Welcome to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas

Everything from Book cover featuring falling person reaching for guitar Fall Through to Meteorite on display including didactic text in library with bookshelves in background. Meteorites
or Surprise Me

This Day in Arkansas History

September 30, 1836

Benton County was formally established as a separate county from Washington County. Located in the northwest corner of Arkansas, Benton County borders Missouri and Oklahoma and is part of the Ozark Plateau. It was named in honor of U.S. senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri, who had played a key role in Arkansas’s admission into the Union. The county seat, Bentonville, was also named after Sen. Benton.

Learn more about Benton County Explore full history calendar

Browse the Encyclopedia

Entries

By Category A – Z

Media

By Category A – Z

Photo of the Day

Titan II Missile Warhead

On September 19, 1980, Titan II Launch Complex 374-7 located near Damascus (Van Buren County) exploded, sending the 740-ton launch duct closure door some 600 feet from the complex. The W-53 nuclear warhead, like the one shown here, landed approximately 100 feet from the front gate. This incident, in which one man was killed and the complex destroyed, became the most publicized disaster in the history of the Titan II missile program.

 

On September 19, 1980, Titan II Launch Complex 374-7 located near Damascus (Van Buren County) exploded, sending the 740-ton launch duct closure door some 600 feet from the complex. The W-53 nuclear warhead, like the one shown here, landed approximately 100 feet from the front gate. This incident, in which one man was killed and the complex destroyed, became the most publicized disaster in the history of the Titan II missile program.

Learn More

Trending Entries
Native American man with short gray hair smiling in hat and suit Chickasaw Ethnic Groups Promotional photograph of white man woman and 19 young and teen children standing together with white text Duggar Family Religious Figures, Television and Streaming White man wearing a hat and women in dresses picking cotton with long cotton sack stretching out behind her Great Depression Wooden sign held up by posts near road text "The Village @ Pickles Gap Shop Eat Relax" above smaller sign illustration of shaggy dog text "Doc's Coffee and Creamery" Pickles Gap Faulkner Multistory brick building with arched top story windows and awning on sidewalk Opera Houses Icon of cannon next to text "The Camden Expedition Route" above old photo group of men with rifles on horseback next to large map marking various events along trail during military conflict Camden Expedition Timeline Civil War Group of African-American men standing and sitting before brick wall Elaine Massacre of 1919 Early Twentieth Century A single bison standing at bottom of hill in grassy field trees and stump in background Bison Zoology White man with long beard in military uniform with horse and dog Prairie Grove Campaign Timeline Civil War White man at base of tree covered mound site in field Archaic Period Time Periods View from across the street of single-story brick building on street corner Vernon and Moore-McIlroy Produce Warehouse Buildings, Museums and Historic Sites White man in kayak holding paddle across chest with river rapids, mountain ridge Buffalo National River Physical Geography, Protected Areas White man with glasses in white football uniform with red number 77 focusing on game in progress Brandon Burlsworth Football Older African-American man smiling in suit and bow tie Joseph Walter Jackson Business Leaders Book cover with saturated colors showing bearded Blaze Foley Book cover featuring white woman with blond hair and bright lipstick Gennifer Flowers

New & Updated
Wooden electric chair with leather straps on display Capital Punishment Law Enforcement Headlines "Poynter Hanged. The Murder of Bolding and Vandever Executed at Fort Smith. Poynter Gave Down and Had to Be Carried to the Scaffold by Deputies. He Pleaded for Time and was Granted a Half Hour A History of His Most Brutal Crime" John Poynter Law Enforcement Older white woman with long hair in black dress with paintings on the walls behind her Bette Evensky Greene Fiction White man and woman on book cover with train in the background and text "Summer of My German Soldier" Summer of My German Soldier Fiction, Films Text "Morning is a Long Time Coming Bette Greene Author of Summer of My German Soldier" above illustration white man clean shaven dressed in suit holding a baguette walking with arm around white woman straight hair in dress and cardigan Morning Is a Long Time Coming Fiction White male track athlete "Arkansas state" jersey celebrates smiling hands raised people in background field Earl Holmes Bell Track and Field African-American woman in turban and hoop earrings behind orchid Pulitzer Prize Book cover African-American man sitting in a rocking chair with white text on orange background "The Moaner's Bench" Mars Andrew Hill III Fiction Book cover African-American man sitting in a rocking chair with white text on orange background "The Moaner's Bench" The Moaner’s Bench Fiction portrait photo of African-American woman with wavy hair Joyce Elise Williams Warren Judges Multistory stone building with steep steps multi-arched entrance beneath classical facade and light posts in front Benton County Bald white man in blue suit and red tie with trees in the background Griffin Jasper Stockley Fiction, Nonfiction Five white men with long hair on lawn furniture below tree, accompanied by two white women Black Oak Arkansas Rock Text "Judge Judith Rogers for Justice Arkansas Supreme Court" Judith M. Rogers National Figures Leon Johnson Judges Jackson v. Hobbs Laws and Court Cases

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, quizzes, lesson plans, and more, 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