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Arkansas:The Indians who lived here included the Folsom people, Bluff Dwellers, Mound Builders, Caddos, Quapaws, Osage, Choctaw and Cherokee. In 1541, the Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto was the first European to set foot in Arkansas. He led an unsuccessful, yearlong expedition for gold. In 1686, Henri De Tonti set out from Fort St. Louis on the Illinois River to meet LaSalle at the mouth of the Mississippi. After he failed to locate LaSalle, De Tonti, the "Father of Arkansas", established the first European settlement in Arkansas, called Arkansas Post, with six residents. Over the next hundred years, development of the region was sluggish. In 1799, there were approximately 386 white people living in Arkansas. In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase was acquired by the United States, and, in 1819, Arkansas was organized as a territory. Its northern, eastern and southern borders were the same as they are now, but to the west, some of what is now Oklahoma was included. In the same year the By 1836, the Arkansas Territory had the 60,000 residents required to become a state, and after writing an acceptable constitution, was declared the 25th state in the United States. The new state enjoyed a thirty year period of prosperity, and by 1860 had a population of 435,000, 25 percent of whom were slaves. The majority of the residents were planters and farmers. Arkansas was drawn into the Civil War in May, 1861, by its decision to secede from the Union. Two major battles, Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove, were fought in Arkansas. After the Civil War ended in 1865, the era called Reconstruction began, during which dramatic changes were made in the South. As early as 1875, Arkansas was billed as the "Land of Opportunity" when an active campaign was launched outside the state to attract new residents to Arkansas. By 1900, the population had more than doubled to 1.3 million. In 500 years, Arkansas has grown from vast wilderness to a thriving state with a population of 2.5 million. Advancements in farming, lumbering, manufacturing, tourism and government have gained Arkansas a viable place in the international market. |
The Show-Me Network |
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