Things You Don't Know About Awesome Arkansas

Mar 9, 2011
Maggie Harries

Alma Arkansas - "Spinach Capital of the World" - Aristotle.net

Arkansas: Birth place of Bill Clinton, Douglas MacArthur, and other notable actors, singers, and composers and is the "Spinach Capital of the World".

Six national parks, 21/2 million acres of national forests, seven national scenic byways, and 50 state parks accent the gorgeous state of Arkansas. Discovering the great state of Arkansas is no minor task. Parks in this state offer camping, educational programs, hiking, lake tours, history adventures, watchable wildlife, elderhostels’, and ‘geocaching’ for families, friends, and couples. Let’s go back to ‘geocaching’ for a moment. You may not be familiar with this word. Geocaching is a worldwide game of hiding and seeking treasure. Geo – for geography, and cache – meaning the hiding place for provisions, or in some cases, hidden cash you may win for a prize using a GPS.

Maybe Arkansas invented it, but probably not. However, in 50 state parks in Arkansas, this fun game is played many times by all types of people, and it is full on fun.

Half-horse and half-alligator

Here is a quote from frontiersman and congressman, Davy Crockett as he passed through Arkansas while travelling from Tennessee to Texas in 1835. “If I could rest anywhere, it would be in Arkansas, where the men are of the real half-horse, half alligator breed such as grows nowhere else on the face of the universal earth but just around the backbone of North America.” (which to him was Arkansas).

Do not be afraid of anything...let us march right on in to Arkansas, or one of the variant names it is sometimes known as, such as “Aakan “saw”, Ar “Kansas, or Arkansea. Captain Zebulon Pike was the first to coin the term, Arkansaw. Indians were the original inhabitants. French adventurers were first to explore. There are numerous nicknames for this state. Natural State, Land of Opportunity, Wonder State, Razorback State, Hot Springs State, named for the world-famous Hot Springs, Bowie State, named for the Bowie knife which had to be long enough to use as a sword and wide enough to paddle a canoe. Toothpick State, and Bear State, pronounced “Bar” State, was the earliest known nickname for Alabama seen in print in 1858.

Find a Diamond and Keep It

Only one President came from Arkansas...William Jefferson Clinton. 600,000 acres of natural lakes are just sitting there waiting to be discovered again and again. Mallard hunting is a main attraction throughout the state. Crater of Diamonds mine is the oldest diamond mine in North America and the only one in the US that you get to keep what you find. Arkansas became the leading producer of grain in US after thousands of Grand Prairie acres were changed to cultivate rice.

Interesting Arkansas Facts

Pine Bluff is known as the world center of archery bow production. Per capita, it is safer to live in New York City than in Pine Bluff.

Alma claims to be the Spinach Capital of the World (see photo at top of this article).

General Douglas McArthur, WWII soldier and statesman, was born in Little Rock in 1880.

Oachita National Forest reigns as the oldest national forest in the South.

The fiddle is the official state instrument designated in 1985.

Ozark National Forest covers more than 1 million acres.

Hope, Arkansas, Bill Clinton’s hometown, is very well-known for their watermelons.

Some interesting statistics include ‘per capita, it is safer to live in New York City than it is to live in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

It is illegal for dogs to bark after 6PM in Fayetteville, but how it is enforced is a mystery to this writer.

Since the 1830’s, the area now known as Hot Springs National Park, has bathed notables as diverse as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Babe Ruth, and Al Capone. The park is entirely surrounded by the city of Hot Springs.

The first woman elected to US Senate, Hattie Callaway, was from Arkansas. She was elected in November of 1932.

An Arkansas law provides that school teachers who bob their hair will not get a raise.

The Buffalo River is one of the few remaining unpolluted, free flowing rivers in the lower 48 states.

Entire city of Eureka Springs is designated as a Historic District and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Food products are the state’s largest employing sector, with lumber and wood products a close second. Also, a leader in the production of cotton, rice, and soybeans. It has the only active diamond mine, located near Murfreesboro operating as a tourist attraction.