Welcome to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas

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This Day in Arkansas History

October 6, 1904

Mary Celestia Parler was born in Wedgefield, South Carolina. Parler was responsible for developing and implementing the most extensive folklore research project in Arkansas history. She was a professor of English and folklore at the University of Arkansas (UA) in Fayetteville (Washington County) and the wife of noted Ozark folklore collector Vance Randolph. Through her vast knowledge and appreciation of Arkansas culture, she enabled many future generations to glimpse the state’s cultural history, much of which remains only in the stories, songs, and images she collected with the help of her students and assistants.

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Crater of Diamonds

An unidentified man points to the spot near Murfreesboro (Pike County) where the first diamond in Arkansas had been found. In 1906, farmer John Huddleston’s find of the first diamond on the site led to a Pike County diamond rush. As of 2010, the largest diamond unearthed there, the “Uncle Sam” found in 1924, weighs in at an amazing 40.23 carats. While commercial mining has found little success, the Crater of Diamonds State Park, where the public is allowed to dig for diamonds, is one of Arkansas’s most popular state parks.

 

An unidentified man points to the spot near Murfreesboro (Pike County) where the first diamond in Arkansas had been found. In 1906, farmer John Huddleston’s find of the first diamond on the site led to a Pike County diamond rush. As of 2010, the largest diamond unearthed there, the “Uncle Sam” found in 1924, weighs in at an amazing 40.23 carats. While commercial mining has found little success, the Crater of Diamonds State Park, where the public is allowed to dig for diamonds, is one of Arkansas’s most popular state parks.

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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 A single bison standing at bottom of hill in grassy field trees and stump in background Bison Zoology 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 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 White man with long beard in military uniform with horse and dog Prairie Grove Campaign Timeline Civil War Group of African-American men standing and sitting before brick wall Elaine Massacre of 1919 Early Twentieth Century busy city intersection with cars and people, view of state capitol in background Little Rock Pulaski Statue of man in robes standing on a pedestal with plaque on street corner in residential neighborhood Marquette-Joliet Expedition French white man in black embroidered alongside white woman in dark suit and hat carrying roses amid a crowd of people Johnny Cash Country, Rock Tall obelisk with statue of soldier and plaque with trees in the background World War I Post Civil War Black and white photo of white boy in tinted goggles lying on examination table below lights and medical device Early Twentieth Century, 1901 through 1940 Time Period Portrait white man in suit military medal long wavy hair thick beard smoking large pipe Albert Pike Individuals, Lawyers, Poetry, State Figures Chickens in cages from egg to adult with advertisements for an electric hatchery device World War II through the Faubus Era, 1941 through 1967 Time Period Printed United States map showing states and territories with "Explanation" caption in corner Louisiana Purchase through Early Statehood, 1803 through 1860 Time Period Headline "Christmas comes a little early this year" above illustration of parents labeled "Arkansas Voters" handing large present with text "Better Educational Opportunities" to two children labeled "Arkansas School Kids" all four smiling School Consolidation

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Wooden electric chair with leather straps on display Capital Punishment Law Enforcement Street lined with buildings and telephone poles with crowd of people and wagons Gravette Benton Multistory stone building with steep steps multi-arched entrance beneath classical facade and light posts in front Bentonville Benton Hand tinted photograph hillside town with large hotel on peak Eureka Springs Carroll White man in suit with decorative tie Bill Fulbright Legislative Branch -- Senators "Welcome to Altus" sign with brick base and roof Wineries Foodways, Industries White man in suit holding his cowboy hat leaning against a rock with sky and valley behind him Winthrop Rockefeller Governors Mixed race crowd listening to speaker Civil Rights and Social Change three black men and black woman looking off in the distance Civil Rights Movement Political Movements, World War II to Faubus Era Lithium Mining Businesses, Mining White man in suit and three white women Barney Alan Sugg Educators and Administrators Mixed group of people standing under theater marquee advertising "The magic of Maxwell Blade" Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival Festivals, Festivals and Events "Cleburne County Farm Cemetery National Register of Historic Places 2005" plaque on iron fence Cleburne County Farm Cemetery Cemeteries and Memorials "Another resister is landed in jail" newspaper clipping Cleburne County Draft War Post Civil War Multistory granite building with cupola and doric columns Cleburne County Courthouse Buildings, Museums and Historic Sites Wooden pavilion with benches Clear Springs Tabernacle Institutions and Buildings, Museums and Historic Sites

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.

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