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Everything from Multistory stone panel art deco building with monument in front and station wagon hanging stop lights and street signs Independence County to Painting American flag on pole sublime mountain landscape in background with sunlight through clouds Sentinel of Freedom
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This Day in Arkansas History

June 30, 2009

Gillett High School, location of the Gillett Coon Supper since 1947, closed its doors for good. The previous month, the school board voted to close the high school along with Gillett Middle School and Humphrey Elementary School, with students being transferred to DeWitt (Arkansas County) in the fall of 2009. The DeWitt School District ultimately approved the continued use of the gym for the annual event. The Gillett Coon Supper has become a veritable rite of passage for people seeking election to political office in Arkansas.

Learn more about Gillett Coon Supper Explore full history calendar

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John D. Rockefeller and John D. Rockefeller Jr.

Oil giant and multimillionaire John D. Rockefeller (left) established the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission in 1909 with the goal to cure and eradicate hookworm disease in Southern states such as Arkansas, where the disease was a major health issue. Rockefeller is seen in this early 1900s photograph with his son, John Jr., the father of Arkansas governor Winthrop Rockefeller.

 

Oil giant and multimillionaire John D. Rockefeller (left) established the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission in 1909 with the goal to cure and eradicate hookworm disease in Southern states such as Arkansas, where the disease was a major health issue. Rockefeller is seen in this early 1900s photograph with his son, John Jr., the father of Arkansas governor Winthrop Rockefeller.

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Blue diamond with stars and crossed swords above blue and red text Skirmish at Gaines' Landing Civil War "In memory of those killed December 1987 Pope County Arkansas" flat engraved marker on grass Ronald Gene Simmons Criminal Activities Gravestones in cemetery with trees in the background Emmet Hempstead, Nevada Nathaniel “Sweetwater” Clifton Basketball Portrait white man in suit military medal long wavy hair thick beard smoking large pipe Albert Pike Individuals, Lawyers, Poetry, State Figures white man in embroidered black shirt and white woman in turtleneck and white jacket smiling in front of trees "Tony and Susan Alamo Tony Alamo sings Mister DJ" Tony Alamo Criminal Activities, Religious Figures Romance and crime related book cover featuring attractive white man and woman in blazers walking on a dock Arkansas Special Agents Fiction Young African-American man kneeling in uniform with alligator in truck bed Bruce "Sunpie" Barnes Faces of three white men superimposed upon forest with red and white text on book cover West Memphis Three Criminal Activities 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 white man in black embroidered alongside white woman in dark suit and hat carrying roses amid a crowd of people Johnny Cash Country, Rock Large rock with memorial plaque on it listing victims names and hometowns for each Negro Boys Industrial School Fire of 1959 School Desegregation Two elephants standing at a barbed wire fence Riddle’s Elephant and Wildlife Sanctuary Attractions (Historic and Current), Zoology Canopy in park with benches under it and paved walking paths Westside School Shooting Criminal Activities Exploded underground missile silo and debris as seen from above Titan II Missile Explosion Post Civil War
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Ring form wooden sculpture with square cut center radially carved lines and organic negative spaces Robyn Hutcheson Horn Sculpture Panorama of kitchen, barracks, uniformed men, truck, and rock walls, hand-signed "C.C.C. Camp Nodak - Plainview, Ark. 11-8-33" New Deal Projects Street with brick and stone storefront buildings and parked cars Ash Flat Sharp White men in suits sitting at table together with microphone John Steven Clark State Figures Opera in the Ozarks at Inspiration Point Classical and Opera Young white protesters with signs being interviewed by local news Abortion Women African-American woman smiling in dress and shell necklace Patricia Washington McGraw Educators and Administrators, Poetry Audience and choir outside two-story brick building with "AC" logo banner reading "1872-1972 100 years" Lyon College Four-Year: Colleges and Universities Cover of book "Boys Like Us." featuring two shirtless white men facing each other in front of purple background LGBTQ+ Movement Political Movements, Sexual Orientation Older white woman with glasses in hooded sweater holding up a painting with the word "Resilience" on it Suzanne Pharr Nonfiction, Sexual Orientation Crowd of Asian-American children stand in rows holding hands over head in field near housing units. Japanese American Relocation Camps Projects, World War II to Faubus Era three African American men stand in front of stone steps leading to multistory stone building Segregation and Desegregation Black man in woven suit jacket pattern tie by doorway profile view Silas Herbert Hunt School Desegregation, School Segregation and Desegregation Two white men facing each other and smiling Robert Allen Leflar Educators and Administrators, Lawyers Diamond shaped outline drawing of peace and leaves in center with word "Elberta" above and "Route" below Prescott and Northwestern Railroad Land Romance and crime related book cover featuring attractive white man and woman in blazers walking on a dock Arkansas Special Agents Fiction

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.

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