Welcome to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas

Everything from Book cover picturing a white woman from the back Blessings of the Heart to Book cover featuring white man in long sleeves and vest clutching from behind a white woman in yellow dress Runaway Heart
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This Day in Arkansas History

February 13, 1905

The coldest temperature ever recorded in Arkansas, twenty-nine degrees below zero, was noted at Gravette (Benton County) in the northwest corner of the state. Officially classified by climatologist Wladimir Köppen as having a humid sub-tropical climate, Arkansas is indeed humid, but numerous weather extremes run through the state. Humid sub-tropical is classified generally as a mild climate with a hot summer and no specific dry season. The Köppen classification is correct in that regard, but the state truly has four seasons, and they can all range from fairly mild to incredibly extreme.

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Conway Twitty

Harold Jenkins of Helena (Phillips County) took his stage name from the towns of Conway (Faulkner County) and Twitty, Texas, thus becoming Conway Twitty. As a rockabilly and country legend, Twitty topped the charts more than fifty times, with the 1958 release of “It’s Only Make Believe” being the first to climb to number one.

 

Harold Jenkins of Helena (Phillips County) took his stage name from the towns of Conway (Faulkner County) and Twitty, Texas, thus becoming Conway Twitty. As a rockabilly and country legend, Twitty topped the charts more than fifty times, with the 1958 release of “It’s Only Make Believe” being the first to climb to number one.

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white man dressed as cowboy blowing into long, tubular musical instrument Bazooka [Musical Instrument] Group of men loading cotton onto horse-drawn carts Cotton Gins Plant Culture Portrait white man in suit military medal long wavy hair thick beard smoking large pipe Albert Pike Individuals, Lawyers, Poetry, State Figures "Walton's" store with red and white awning and "Wal-Mart visitors center" on the windows Walmart Inc. Businesses African-American woman in turban and hoop earrings behind orchid Maya Angelou Poetry Group of African-American men standing and sitting before brick wall Elaine Massacre of 1919 Early Twentieth Century White man with stubbled beard sitting in backwards cap and jacket with his hands clasped under his chin Billy Bob Thornton Actors and Filmmakers busy city intersection with cars and people, view of state capitol in background Little Rock Pulaski Book cover "My Life Bill Clinton" with portrait white man with graying hair smiling wool jacket collar upturned Bill Clinton Executive Branch, Governors Older African-American man smiling in suit and bow tie Joseph Walter Jackson Business Leaders Multistory red brick church building with steeple Seventh-Day Adventists Faiths and Denominations 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 The Clinton Chronicles 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 in black embroidered alongside white woman in dark suit and hat carrying roses amid a crowd of people Johnny Cash Country, Rock Portrait Italian American man in stylish suit tie wavy hair intimidating glare droopy right eyelid Charles "Lucky" Luciano Criminal Activities
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Multistory building with clock tower and stone monument with flag pole and trees in its front yard Ouachita County Mountain highway with two cars driving uphill past striped posts on gravel shoulder Ouachita Mountains Six Natural Divisions Mountain viewed from forest road with opposite split-rail fences Ouachita National Forest Attractions (Historic and Current), Protected Areas Concrete dam with water rushing over it and lake Ouachita River Physical Geography Postcard "We all want the freedom to make decisions that affect our lives" Initiatives and Referenda Laws and Court Cases River with green foliage and red barn shaped mill building Ozark Arts and Crafts Fair Art Organizations, Festivals and Events Round polygonal stone building with wooden shingles and steps leading up to it. Ozark Folk Center State Park Folklife Projects and Folklorists, State Parks Map of Arkansas and surrounding states divided into geological regions with scale below it Ozark Mountains Six Natural Divisions River with natural spill way and green foliage Ozark-St. Francis National Forests Attractions (Historic and Current), Protected Areas Portrait of white man in suit, tie, seated by curtain, table, and book Isaac Charles Parker Judges White man in suit and tie sitting in a chair with red and white stripes Harvey Parnell Governors, Lt. Governors University of Arkansas Shooting of 2000 Criminal Activities White male track athlete "Arkansas state" jersey celebrates smiling hands raised people in background field Earl Holmes Bell Track and Field Glenn Cunningham Track and Field Blue and gray clad armies on horses with guns charging each other on battlefield with flags, cannons, bare trees, and smoke Battle of Pea Ridge Civil War Four cannons in field by split rail fence with forest beyond Pea Ridge National Military Park Locations, National Parks

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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Our overview page covers everything you would want to know about our beautiful state, including state symbols, demographics and more!

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