Conversation
Imagine that you were stranded in
the woods in Arkansas. What do we
have around us that could be useful
to survive?
Vocabulary
natural resources
Materials found in
nature
timber
The wood of a
tree
settlers
crater
People who moved
into a new home in a
new place
A hole in the ground
with raised sides
around it
export
To send to other places
mining
Digging in the earth to
get the natural resources
there
natural
resources
timber
settlers
crater
mining
export
To send to other places
Digging in the earth to get the
natural resources there
A hole in the ground with raised
sides around it
The wood of a tree
People who moved into a new home
in a new place
Materials found in nature
Trash Art
A fish made of trash collected from the ocean. Can you make
something out of trash?
Natural Resources
Man-made Resources
Trees
Books
Let’s Read
Have you ever played a computer, video or board game where
you have to find resources to build something? In games like
Minecraft, you have to collect natural resources to build and
survive. Native Americans collected Arkansas’s many natural
resources long before Arkansas became a state, and we still use
our natural resources to build and survive today.
Water and Soil
Native Americans lived along the rivers in Arkansas. The
Caddo Indians lived around the Red River because the land
around water usually has good soil for growing crops. The
Quapaws lived around the Mississippi, White and Arkansas
rivers because of the good soil.
In the 1600s, white settlers came to begin life in Arkansas.
People first settled along the Mississippi River because they
used the river like a road for boats. Water also provided fish
and water for crops. Cities like Little Rock, Fort Smith and Pine
Bluff are examples of old cities that depended on the
Arkansas River.
Native Americans also used the state’s hot springs. Later the
springs became a tourist spot. The water can reach up to 147
degrees Fahrenheit! There are good minerals in the water
that people used to get healthy.
Plants
There are many trees in Arkansas. At first, this made it
hard for people to settle in Arkansas. It took a lot of
energy to clear the trees for farming, and the trees made
it hard to travel. After the Civil War, however, timber
became an important export. Trees helped build
railroads and buildings not only in Arkansas, but across
the United States. Many people moved to Arkansas to sell
trees, and today it is still an important business.
Cotton, soybeans, and rice all grow very well in the
Mississippi Delta. The Quapaw grew squash and corn as
well.
Animals
The Osage Indians were hunters in Northwest Arkansas.
Arkansas is home to many kinds of animals, such as deer,
duck, turkeys, beavers, raccoons, squirrels, foxes, bears,
opossums and many kinds of fish. The animal skins were
also used for clothing. The abundant sources of animals
helped the Native Americans and early settlers have food
and clothing.
Fossil Fuels
Arkansas is the home to many fossil fuels. Coal is found along the
Arkansas River. Coal mining brought many people into Arkansas in the
early 1900s. There isn’t as much coal now, and it is not as important
to business today.
Ten counties in southern Arkansas produce oil. In the 1920s, there
was an oil boom. People got a lot of oil from the ground, which means
many people moved to south Arkansas to work in the oil business. Not
as much oil is drilled now, but it is still important to our state.
The Fayetteville Shale is a natural-gas-producing field that runs
along the Arkansas River Valley all the way to the Mississippi River. It
is a recent discovery, and is one of the 10 largest gas fields in the
United States.
Other Minerals and Rocks
From 1900 to 1990, bauxite was an important mineral found
in Arkansas. Bauxite is used to create things such as soda cans
and tin foil (all made out of aluminum). It is our state rock. Many
people moved to Central Arkansas to mine bauxite in the
1900s.
Salt is another important mineral. The Caddo Indians had one
of the first large-scale businesses in Arkansas by making and
trading salt they got along the Ouachita River.
Bromine is found in the same area as the oil fields. Bromine is
used in things from hair products, to keeping water in swimming
pools clean, to keep things from catching on fire. Arkansas
produces more bromine than any other place in the world!
These natural resources have helped make our state what it is
today. Keep reading to find out how it has affected our land.
Make a map!
http://the4thgradejourney.blogspot.com/2013/07/throwback-thursday-map-time.html
Water in Arkansas
St. Francis River
Natural
Gas
Cotton
Oil
Bauxite
Rice
Diamonds
Write it out
What natural resources do you
have in or near your town? Draw
a picture of those natural
resources and write about why
they are important.
Why were wild animals important to
Native Americans and early settlers?
