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This Day in Arkansas History

April 12, 1974

Racecar driver Mark Martin drove a car his father built for him in his first stock car race, which was at a small dirt track in Locust Grove (Independence County). Martin became the only driver from Arkansas competing in the top circuit of the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). He ranked tenth on the all-time win list and sixth on the all-time pole position list. His last race was in 2013, and he was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2017.

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Reader Railroad

What became known as the Reader Railroad began in 1889 as a narrow-gauge sawmill line running through parts of Ouachita and Nevada counties. Sold several times over the years, by 1925 it was renamed in honor of the town of Reader, which lies on the border between the two counties. As business declined, the railroad was converted into a tourist excursion train in 1980. During its approximately eleven years of operation, over 100,000 tourists rode the train. Unfortunately, this was not enough to keep it solvent, forcing the excursion venture to close in 1991.

 

What became known as the Reader Railroad began in 1889 as a narrow-gauge sawmill line running through parts of Ouachita and Nevada counties. Sold several times over the years, by 1925 it was renamed in honor of the town of Reader, which lies on the border between the two counties. As business declined, the railroad was converted into a tourist excursion train in 1980. During its approximately eleven years of operation, over 100,000 tourists rode the train. Unfortunately, this was not enough to keep it solvent, forcing the excursion venture to close in 1991.

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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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