History

The National Archives has launched a Citizen Archivist program, enlisting virtual volunteers to improve the accessibility of its records.

On April 7, 1893, about 125 years ago, the Little Rock Clinton Park racetrack season was ending. Just as horse racing was winding down for the year, another sport was about to make its debut.

The push for the right to vote began in Arkansas after the Civil War, but the movement did not end until 1920, when the 19th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution passed.

Do you know The Natural State’s instrument? Act 277 was approved on Feb. 28, 1985, making the fiddle Arkansas’ official musical instrument. Representative Bob Watts argued that the fiddle has been closely associated with the education, entertainment, culture and people of Arkansas throughout the state’s history.

The Argenta Historic District in North Little Rock has “anchored the revival of the city’s urban core,” according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Its architecture is reflected in roots of a city of railroad yards, cotton mills and factories.

This August marks the 200th anniversary of the Quapaw Treaty of 1818. The treaty served as a boundary to separate land for the Quapaw Tribe and land for future development. White settlers didn’t permanently arrive until 1820. By that time, the Quapaw Tribe had moved to southwest Arkansas and northwest Louisiana. The treaty also serves as the first government document that referred to the land as “Little Rock.”

On Sept. 5, 1942, the Arkansas Gazette ran a headline reading “Arkansas’ First Private in the ‘Wackies’ to Leave Tomorrow.” Margaret Letzig left Little Rock as the first Arkansas woman accepted to the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC.)

From one lone wolf and a single brown bear in 1926, to over 500 animals today, the Little Rock Zoo has grown tremendously.

Did you know beer brewing in Arkansas dates back as far as 1848? The oldest brewery known of in our state was Joseph Knoble Brewery in Fort Smith.

Little Rock Central High School caused controversy throughout the country when the Little Rock Nine, the nine African American students first involved in the desegregation of the school, attempted to enter its doors. On Sept. 4, 1957, the students were turned away by the Arkansas National Guard.

Through the spring of 1946, an unidentified criminal known as the “Texarkana Phantom Killer” committed numerous assaults and murders in the city. Five people were killed and three were wounded.

In June, NWA hosted the annual Walmart NW Arkansas Championship for the Ladies Professional Golf Association. Did you know the LPGA has been coming to the Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers every summer for annual championships since 2007?

“Old Mike,” the name given to the mysterious traveller, was a salesman found dead in 1911 in Prescott.

The Royal Theatre in Benton is one of the oldest theaters in the state.

George Fisher defined what politics meant to Arkansans in the post-WWII era through cartoons.

In 1971, Bobby Ford reported that he was attacked by a hairy, man-like, red-eyed creature. After the Texarkana Gazette published an article about the story, the legend of the Fouke Monster was born.

The Quapaw Quarter is one of Little Rock’s oldest and most historic areas. The name, given in 1961, was bestowed upon the area to honor the Quapaw Indians who lived in the area centuries prior.

True cheese dip aficionados know that not only is the dish a staple of Arkansas cuisine and culture, but it’s also rumored to have Arkansan origins.

Before Las Vegas and Florida evolved into tourist destinations, Arkansans had Hot Springs and the Arlington Hotel.

The Arkansas Governor’s Mansion, located in the Quapaw District, was established by an act of the state legislature. Prior to the mansion’s opening in 1950, Arkansas did not have an official residence for the governor of the state.

On Feb. 24, 1908, Joel Troutt Rice and John Riggs formed the Hot Springs Airship Company. Rice, who had been working on aircrafts for over ten years, had two flying-machine patents in his name by 1901.

In November of 1922, Harvey Couch, founder of Arkansas Power and Light (APL), now Entergy Arkansas, organized a radio demonstration for the Pine Bluff Rotary Club.

On Feb. 2, 1949, 49 boxcars filled with gifts from France arrived in America. The “Merci Train” was a thank-you to the American people from the French in response to food shipped to Europe during World War II. The “American Friendship Train” consisted of 700 boxcars of relief supplies to France.

When it’s Christmas time in Little Rock, The Capital Hotel is one of the first places that comes to mind for holiday activities and displays. It’s considered the most luxurious in town with a four-star rating from Forbes Travel and is included in Southern Living’s Hotel Collection.

Did you know one of the greatest names in music and black history grew up right here in Arkansas?

America wasn’t always this vitriolic. It need not be now. To prove it, we convened two former US Senators – one Democrat and one Republican – to kick off our eight-part video series.

The upcoming election is all anyone is talking about. But with so many hot button issues, let’s take a moment to appreciate some of the less controversial political moments. Here are some of the most iconic presidential visits to Arkansas through the years:

• 1910: Theodore Roosevelt spoke at the Arkansas State Fair in Hot Springs.
• 1936: Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke at Centennial Stadium in Little Rock.
• 1963: John F. Kennedy attended the Greers Ferry Dam dedication.
• 1975: Gerald R. Ford attended the dedication of St. Edward’s Mercy Medical Center.
• 1984: Ronald Reagan hosted a political rally in north Little Rock.

“America’s Most Haunted Hotel” is right here in Arkansas. The Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs has a storied past and many ghosts.

If you live in Little Rock, you know about the massive renovation hitting downtown: the Broadway Bridge. As the six-month process to renew the bridge getss underway, read up on some interesting facts on bridges in Arkansas.

• The first recorded bridge was in 1823 over White Oak Bayou by Samuel McHenry, who was granted a franchise.

• Companies didn’t bid to build bridges until 1875 after Act 126 passed.

• Bridge design and construction became the State Highway Department’s responsibility after its creation in 1924.

• Built in 1874, the Springfield-Des Arc Bridge over Cadron Creek is the oldest in Arkansas.

The Razorbacks come to War Memorial Stadium for their yearly Little Rock-based game Oct. 1. The stadium is expecting packed seats and an even more packed parking lot. Show off some knowledge about the stadium while you’re tailgating:

• War Memorial’s first-ever game after its construction and opening in 1947 was between UA and Abilene Christian.

• It was the focus of “The Great Stadium Debate” in 2000 when Frank Broyles announced plans to decrease the number of games played in Little Rock.

• The Salt Bowl, the rivalry high school game between Benton and Bryant, draws more than 20,000.