What is 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.
