history, is that keeping crocodiles in baths is illegal.
Arkansas is a fairly resourceful state.
It can be said that Arkansas's nickname "Natural state" does not only apply to the boundless nature to be found.
It can also refer to the incredible variety of natural resources found in the state.
For example, in the 20th century, more than 90% of US bauxite (needed for aluminum production) was mined in Arkansas.
Other resources found in the state are oil, silica and natural gas.
Dipped cheese was invented in Arkansas.
Back in 1935, a genius named Blackie Donnelly invented a cheeses dipped in seasoning on the table that became increasingly popular.
Blackie is the original owner and owner of the famous Arkansas Mexican chain Chiquito.
Cheese dip is so popular in Arkansas that local filmmaker Nick Rogers created a documentary about the origin and impact of cheese dipping on the state, titled “In Queso Fever: A Movie
The documentary turned out to be a huge success, at least locally, with Nick Rogers spawning the World Cheese Championship!
The oldest protected recreational park is in Arkansas.
Many people probably know that the first official National Park in America is Yellowstone National Park, created in 1872.
Lesser known is the story of Hot Springs National Park, located southwest of Little Rock, Arkansas.
The land remaining in this park was originally reserved for recreational purposes in 1832, about 40 years before Yellowstone!
Although Hot Springs National Park didn't become an official park until 1921, some would argue until the day of their death that it was the first park in the United States!
The time was to ride the ostrich horse cart in Arkansas.
Another interesting part of Hot Springs National Park's history is closely related to the ostrich.
Back around the early 20th century, the National Park was home to the largest ostrich farm in America.
Here comes a range of activities for the discerning traveler;
It is said that you can see the ghosts of the Spanish Conquerors in Arkansas.
If you find your way to the town of Dover, Arkansas, you might just experience the inexplicable phenomenon called "Dover Lights".
Just outside of town there is a spot where you can panoramic eyes across the Ozark valley.
At night, sometimes you can see lights flicker, sway and even change colors.
Skeptics will be quick to argue that this is most likely light pollution from various electronic sources across the valley if not just once caught - Dover lights have been reported in the area before
The legend associated with this phenomenon is that they are the ghosts of the Spanish conquerors who came to the region with Hernando de Soto in search of gold.
Like all southern states, Arkansas has a long history.
While there are some parts of it that we may want to forget, there are plenty of other examples that make the state shine, or at least pique your curiosity!
However, no matter what, there will definitely be something for everyone who visits Nature.