Let’s Read
A Closer Look
West Gulf Coastal Plain
When people started building cities in Arkansas, they were
attracted to this area because of the Red River and the
plants that could grow there. The West Gulf Coastal Plain is
covered in forests of pine trees. When cities in the northern
United States needed wood for their cities and railroads,
they came to Arkansas to get trees. Once all the trees were
gone, people moved into the fields and tried to make the
land into farms. Unlike the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, however,
the land would not produce the crops that made the most
money, like cotton. So there were no trees and no crops.
Having no trees is not good for the environment. For
example, when there were no more trees, animals like the
red-cockaded woodpecker couldn’t be found anymore.
Many animals and plants lost their home.
People then realized they could plant more trees, but this time they had
to manage it better to save the business, plants and animals. Now a lot
of this area is owned by people who manage the timber business. We
also now have areas across the state that are protected so no trees can
be cut down to make sure the state always has forests.
The West Gulf Coastal Plain is also the source of mined natural
resources, such as bauxite, coal and oil. These resources were in high
demand in the 1900s, and brought a lot of people to the area for jobs.
They got these rocks and minerals from “surface mining,” where
machines remove all the soil on top of the minerals, then another
machine mines the minerals. This can leave behind large areas of
unusable land. We need to be careful about how often we do this to
balance getting the materials we need and protecting the earth. Now,
minerals like bauxite, coal and oil are rarely mined in Arkansas, but
natural gas may become a large business.
Mississippi Alluvial Plain (Delta)
When people first began to live in Arkansas, the Mississippi Alluvial
Plain was full of wild prairies and forests. The Mississippi River often
flooded, which made it hard to travel in the area, and the swampy
conditions made it hard for people to live there, so for a long time the
region remained the same.
The floods, however, meant the soil was very good for growing
crops. In the late 1700s people cleared the forests and kept the
prairies from flooding in order to grow more food and cotton. This
region became very rich, but it was at the cost of many slaves used for
labor. When the slaves were freed, this region of the state lost some
of the wealth and power it once had.
Today 90% of the forests have been cleared, and this area is still
the part of the state where the most crops are grown. Many of the
areas known as “wetlands,” have been drained for crops. Some
wetlands and prairies are protected in order to save the animals and
plants that live there.
Then
Now
If you were going to make the first city in
Arkansas, where would you want to build
it? Why?
Let’s Read
Diamonds
Did you know the largest diamond found in the United States
was from Arkansas? In 1924, the “Uncle Sam” diamond was
discovered in the Crater of Diamonds State Park. It was 40.23
carats, or over 8 grams: one large diamond!
Diamonds are one of the most valuable materials found on
Earth. Arkansas is one of the few states where diamonds have
been found, and the only state where people can find
diamonds today. Diamonds are used in more than jewelry;
they are the hardest natural material on Earth, and are used
to cut and drill other hard surfaces.
Diamonds in Arkansas go all the way back to a 95-million
year old volcano. Diamonds are formed from very high
temperatures and pressure, such as is found in the area
below the Earth’s surface, called the mantle. A volcanic
explosion brought up materials from the mantle. When it
exploded, the volcano created a crater, and the materials
from the mantle settled in this crater, including diamonds.
In 1906, a farmer named John Huddleston found two
diamonds. The area became a state park in 1972, so
anyone could come and mine for diamonds. If you find a
diamond, you get to keep it!
Diamonds in the ground do not look like the diamonds
we see in jewelry. Diamonds may be white, brown or
yellow. Diamonds get their shine by the way they are
cut; when they are found in the ground, they may look a
little cloudy and will be shaped like a small rock.
Our state flag has the shape of a diamond to show
we are a diamond-producing state. You can also find
diamonds on our license plates of cars and on the state
quarter of Arkansas. It is also our state gem! To learn
more about Arkansas diamonds, visit
craterofdiamondsstatepark.com.
Let’s Cook
Directions
1) Get a bag of rice. Arkansas rice includes brands such
as Riceland Foods, Inc.; Windmill Rice Company; Producers
Rice Mill Inc. and Specialty Rice, Inc.
2) Bring the water to boil in a saucepan. Rice expands, so
make sure you get a big enough pot!
3) Add the rice, salt and butter. Lower the heat to where
the water is barely boiling, called a simmer.
4) Cover the pot, put the heat on low, and let the rice cook
for about 15 minutes.
5) Turn off the heat and let the rice sit (covered) for 5
minutes.
6) Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.
7) Enjoy your delicious food!