Welcome to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas

Everything from white rectangular stone with "Parley Parker Pratt" at top surrounded by black iron fence Parley P. Pratt to Single story beige stone church building with parking lot surrounded by trees St. Elizabeth
or Surprise Me

This Day in Arkansas History

November 1, 1846

The first Cathedral of St. Andrew was dedicated by Arkansas’s first Catholic bishop, Andrew Byrne. Though he had few priests working under him during his tenure as bishop, he nonetheless managed to plant the Catholic faith deeply enough that it survived both the Civil War and his death in 1862, which resulted in the five-year absence of any bishop in Arkansas.

Learn more about Andrew Byrne Explore full history calendar

Browse the Encyclopedia

Entries

By Category A – Z

Media

By Category A – Z

Photo of the Day

Lon Warneke

Montgomery County native Lon (Lonnie) Warneke, known as “The Arkansas Hummingbird,” was a major league baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals during the 1930s. In 1933, thirty-six of the best baseball players in the major leagues squared off at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Illinois, for the first All-Star baseball game. Warneke registered the first triple and scored the first National League run in All-Star history. He was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1961. Warneke is shown here in the 1930s.

 

Montgomery County native Lon (Lonnie) Warneke, known as “The Arkansas Hummingbird,” was a major league baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals during the 1930s. In 1933, thirty-six of the best baseball players in the major leagues squared off at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Illinois, for the first All-Star baseball game. Warneke registered the first triple and scored the first National League run in All-Star history. He was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1961. Warneke is shown here in the 1930s.

Learn More
Trending Entries
"In memory of those killed December 1987 Pope County Arkansas" flat engraved marker on grass Ronald Gene Simmons Criminal Activities Two men in air force uniforms on an airfield, standing by the nose of an airplane on which is painted "Arkansas 'Blitz'" World War II Post Civil War Faces of three white men superimposed upon forest with red and white text on book cover West Memphis Three Criminal Activities Multistory red brick church building with steeple Seventh-Day Adventists Faiths and Denominations White man with long hair in white shirt and jeans singing with band on stage Jeff Keith Metal 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 Trees and buildings painted on hog sculpture with brick building in the background Razorback Hogs Zoology Older African-American man smiling in suit and bow tie Joseph Walter Jackson Business Leaders Gurdon Light Folktales and Songs Map of Arkansas and surrounding states divided into geological regions with scale below it Ozark Mountains Six Natural Divisions Close up small blooming flower with four buds fuzzy leaves held by grubby fingers Official State Flower Official State Symbols Man in hood with eye holes and town on movie poster Texarkana Moonlight Murders Criminal Activities Old white woman in hat and dress holding a revolver Belle Starr Criminal Activities overlook view of town street with hotels and trolley train Hot Springs Garland Three-story ornate white house with red round towers and columns with an iron fence Ghost Legends Folktales and Songs
New & Updated
Book cover featuring half a woman's face and a microphone Nashville Chrome Fiction Portrait of white man in tuxedo and two white women in formal dresses and earrings The Browns Country Book cover featuring Union soldiers on the march Loyalty on the Frontier Nonfiction People watching a fire burn behind some storefront buildings Louann Ouachita Scouts in Chicot and Desha Counties Civil War Young women in dresses with sashes in line with text Miss Arkansas Pageant Festivals and Events Steel arch bridge with concrete platform over river with sign "Positively No Dumping" to the right Red River Physical Geography White men with hats and tools and push cart on steel truss bridge Fulton Hempstead Aerial view of flooded town with trees in the distance Flood of 1927 Natural Disasters Aerial view of steel truss bridge and arched truss bridge over river with trees and mountains in the background Bridges Engineering, Water A map showing approaches to Fort Hindman Fort Hindman Locations Steam powered ironclad boats attacking a fort Arkansas Post Arkansas, Desha Obituary "Ben T. DuVal Died Tuesday" Benjamin Taylor DuVal Lawyers, Sebastian Leaders Mixed group of loggers carrying a large log using poles to support its weight Timber Industry Forestry, Industries Three story brick building of shops with long balconies with cars parked by it and railroad tracks in foreground Biggers Randolph Map of Arkansas showing location of major Civil War events with red triangles Engagement at Bayou Fourche Civil War

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