Arcane Arkansas

Arcane Arkansas

Scan of vintage post card "New State Capitol, Little Rock, Ark."

Arcane- meaning known by few, obscure

I began this as a project for my college Arkansas History class. Not being a native, but having lived here all of my adult life, I found the most interesting aspects of Arkansas history to be those that are not usually found in history books. The history and folklore one learns by simply listening to local storytellers, historians and natives as well as by reading back issues of local newspapers on microfilm was far more appealing.

Most states have their own unique and even odd stories. Arkansas is no exception. From truly unique state and federal parks to interesting and even humorous town names and its own ghost stories, and legends, Arkansas has a unique and interesting history for those who want to look beyond the history books.

Arkansas is not only beautiful, it is diverse in terrain with mountains, prairies, delta, farming, and forest lands. Bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Ouachita Mountains to the west, the lands in between contain nearly all the natural resources a small nation would need to survive on its own.

Arkansas can list natural gas, oil, bauxite (for aluminum), timber, rice, soybeans, wheat, cotton, natural spring water, beef, pork, fish, chicken and turkey among its exports. 

In a reprint of The WPA Guide to 1930s Arkansas, the introduction by Elliott West mentions the fact that, not only was Arkansas the smallest state west of the Mississippi River, but also the most geographically diverse with four distinctive regions; the Ozark plateau, the Mississippi Alluvial plain, the Ouachita Mountains and the coastal plain of the southwestern part of the state. Even much larger, sprawling states do not have the state’s geographic diversity. With such a range of terrain, it is hard not to find an area of Arkansas to enjoy, whether one wants to live there or just visit.

An active participant in the American Civil War, members of the Arkansas militia fought for both Union and Confederate forces. Arkansas is participating in the four-year sesquicentennial commemoration of the conflict with a series of events.

The best part of the history of an area is often the things that most people don’t know because they are not in our history texts. Often folklore, with basis in fact, it is fun to read about what the locals know because they have lived in the area all their lives. I have attempted to separate fact from fiction even though the fiction is what drew me to the story in the first place. It is true that the facts can be stranger than fiction. 

I hope to bring to you stories that will not only inform but entertain. I found that this project has extended far beyond the research I originally did for an Arkansas History class into a full-blown obsession.