Hunting and Farming by Native
Americans
• First encounter with
Europeans in 1541, by
Hernando de Soto.
• Found Indians growing
groves of nut and fruit
trees and extensive fields
of corn.
• Systems of roads and
trails connected the towns
and cities to one another.
French Trading of Furs with Native
Americans at Arkansas Post
• Arkansas Post was the first
and most significant European
establishment in Arkansas.
• Henri de Tonti, received land
and a trading concession at the
juncture of the Arkansas an
Mississippi rivers.
• He established a Arkansas
Post near the Quapaw town of
Osotouy where French goods
were exchanged for beaver furs.
•Rivers were used for
transportation of traded items.
Cotton Plantations
• Mostly along the Mississippi in
Arkansas because the plant needs
hot days and warm nights.
• These areas also had easy
access to river transport.
• Amounts of cotton production and
other farming along the Arkansas?
• In 1960 cotton generated about
33% of Arkansas’ agricultural
income. By the 80’s this
decreased to 20%.
• Cotton remains a strong cash crop
for Arkansas, with 2.1 million
bales, 10% of national production,
harvested in 2004.
Sharecropping and Tenant Farming
• Tenant Farming became the most
common means of esp. cotton
production after the Civil War.
• A typical Arkansas tenant, black or
white, rented forty acres from a
landowner and farmed with his own
mules, planter and family for labor.
Landowners typically got a fourth of
the crop, with the remainder going
to the tenant.
• A sharecropper lacked equipment
an capital, and his family typically
received only fifty percent of the
crop.
The Timber Industry
• The abundant forests of Arkansas
enable the production of lumber,
kraft paper, fine paper, newsprint,
chemicals, charcoal and many
other products.
• In the Eastern deltas hardwoods
grow in the swamps and river
bottoms. The Ozark Mountains
are home to a mix of slower
growing pines and
hardwoods.The rolling hills to the
south contain more pine
Timber Town Development
• Northern lumber entrepreneurs acquired
timberlands in the late 19th century and would then
hire men, create feeder lines into the forests, build
large sawmills, and begin to harvest the virgin
forests. Over time additional power equipment ,
such as tree cutters, road building machinery,
haulers, and material management tools, supported
larger operations,.
• The Crossett Experimental Forest (CEF) of the US
Department of Agriculture Forest Service was one
of the first experimental forests in the southern
United States. It has provided decades of scientific
research on topics ranging from forest ecology and
silviculture to wildlife, hydrology and soils in the
loblolly and shortleaf pine-dominated forests of the
Upper West Gulf Costal Plain geographic province.
Railroad Development
• The construction of railroads had a
significant impact on the state, creating
towns where none had existed.
• While very little passenger servise still
sxists, many of the same routes are
used to transport a wide variety of
goods throughout the state and
beyond.
• The relationship between railroads and
the timber industry was mutually
beneficial. The railroads needed cross
ties and products to carry to market;
the timber industry needed
transportation and the mechanical skills
supplied by railroad men.
Hot Springs
• On April 20, 1832 Andrew Jackson
signed an act establishing Hot Springs
National Park in order to preserve the
springs there for public benefit.
• In the early 19th century, Hot Springs
was one of several spa towns offering
medicinal tourism.
• Today Hot Springs offers visitors a
wide variety of activities including
horse racing at Oaklawn, rides and
amusement at Magic Springs theme
park, botanical gardens, shopping, and
hiking.
Eureka Springs
• During the late 19th and early 20th
century, Eureka Springs’ growth
was due almost entirely to the
construction of a short railroad line
connected to Frisco Railroad’s main
line at Seligman Missouri.
• Eureka Springs lures tourists by
celebrating the traditional culture of
the Ozarks.
• It well known today as a resort get
away for couples, a top shopping
destination, and a prime location to
experience Arkansas art, culture
and heritage.
The Arkansas Oil Industry
• From 1920 to 2003, more than 1.8
billion barrels of oil have been
produced in Arkansas.
