Welcome to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas

Everything from Plowed farm field with workers and houses in distance England to White woman with short hair in black lace top Crescent Dragonwagon
or Surprise Me

This Day in Arkansas History

April 26, 1785

John James Audubon was born Jean Rabin in Saint-Domingue (Haiti). He was the illegitimate child of Jean Audubon, who was a ship’s captain, and Jeanne Rabin, who was a French chambermaid. Audubon, a frontier naturalist and artist, is famous for illustrating and writing The Birds of America. He visited Arkansas Territory in 1820 and 1822 and documented Arkansas’s birds, including the Traill’s flycatcher, also known as the willow flycatcher, which is the only bird originally discovered in Arkansas.

Learn more about John James Audubon Explore full history calendar

Browse the Encyclopedia

Entries

By Category A – Z

Media

By Category A – Z

Photo of the Day

Hunter Store

Dry goods and grocery stores were once the heart of Arkansas rural economies. Businesses like the Brinneman Brothers General Store, shown here in Hunter (Woodruff County) in the early twentieth century, rapidly began to close by the 1950s. The abandoned rural store quickly became something of a symbol of the effects of modernization throughout the state.

 

Dry goods and grocery stores were once the heart of Arkansas rural economies. Businesses like the Brinneman Brothers General Store, shown here in Hunter (Woodruff County) in the early twentieth century, rapidly began to close by the 1950s. The abandoned rural store quickly became something of a symbol of the effects of modernization throughout the state.

Learn More

Trending Entries
Older African-American man smiling in suit and bow tie Joseph Walter Jackson Business Leaders Exploded underground missile silo and debris as seen from above Titan II Missile Explosion Post Civil War Promotional photograph of white man woman and 19 young and teen children standing together with white text Duggar Family Religious Figures, Television and Streaming Tall obelisk with statue of soldier and plaque with trees in the background World War I Post Civil War "Great seal of the state of Arkansas" with eagle holding shield and "Regnat Popluas" ribbon in beak with angel mercy on one side and sword of justice on other Arkansas Overview busy city intersection with cars and people, view of state capitol in background Little Rock Pulaski Group of African-American men standing and sitting before brick wall Elaine Massacre of 1919 Early Twentieth Century white man in embroidered black shirt and white woman in turtleneck and white jacket smiling in front of trees "Tony and Susan Alamo Tony Alamo sings Mister DJ" Tony Alamo Criminal Activities, Religious Figures Canopy in park with benches under it and paved walking paths Westside School Shooting Criminal Activities Mixed group of people reflected as their younger selves in pool with multistory building behind them with text above that Little Rock Nine School Desegregation, School Segregation and Desegregation "Negroes leave town of Bonanza" newspaper clipping Sundown Towns Los Angeles Dodgers white male player portrait with handwritten note "To Mike, best always and take care! Rick Monday." Rick Monday Baseball Headline "Christmas comes a little early this year" above illustration of parents labeled "Arkansas Voters" handing large present with text "Better Educational Opportunities" to two children labeled "Arkansas School Kids" all four smiling School Consolidation Portrait Italian American man in stylish suit tie wavy hair intimidating glare droopy right eyelid Charles "Lucky" Luciano Criminal Activities "Kickapoo Indian Worm Killer" flyer showing a drawing of a man in a headdress holding a child Worms [Medical Condition], Traditional Remedies Pathology Man in hood with eye holes and town on movie poster Texarkana Moonlight Murders Criminal Activities

New & Updated
Marshallese Ethnic Groups Old white man with mustache and beard in striped shirt and tie with arms crossed in front of him. Fay Jones Architects First lines of text "Another Steamboat Sunk. The steamer Curlew Curlew [Steamboat] Ships and Vessels, Water Headline "Guerrillas on the Arkansas River. The Streamer Curlew Fired Into The Notorious Guerrilla Tom Kenan Killed" Attack on the Steamboat Curlew Civil War Postcard featuring aerial view of a lake with trees and countryside Central Arkansas Water Looking across a lake to a distant shore and a small concrete structure Lake Winona Physical Geography "Saline County" map with borders roads cities national forest lakes Reform Saline "Lonoke County Arkansas" hanging copper stele among others of the same kind Lynching Criminal Activities Headline "Whitecaps' Bloody Work." first line of article "The house of Raymond Jones Raymond Jones Civil War to Gilded Age, Criminal Activities "Tragic death of a well connected young man on a Hunting Expedition" newspaper clipping Eagle Murders of 1873 Criminal Activities Portrait of white man in suit, tie, seated by curtain, table, and book United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas Courts and Organizations, Law Enforcement Young white man with goggles in an airplane Paul Page Douglas Jr. Air, Individuals glass and steel skyscraper with "Stephens Inc." at the top Jackson Thomas Stephens Business Leaders, Golf white man in leather jacket and cap with binoculars around his neck John Dale Price Individuals African American man in cap standing next to airplane Cornelius Robinson Coffey Air James Albert Gaston Business Leaders

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, and audio files, 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