The final s in Arkansas must be silent and the word is pronounced in three syllables with an Italian sound for each vowel. The Arkansas General Assembly passed this law in 1881 to settle a debate over pronunciation.
Hernando de Soto died in May 1542 near modern-day McArthur after falling ill during his expedition across central Arkansas. His men buried him in the Mississippi River under cover of darkness weighted down with sand.
Arkansas joined the Union on the 15th of June 1836 after Congress approved its constitution following a twenty-five-hour session. This event made it the twenty-fifth state admitted to the United States.
Hundreds of whites rushed to suppress black sharecroppers starting attacks that resulted in an estimated two hundred thirty-seven deaths before violence stopped after October first. Governor Charles Hillman Brough requested federal troops to end the incident known as the Elaine Massacre.
Mount Magazine stands above sea level as the highest point within the Ouachita Mountains which form part of the Southern Interior Highlands region. This area contains the only major mountainous terrain between the Rocky Mountains and Appalachian Mountains stretching from northwest to southwest Arkansas.