• More than 85% of the oil produced
has come from Union, Lafayette,
Columbia, and Ouachita counties.
• In 1922, the Smackover Pool was
discovered near the UnionOuachita County Line outside the
farming town of Smackover. The
oil producing area covered more
than 25,000 acres and by 1925
had become the largest-producting
oil site in the world.
Mining of Bauxite for Aluminum
• Bauxite, the most common ore
of aluminum, was designated
the official state rock in 1967.
• Arkansas’s bauxite deposits,
located around the town of
Bauxite in Saline County, are
the largest commercially
exploitable deposits in the
nation.
• Arkansas has produced more
than 90% of all domestic
tonnage mined throughout the
20th century.
Altus Wine Production
• Winemaking in Arkansas
began when European
Catholics, primarily
German-Swiss, immigrated
to the state.
• The two largest wineries in
the state, Post Family and
Wiederkehr are locate in
the town of Altus and were
established around 1870.
Farming of Rice
• Rice was designated the official
state grain of Arkansas on March
27, 2007.
• Rice was first cultivate in Arkansas
in small amounts as early as 1840,
however, it did not become a major
crop until the start of the 20th
century.
• Today rice is grown in forty
Arkansas counties, with over 1.6
mill acres in the state dedicated to
rice production in 2005, making
Arkansas the top rice producing
state in the country.
• In 2005 total rice production was
97.2 million hundredweight of rice.
Farming of Soybeans
• Following WWII rice and
soybean production replaced
cotton as Arkansas’s major
agricultural output.
• As new technologies made
clearing projects and drainage
of swampland more feasible,
the state saw a large increase
in soybean output and
soybeans quickly became the
crop of choice for Delta farmers
after the war.
• By 1960, about 6 acres of
soybeans were planted for
each acre of cotton.
Fruit Festivals in Arkansas
• Arkansas is home to a wide selection of
fruit festivals occurring throughout the
year including: Pink Tomato Festival in
Warren, Johnson County Peach Festival
in Clarksville, Grapefest in Altus, Cave
City Watermelon Festival, Apple Festival
in Lincoln
• The Arkansas Apple Festival in Lincoln
is held been on the first weekend in
October since 1976. Established
traditions at the festival include live
music, square dancing, an arts and
crafts fair, and a parade. Free samples
of apple cider and apple slices are given
away throughout the festival.
Little Rock Industry
• Axciom- global interactive marketing services
company headquartered in Little Rock. Annual
revenue 1.38 billion
• Alltel- until its acquisition by Verizon in ‘08
was the 5th largest wireless
telecommunications company in the U.S. with
8.8 billion in annual revenues.
• TCBY – international frozen yogurt vender
which grew over 19 years from a single store
in Little Rock to a 3,000 outlet franchise.
Aquired by Mrs. Fields Famous Brands in
2000.
• Maybelline – makeup brand sold worldwide and owned by L’Oreal. In 1975 the
company moved its factory to Little Rock
where it is still located.
Poultry Industry
• The Arkansas poultry industry first
emerged in the 1890s. A century later,
Tyson Foods, based in Springdale, had
become one of the largest agribusiness
firms in the United States.
• By the 1970s, Tyson, along with instate competitors ConAgra and
Pilgrim’s Pride propelled Arkansas into
becoming the nation’s number-one
poultry producer.
• Problems facing the poultry industry
include straining local infrastructure due
to immigration of cheep labor from Latin
America, environmental concerns
stemming from poultry-waste runoff,
and the possibility of a global avian
influenza pandemic.
Trucking and Transportation Logistics
• Prominant Arkansas trucking firms
include Shaw, JB Hunt, ABC, and
PAM.
• The rise of Arkansas’s trucking firms
coincided with, and reinforced, the
developing poultry industry.
• J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., is
Arkansas’s largest trucking company
and one of the largest transportation
logistics providers in North America.
• This Arkansas-based company
employs 16,000 people and operates
more than 11,000 tractors and 47,000
trailers, with annual revenues
exceeding 2 billion.
