National Arkansas Day
We recognize each state in the order they entered the union, beginning with Hawaii and ending with Hawaii on Independence Day. We feature a small part of each state's past, foods, and the people who make up the state. There's so much more to discover, we can't help but celebrate our beautiful country even more.
When French and Spanish explorers arrived in the area, Arkansas teems with streams, lakes, and rivers, Osage, Caddo, Quapaw tribes were populated by Osage, Caddo, Quapaw tribes. The Mississippi River is the Mississippi River, the Mississippi River's eastern boundary. Little Rock may be Arkansas' capital, but the state is also known for large rocks and a slew of minerals. The Quartz Crystal Capital of the World has the world's first diamond mine, and the Magnet Cove area contains 102 varieties of minerals.
With over half of the state's forest and more than 1 million acres in Ozark National Forest, Arkansas earns the name "Natural State." But that's not all that contributes to the apt name.
Hot Springs National Park became America's first national park in what later became the National Park System. Officials understood the unique characteristics of the hot springs and asked that the area be set aside and covered when Arkansas was still a territory. "The hot springs and adjacent mountains were reserved for the future disposal of the United States (which) shall not be entered, discovered, or appropriated for any other use whatsoever," President Andrew Jackson signed legislation on April 20, 1832, naming four sections of land that included the hot springs and adjacent mountains.
What's in a name
When Arkansas first became a state in 1836, how to pronounce the name of the 25th state was up for discussion. Was it Arkan-saw or Ar-kansas? When the State General Assembly passed Concurrent Resolution No. 4, the issue was settled in 1881. According to the state's name, it would be pronounced Arkan-saw and spelled Arkansas.
Many that have lived in Arkansas have left indelible in our hearts and minds. Ernest Hemmingway and Maya Angelou, among other notable Johnny Cash and talented writers, Roberta Martin, and Roberta Martin, to writers Scott Joplin and Roberta Martin, and many more, all found a home in Arkansas at some time.
Arkansas swells with delta, Civil War era, the blues and jazz, and Western migration history, nestled along the Mississippi River. Just north of Marion, Arkansas, the worst maritime disaster in United States history occurred on the Mississippi River. On April 27, 1865, just weeks after the Civil War and President Lincoln's assassination of Lincoln, the Sultana steamboat exploded on April 27, 1865, less than the Titanic disaster. Over 1,800 souls were killed.
