Arkansas

Arkansas, one of the United States of America, deriving its name from a tribe of Indians who were the primitive occupants. It is bounded north by Missouri, east by Tennessee and Mississippi, south by Louisiana, and west by Indian territory. The district was first colonised by France in 1685, then ceded to Spain, restored presently to France, and finally in 1803 sold with Louisiana to the United States. It was organised as a territory in 1819, and erected into a state in 1836. Its area is 52,198 square miles. The Arkansas river, nearly 2,200 miles long, waters much of it, and there are also the Mississippi, Red, White, and Washita rivers. The soil in the central portion is very rich, and the surface charmingly undulating and wooded. Towards the east marshes prevail, and the western parts are mountainous. Until recently the state was devoted to agricultural and pastoral industries, producing all kinds of corn, rice, sugar, cotton, potatoes, and tobacco, and rearing numberless cattle; now the mineral wealth, consisting of silver, coal, zinc, and iron, is being rapidly developed. Little Rock is the seat of government, Arkansas, Batesville, Columbia, and Fulton being places of importance.