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This Day in Arkansas History

April 23, 1861

Fort Smith (Sebastian County) came under control of the Confederate army. Until September 1, 1863, many Confederate soldiers, including 475 unknown, were buried in the post cemetery. The cemetery was designated a national facility in 1867, and the Fort Smith National Cemetery is considered the oldest of the state’s original national cemeteries.

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University of Arkansas's First Buildings

Arkansas Industrial University, the state’s only land grant college, conducted its first session on January 22, 1872, in buildings on a farm about a mile northwest of downtown Fayetteville (Washington County). From those humble beginnings, the educational institution now known as the University of Arkansas (UA) in Fayetteville developed into the state’s flagship university. Shown here are some of the early buildings used by the institution.

 

Arkansas Industrial University, the state’s only land grant college, conducted its first session on January 22, 1872, in buildings on a farm about a mile northwest of downtown Fayetteville (Washington County). From those humble beginnings, the educational institution now known as the University of Arkansas (UA) in Fayetteville developed into the state’s flagship university. Shown here are some of the early buildings used by the institution.

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Two rows of two-story and one-story storefront buildings on either side of paved road Heber Springs Cleburne Older African-American man smiling in suit and bow tie Joseph Walter Jackson Business Leaders African-American woman smiling in dress Delores Handy Television and Streaming Tall obelisk with statue of soldier and plaque with trees in the background World War I Post Civil War two white women kayaking amid some lily pads State Parks Division Recreational Organizations, State Organizations and Structures 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 Man in hood with eye holes and town on movie poster Texarkana Moonlight Murders Criminal Activities Street wet with rain with brick buildings and storefronts with parked cars Fordyce Dallas Promotional photograph of white man woman and 19 young and teen children standing together with white text Duggar Family Religious Figures, Television and Streaming Canopy in park with benches under it and paved walking paths Westside School Shooting Criminal Activities Exploded underground missile silo and debris as seen from above Titan II Missile Explosion Post Civil War 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 Front page of Arkansas Times with various images, the largest of which is a white man with glasses and text "Whitewater" Whitewater Scandal 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

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"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 Two-story log house with covered porches on grass Taylor Log House and Site Museums and Historic Sites White man in military garb with tall grass in background Paul Irving "Pappy" Gunn Individuals Portrait black man suit and tie smiling short hair blank photo backdrop Rodney Earl Slater National Figures Middle aged white woman shoulder length wavy hair wearing button up long sleeve shirt and jeans learning against worn down building with heart drawn on side C. D. Wright Poetry From chest up white man short hair clean shaven dressed in suit smiling holding a thumbs up above text "Ralph cares if your needs have not been heard civil rights equal rights human rights vote for Dr. Ralph A. Hyman state representative district 59 democrat" Ralph Allen Hyman Sexual Orientation small waterfall in middle of dense green forest Waterfalls Physical Geography Fountain with statue of woman and deer outside multistory hotel with green awning over the entrance Longhua Xu Sculpture red two story building with payphone in front Fulton County Four white men posing for their portrait including one in a "Tyson" uniform and one in a suit exchanging a paper check. Don Tyson Animal Culture, 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.

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