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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
Roy Buchanan

For more than thirty years, Ozark (Franklin County) native guitarist Roy Buchanan melded blues, country, jazz, and rock into a unique sound. During his career, he released eleven albums, of which his most successful was his 1985 release When a Guitar Plays the Blues. The album was on the Billboard charts for fifteen weeks and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Blues Album. He is credited with influencing guitarists such as Jeff Beck and Robbie Robertson.

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This Day in Arkansas History
July 9, 1877

James Kelly Hampson, one of the few amateur archaeologists to be honored with an obituary in American Antiquity, was born in Memphis, Tennessee. Hampson, a medical doctor, developed an interest in archaeology early in life and amassed an important collection of about 40,000 artifacts, most of which he cataloged himself. The collection is now housed in the Hampson Archeological Museum State Park.

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