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This Day in Arkansas History

April 26, 1865

The only photograph of the Sultana was taken during a short stop at the waterfront at Helena (Phillips County). The photograph shows that the boat was astonishingly overloaded—in a vessel 260 feet long and forty-two feet wide, built in 1863 for 300 or so passengers, thousands of people could be seen, nearly all of them Union soldiers recently released from Confederate prisoner-of-war camps. Not long after the boat stopped briefly at Memphis, the boilers of the Sultana exploded near Mound City (Crittenden County) in the middle of the night on April 27. Approximately 2,000 to 2,300 people were killed. This remains the worst maritime disaster in North America.

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Junius Futrell

Greene County native Junius M. Futrell was elected governor during the Great Depression in 1932. Campaigning as a fiscal conservative, he opposed almost all proposals to raise money for the state. However, he did support repealing state prohibition and was in favor of the selling of alcohol from proposed distilleries operated at the state prison facilities. This unusual failed proposal was popularly known as the Convict Corn Plan.

 

Greene County native Junius M. Futrell was elected governor during the Great Depression in 1932. Campaigning as a fiscal conservative, he opposed almost all proposals to raise money for the state. However, he did support repealing state prohibition and was in favor of the selling of alcohol from proposed distilleries operated at the state prison facilities. This unusual failed proposal was popularly known as the Convict Corn Plan.

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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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