Welcome to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas

Everything from Interior of building with wood trusses and rows of pews Arkansas Christadelphian Bible School to African-American students with books and a sack lunch at school Desegregation of Van Buren Schools
or Surprise Me

This Day in Arkansas History

September 18, 1964

The Beatles finished a concert at Memorial Coliseum in Dallas, Texas, and immediately boarded a plane owned and operated by Reed Pigman, who owned a ranch in Alton, Missouri, that would serve as a vacation getaway before the group’s final U.S. concert of the year, which would be in New York. Before traveling to Alton, the Beatles made a brief stop in Walnut Ridge (Lawrence County), whose airport provided the ideal spot for the group to change planes before heading to Missouri. Also, the Beatles could avoid the crush of screaming fans by landing at a secluded airport at the edge of a small town. The plane landed in Walnut Ridge shortly after midnight.

Learn more about Stopover of the Beatles Explore full history calendar

Browse the Encyclopedia

Entries

By Category A – Z

Media

By Category A – Z

Photo of the Day

Jacob Barkman

Jacob Barkman moved to the area near present-day Arkadelphia (Clark County) around 1811 and later built a substantial brick home near the Southwest Trail. Because there were no restaurants or hotels in the modern sense, frontier settlers who lived along the trail often provided travelers room, a meal, and livestock feed for a fee. He was visited by early traveler George Featherstonhaugh, who reported that Barkman’s wife “chewed tobacco, she smoked a pipe, she drank whiskey, and cursed and swore as heartily as any backwoodsman, all at the same time.”

 

Jacob Barkman moved to the area near present-day Arkadelphia (Clark County) around 1811 and later built a substantial brick home near the Southwest Trail. Because there were no restaurants or hotels in the modern sense, frontier settlers who lived along the trail often provided travelers room, a meal, and livestock feed for a fee. He was visited by early traveler George Featherstonhaugh, who reported that Barkman’s wife “chewed tobacco, she smoked a pipe, she drank whiskey, and cursed and swore as heartily as any backwoodsman, all at the same time.”

Learn More

Trending Entries
Promotional photograph of white man woman and 19 young and teen children standing together with white text Duggar Family Religious Figures, Television and Streaming White man wearing a hat and women in dresses picking cotton with long cotton sack stretching out behind her Great Depression Wooden sign held up by posts near road text "The Village @ Pickles Gap Shop Eat Relax" above smaller sign illustration of shaggy dog text "Doc's Coffee and Creamery" Pickles Gap Faulkner White man at base of tree covered mound site in field Archaic Period Time Periods Icon of cannon next to text "The Camden Expedition Route" above old photo group of men with rifles on horseback next to large map marking various events along trail during military conflict Camden Expedition Timeline Civil War A single bison standing at bottom of hill in grassy field trees and stump in background Bison Zoology White man with long beard in military uniform with horse and dog Prairie Grove Campaign Timeline Civil War Older African-American man smiling in suit and bow tie Joseph Walter Jackson Business Leaders Wooden electric chair with leather straps on display Capital Punishment Law Enforcement busy city intersection with cars and people, view of state capitol in background Little Rock Pulaski White man in kayak holding paddle across chest with river rapids, mountain ridge Buffalo National River Physical Geography, Protected Areas White man with mustache wearing suit and Arkansas pin in front of state flag Winthrop Paul Rockefeller Business Leaders, Lt. Governors Horse drawn wagons loaded with cotton and white drivers in crowded town street Rector Clay Concrete monument with base and plaque and hedge behind it Bryant Saline White adults and children pose with handcar outside wood frame "combs" train station St. Louis–San Francisco Railway Businesses, Land Map of Arkansas showing county seats in all 75 counties Counties

New & Updated
Six white cowboys in rodeo chute preparing for event Arthur Lee Hunnicutt Actors and Filmmakers Illustration from stomach up black man with mustache wearing suit hat and earrings above text "Richard Smith" Richard Smith Law Enforcement Wooden electric chair with leather straps on display Capital Punishment Law Enforcement Transparent text "Arkansas" over close up faces two white men with serious expressions one with beard above smaller text "Arkansas" with skull icon replacing second letter "A" to right of two silhouettes shoveling in grass Clark Duke Actors and Filmmakers Small white building with pointed roof with awning and sign Tomato Mississippi Headline "Death Chair Takes Lives of Negroes" first sentence "Willie Wash Martin Willie “Wash” Martin Law Enforcement Close up of several leaves one with a fingerprint in the center with a waterfall over mossy rocks in the background The Witness Fiction Book cover picturing two cowboys The Wishbook Wife Fiction Book cover featuring the profile of a white woman's face Widow’s Web Nonfiction Canopy in park with benches under it and paved walking paths Westside School Shooting Criminal Activities Weston v. Arkansas Laws and Court Cases Portrait photo of a black man with short hair and glasses wearing a coat vest and tie and a pocket square Watson State Park State Parks "Prosecutor may go to Buckville" newspaper clipping Will Warren Criminal Activities, Early Twentieth Century Single-story building with covered driveway with "Vapors" sign and white couple dancing on advertisement flyer The Vapors [Book] Nonfiction African-American man with thick wearing a hat in checkered suit U.S. Marshals Service Law Enforcement Modern building with badge and "United States Marshals Museum" sign in flower bed in the foreground U.S. Marshals Museum Museums and Historic Sites

About the Encyclopedia

The CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas is a free, authoritative source of information about the rich history, geography, and culture of Arkansas. It is updated regularly to ensure the people of Arkansas have an accurate and accessible resource to explore our heritage. We invite you to browse our text entries and media galleries to learn more about the people, places, events, legends, and lore of the 25th state. We are continually adding new entries, photographs, maps, videos, quizzes, lesson plans, and more, so check back frequently to see what’s new.

New to Arkansas?
New to Arkansas?

Our overview page covers everything you would want to know about our beautiful state, including state symbols, demographics, and more!

See Overview