Welcome to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas

This Day in Arkansas History

October 18, 1820

Crawford County was created, encompassing a large part of Indian Territory and all or part of five present-day counties—Scott, Sebastian, Franklin, Washington, and Pope. It was named to honor William H. Crawford of Georgia, who was then the secretary of the treasury. Due to the extensive geographical area, it was often referred to as the “empire county.” Modern-day Crawford County is situated in northwest Arkansas in the Ozark Mountains. The Boston Mountains to the north and the Arkansas River Valley to the south provide a diverse landscape and play an important role in the economy. The county is centrally located within the nation, thus allowing desirable north-south and east-west transportation networks to support industrialization, manufacturing, and tourism growth.

Browse the Encyclopedia

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