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Welcome to the new CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas

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. It will also benefit people outside the state who are seeking information about Arkansas. 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. The CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas is a work in progress. We are continually adding new entries, photographs, maps, videos, and audio files, so check back frequently to see what’s new.

Photo Of The Day
Forrest City: Flood Refugee Camp

During the Flood of 1937, floodwaters inundated 1,037,500 acres of agricultural land and 756,800 acres of other land, affecting 40,916 families and their livestock. To shelter the evacuees, the Arkansas Red Cross established seventy-five camps (tent cities) and concentration centers (existing structures) equipped with special livestock corrals. Shown here is one of those camps, located at Forrest City (St. Francis County).

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This Day in Arkansas History
January 18, 1966

Dow Chemical Company broke ground for a bromine plant four miles west of Magnolia (Columbia County). The importance of oil and gas drilling had declined in the area, but a new natural resources industry had arrived in the mid-1960s as chemical companies discovered the high bromine content of brine located thousands of feet beneath the earth’s surface. Bromine is an element used in numerous chemical and manufacturing processes. A second plant soon followed.

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