Wind Power Industry
• LM Glasfiber is a blade manufacturer
in Little Rock, where its North
American headquarters are located.
• Polymarin Composites is another
blade manufacturer in LR. Ben. One
of Polymarin’s main suppliers is Wind,
Water Technologies, which has a
factory collocated with Polymarin in
LR.
• Nordex is ready to break ground on a
new $100 million factory in
Jonesboro. Nordex is a major turbine
manufacturer from Germany. The
headquarters for Nordex is in
Chicago.
Industrial Production
• Whirlpool Corporation is a global
manufacturer and marketer of major home
appliances with annual sales of $19 billion.
They have manufacturing facilities in Fort
Smith, AR.
• Shakespeare Fishing Tackle – founded in
1896, they manufacture fishing rods, reels,
tackle, and accessories. In 1965 they
moved their reel production to Fayetteville,
AR.
• Baldor Electric – markets, designs, and
manufactures industrial electric motors,
mechanical power transmission products,
drives and generators. Founded in 1920,
the y generate annual revenues of 721
million dollars and are headquartered in
Fort Smith.
Arkansas Banking/ Investment
Banks
• Arkansas is home to a strong
banking sector with 143 banks
with assets totaling $53 billion
headquartered in the state,
and 1,488 branches. Notable
examples include:
•
•
•
•
•
Arvest - $10 Billion in Assets
Bank of Arkansas – $24 Billion in Assets
Pulaski Bank and Trust – 5.37 Billion in Assets
Signature Bank – 1.2 Billion in Assets
Metropolitan – 1.67 Billion in Assets
Arkansas Retail
• Walmart – founded in 1962 by Sam
Walton, Walmart is the world’s largest
public corporation by revenue, with
over $404 billion in revenue annually.
It is also the largest employer in the
U.S. with more than two million
associates and tens of thousands of
stores around the world.
• Dillard’s – founded in 1938 by William
T. Dillard, this department store chain
is based in Little Rock, and has 330
stores in 29 states throughout the
U.S.. This company employes
approx. 53,598 people and has
annual revenues of $7.59 billion.
Tourism
• Notable attractions include Arkansas State
Parks, National Parks, lakes, rivers, hunting,
fishing, water sports, camping, and hiking.
• In 2000, an estimated 20.3 million visitors
came to Arkansas and spent $3.8 billion.
• Tourists come to Arkansas for its many
sports and recreational opportunities, as well
as its natural beauty.
• Arkansas is home to a 51 scenic and
recreational state parks, such as Mt.
Magazine and Petit Jean State Parks.
• It is also an excellent location for water
sports and fishing.
• The newest notable tourist attraction is the
William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library
in Little Rock.
Preservation of Natural Areas
• The Buffalo National River, became
the first national river in the United
States on March 1, 1972. It is one of
the few remaining unpolluted, freeflowing rivers in the lower forty-eight
states.
• Today, the Buffalo National River is
one of the leading tourist
destinations in Arkansas, with park
visitations averaging more that
800,000 visitors a year.
• The park offers more than 100 miles
of hiking trails, and emcompasses
several large caves, including Fitton
Cave, the longest cave in Arkansas.
Fayetteville Shale
• The Fayetteville Shale is a black, organic-rich
rock of Mississippian age that underlies much
of northern Arkansas and adjacent states.
• It produces natural gas in the central portion of
the Arkoma basin. The productive wells
penetrate the Fayetteville Shale at depths
between a few hundred and 7,000 below the
surface.
• The first wells to produce natural gas from the
Fayetteville Shale were traditional vertical
wells with low to moderate production rates. In
recent years horizontal wells have been drilled
through the rock unit, intersecting large
numbers of vertical fractures which bring a flow
of gas into the well and drain the surrounding
rock.
Arkansas Entrepreneurs
Notable examples include:
• Patricia P. Upton
• Sam M. Walton
• Sissy Jones
• The Joshua’s
• Forrest L. Wood
• Lorena Larson
• Charles H. Murphy Jr.
• William T. Dillard