Arkansas Summer Camps

History

Spaniard Hernando de Soto was among the early European explorers to visit the territory in the mid-16th century, but it was a Frenchman, Henri de Tonti, who in 1686 founded the first permanent white settlement—the Arkansas Post. In 1803 the area was acquired by the U.S. as part of the Louisiana Purchase. Part of the Territory of Missouri from 1812, the area became a separate entity in 1819 after the first large wave of settlers arrived. The next several decades were marked by the development of the cotton industry and the spread of the Southern plantation system west into Arkansas. Arkansas joined the Confederacy in 1861, but from 1863 the northern part of the state was occupied by Union troops.

Facts

Motto: Regnat populus (The people rule).
State symbols: flower apple blossom (1901); tree pine (1939); bird mockingbird (1929); insect honeybee (1973); song “Arkansas” (1963)
Nickname: The Natural State
Origin of name: From the Quapaw Indians

Statistics

10 largest cities (2005 est.): Little Rock, 184,564; Fort Smith, 82,481; Fayetteville, 66,655; Springdale, 60,096; Jonesboro, 59,358; North Little Rock, 58,803; Pine Bluff, 52,693; Conway, 51,999; Rogers, 48,353; Hot Springs, 37,847. Land area: 52,068 sq mi. (134,856 sq km). Geographic center: In Pulaski Co., 12 mi. SW of Little Rock. Number of counties: 75. Largest county by population and area: Pulaski, 366,463 (2005); Union, 1,039 sq mi. Residents: Arkansan. 2005 resident population est.: 2,779,154

Arkansas Summer Camps