"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."
Quote attributed to Davey Crockett
Arkansas,
officially "The Natural State", is a state of mountains,
valleys, dense woodland and fertile plains. Its clear lakes and streams
and abundant wildlife help to make tourism one of the state's most
important industries.
Arkansas
became a state on June 15, 1836. In the early days of statehood, a couple
of U.S. Senators had some disagreement on the spelling and pronunciation
of Arkansas. One preferred to be called the senator from
Arkan"saw" and the other preferred to be called the senator from
Ar"Kansas". In 1881, the conflict was resolved when the state
General Assembly passed a resolution
stating that the state's name was to be spelled "Arkansas" but
pronounced Arkan"saw".
Pronunciation of State Name.
| THE NAME:
Arkansas is another form of Kansas and first appeared on a 1673 map
of the region. The Kansas Indian tribe is a member of the Sioux nation.
The Quapaw Indians lived west of the Mississippi River and north of the Arkansas River. The Quapaws were
known as the "downstream people". Perhaps influenced, by French pronunciation of Indian names, the
Algonkian-speaking Indians from the Ohio Valley called the Quapaws "Arkansas" meaning "south
wind".
Source: Shearer, Benjamin F. and Barbara S.
State
Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut - 1994
Arkansas Secretary of State Web Site - www.sosweb.state.ar.us/index.html - 1999 |
| THE NICKNAMES:
The Natural State: (Official) This nickname was officially adopted by the legislature in 1995 and
is intended to highlight the "...unsurpassed scenery, clear lakes, free-flowing streams, magnificent rivers
meandering bayous, delta bottomlands, forested mountains, and abundant fish and wildlife." This nickname replaced
the official Land of Opportunity nickname following the slogan Arkansas Is a Natural that was used to
promote tourism and outdoor recreation.
Land of Opportunity: This was the official state nickname of Arkansas prior to the adoption
of The Natural State in 1995. Adopted in 1947, this nickname served for 38 years.
The Wonder State: This nickname served the state of Arkansas as the official nickname from 1923
to 1947. This name was adopted by concurrent resolution of the legislature to promote Arkansas' abundance
of natural resources and to replace the nickname, the Bear State, which was so widely in use and, it was feared,
gave a false impression of the state.
The Razorback State: Though not official, Arkansas is very often referred to as the Razorback
State in reference to the athletic teams of the University of Arkansas.
A razorback is a thin, long-legged wild hog resident in the state of Arkansas.
The Hot Springs State: This nickname is in reference to the world-famous hot springs of Arkansas. A
related, though less known, nickname was The Hot Water State.
The Bowie State: This nickname, along with "The Toothpick State" references the famous Bowie knives that
were in use in the Arkansas territory. The Bowie knife was first crafted by blacksmith/knifesmith James Black,
to Jim Bowie's specification. It was said that a Bowie knife had to be sharp enough for shaving and heavy enough
to use as a hatchet. It had to be long enough to be used as a sword and wide enough to paddle a canoe.
The Toothpick State: Another large knife, made by Arkansas blacksmiths/knifesmiths and referred to as
an Arkansas Toothpick, was similar in heft to a Bowie knife, but longer and designed for throwing.
The Bear State: This is the earliest known nickname for Arkansas, first seen in print in 1858. Undoubtedly,
Arkansas was referred to as the Bear State by early settlers who found the territory home to many
bears. This nickname was pronounced, "Bar" State.
Source: Shearer, Benjamin F. and Barbara S. State
Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut - 1994
Shankle, George Earlie, Phd State Names, Flags, Seals, Songs, Birds, Flowers and
Other Symbols H. H. Wilson Company, New York - 1938 (Reprint) |
THE CITIZENS:
People who live in or who come from Arkansas, are referred to as Arkansans. |
THE PRESIDENTS:
The Natural State gave birth to one man who attained the office of President of the United States:
- William Jefferson Clinton: (Bill Clinton) was born in Hope, Arkansas on August 19, 1946 and served two
terms (eight years) from 1993 to 2001.
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THE QUARTER:
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| U.S. Mint image |
The Arkansas quarter is the fifth and final quarter of 2003, and the 25th in the 50 State Quarters® Program. Arkansas was admitted into the Union on June 15, 1836. Arkansas was acquired through the Louisiana Purchase and later became the Arkansas Territory before gaining statehood. The Arkansas quarter design bears the image of rice stalks, a diamond and a mallard gracefully flying above a lake.
It is fitting that the "Natural State," Arkansas's official nickname, chose images of natural resources. Arkansas has an abundance of clear streams, rivers and lakes. In fact, Arkansas has more than 600,000 acres of natural lakes. Arkansas is also known for its sportsmanship and boasts mallard hunting as a main attraction for hunters across the nation. Visitors to Arkansas can search Crater of Diamonds State Park for precious gems including, of course, diamonds. The mine at Crater of Diamonds State Park reportedly is the oldest diamond mine in North America, and the only one in the United States open to the public-visitors get to keep what they find. Visitors can also experience "Rice Fever" in Arkansas-just the way W.H. Fuller did when he grew the first commercially successful rice crop in Arkansas. Soon after, thousands of acres of the Grand Prairie were changed to cultivate rice, and Arkansas became the leading producer of the grain in the United States.
In January 2001, Governor Mike Huckabee announced the Arkansas Quarter Challenge as a statewide competition. A two-week media tour promoting the Challenge resulted in 9,320 entries. After several rounds of elimination, the Governor forwarded three concepts to the United States Mint, including Arkansas' natural resources and the State Capitol building. The United States Mint provided four candidate designs based on the concepts to the Governor from which he chose the natural resources design.
Source: The United States Mint, http://www.usmint.gov, January 3, 2004
For more on the state commemorative quarters, visit this page.
This 50 State Quarter Map is a great way to collect and display all 50 State Quarters.
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