Show fi iI t s a s' s I J t- t a t I I l c I Ij I j B e a 11 08 is i ll B By EDV EDWARD ARD EMERINE El Features States like men should not be judged by hearsay If you have been reading stale joke books or listening to radio comics you may have some preconceived and erroneous ideas about one of the greatest of the 48 states It is time for you to reappraise reappraise reappraise re ap praise Arkansas A few weeks ago I made an automobile automobile automobile auto auto- mobile trip through Arkansas following following following fol fol- fol- fol lowing the general course of U. U S S. S Highway No 67 from rom Poplar Bluffs Mo to Texarkana We visited Corning Corning Corn Corn- ing lag Walnut Ridge Newport Searcy Little Rock Arkadelphia I and other towns We saw fields of rice corn cotton cotton cotton cot cot- ton and other staples on land that was black and rich We heard the sharp ring of saws biting into both soft and hard woods We heard factory whistles too and saw hundreds of men carrying dinner pails Horses mules and tractors furnished power for farming arming while huge trucks hauled loads of giant watermelons fat cattle milk oil lumber logs poles crates of fruits and berries and other products Fruit trees were heavily laden the boughs bending low Progress Is Evident We traveled over splendid paved roads across rich coastal plains and through mountain scenery as majestic as any traveler could ever want There were fine homes big barns and kept wen kept acres on either side of the road There was construction construction construction con con- everywhere for Arkansas Arkan Arkan- sas is building new homes stores garages and other structures Steel cement brick and bright new lumber were going into those build build- ings New homes in every stage of construction were to be seen Some were near mansions while others were simple structures Barns sheds and fences were going up too When we talked to the people of Arkansas we found them friendly courteous intelligent They smiled easily were proud of their state and sure of its future Tourists who had visited every part of the Ozark and Ouachita forest and mountain ar areas as in the northwestern part of the state as well as the lower coastal coast coast- al 31 plains in the the- southeast had seen just lust what we saw construction progress and resolute faith fajth First settlers of Arkansas were the Indians the who lived south of the Arkansas river and the thc who lived north of it They called the land but somewhere along the thc way an anI I r was inserted and a final s added It is pronounced Ar Ar kin kan- kan saw After discovery by De Soto In 1541 Arkansas was tossed like a ball between Spain and France The few people who came to the area were soldiers and traders There were no and few merchants No permanent settlements were made except around military posts After the United States came Into possession of Louisiana territory including Arkansas the country was settled rapidly by Saxon Anglo-Saxon pioneers Territory Formed In 1819 Arkansas was organized as a separate territory and the capital capital capital cap cap- ital was moved from Arkansas Post to Little Rock Incidentally Little Rock was so named because of ot a ledge of rocks projecting into the river and to distinguish It from Big Rock about three miles up the river Population was about It may be noted that Arkan- Arkan r m nar n- n ti tiM M 4 r ai 1 r H i iq q S n 4 1 i rr I 4 1 f lii ea v Y CLASSIC STRUCTURE Orl Originally occupied in 1836 Arkansas Arkansas' old state stale house now converted into a war memorial building Is one of or the lie classic colonial buildings of or the nation c cs s rr 1 r ts' ts y i iY d' d d' d i iY Y k 1 NATIVE NATIVE RESIDENT Ben en Laney Lancy governor e of Arkansas is a native and aud lifelong resident of the state lie He was born In a small rural area of ot Ouachita county called l I ck Before Before Before Be Be- fore his election as governor he was a school teacher dru drug store operator oil man a agriculturist and twice mayor of or Camden Veteran Veteran Vet Vet- eran crap of World War I he is married married married mar mar- ried and has three children sas was a part of Louisiana from 1804 to 1812 and from 1812 to 1819 a o part pint of Missouri In 1836 Arkansas Arkan Arkan- sas became a state Arkansas Is a great agricultural state with soil new and fertile Levees ditches and canals have redeemed alluvial lands along the St. St Francis the Arkansas and Mississippi Mississippi Mississippi Mis Mis- rivers The state has an almost inexhaustible timber supply with forests of pine and hardwoods hardwoods hardwoods hard hard- woods covering nearly two two thirds thirds of the state At Eureka Heber and Hot Springs health-giving health waters have long been used Industries of Arkansas are devoted devoted de de- de voted almost entirely to extracting I or processing products which originate Hate within the states state's boundaries There are 28 oil and gas producing fields in six southern Arkansas counties and 16 10 gas fields in five western counties Petroleum reserves reserves re serves are estimated at more than million barrels and reserves of natural gas at over 1000 billion cubic feet Climate scenic attractions recreational facilities and curative curativo cura cura- tive tivo waters combine to brin bring great numbers of oC tourists and health seekers to Arkansas most each year The states state's widely known attraction Is Hot Dot Sprin Springs s National park containing containing contain contain- ing 47 hot springs with temperatures temperatures temperatures temper temper- up to degrees Adjacent to Hot Springs are arc Lakes Catherine and Hamilton with more than miles mUes of shoreline Annual spring racing meets are held at Oak OakLawn OakLawn OakLawn Lawn jockey club Golf is played the year around The states state's scenic highlands include include include in in- clude two mountain groups the Ozarks and the both easily easIly easily ily accessible State parks provide exceptional recreational facilities Sportsmans Sportsman's Para Paradise disc Arkansas' Arkansas duck shooting is nationally nationally nationally na na- na- na famous Rice fields in the prairie section attract mallards during during during dur dur- ing the winter migration Deer quail and turkey provide plenty of hunting and fishing may be enjoyed enjoyed enjoyed en en- joyed in the numerous lakes and the streams Float fishing on White river and some of its tributaries trIbutaries tributaries tribu trIbu- is a unique Arkansas pastime which is becoming increasingly popular popular popular pop pop- ular with visitors I am fully convinced that Arkansas Arkan Arkan- sas is destined to become one of the great playgrounds of America said Franklin D. D Roosevelt at Booneville Ark when he visited there in hi 1938 And many of the rest of us who have visited that state can heartily endorse the thc late Presidents President's words M l 5 5 0 U R 1 T Q I i ter rr 2 iP i- i FAY T T rG 8 v d- d df IJ f P 7 1 f f h r r lJ I g 3 rC IJ 9 d fill 0 e I Ii J t i 3 t y JL r rOI H o OI y W t I f Vi l i nm fitS l r I ly tT r 0 t t tl l' l l 1 11 D i H SJ D 4 I a HOT CS U TILE ROCK 1 a x 4 4 It Ii o I r I t p. p OI 01 J toti to HI CI ti tI i P I J r c i iX 1 N ASIA AtiA i r X I Iw h w 51 t i I Jl 10 U l 5 1 7 T N TR R p. p I I 1 I- I y i 4 y Sn ft M. M r fi fir mr R H Ea Zb K Wy r r 3 9 YN c i y a i r e 5 sg f r wl I Rice harvesting scene on Arkansas Grand Prairie |