Show r 0 r r oy r u 71 J 7 t. t j r. r D t i f Sra S r r J r. r l i 1 o I I Jl By EDWARD VARD EMERINE El Features States like men should not be oe 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 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 Poplar Bluffs Mo to Texarkana We visited Corning Corning Corning Corn Corn- ing Walnut Ridge Newport Searcy Little Rock Arkadelphia a and other towns to We Ve saw fields of rice corn cotton cotton cotton cot cot- ton and other staple crops on onland onland onland land that was black and rich We heard the sharp ring of saws biting into both soft and hard woods We Ve heard factory whistles too and saw hundreds of men carrying dinner pails Horses mules and tractors furnished power for farming while huge trucks hauled loads or of giant watermelons tat fat cattle I milk oil lumber logs poles crates of fruits and berries and other products Fruit trees were heavily I laden the boughs bending low Progress is Evident I We traveled over splendid paved I roads across rich coastal plains and through mountain scenery as majestic as any traveler could ever want There were fine homes big barns and well kept acres on either side of the road There was 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 I of construction were to be seen Some were near-mansions near while others were simple structures Barns sheds and fences were going I up too UL n. n J 1 vv we t. t LU w me use ui or 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 areas in the northwestern part of the state as well weB as the lower coastal coast coast- al 11 plains in the southeast had seen lust what we saw construction progress and resolute faith First settlers of Arkansas were he the Indians the who ived south of the Arkansas river and the who lived north Df if f it They called caned the land out Jut somewhere along the way an V r was inserted and a final s Us added It is pronounced kan Ar-kan- saw awe After discovery by De Soto in 1541 Arkansas was tossed like a ball Spain and France The few people who came to the area were wen soldiers and traders There were 10 io farmers and few merchants No settlements were made except around military posts After the United States came into possession of Louisiana territory Deluding Arkansas the country vas Nas settled rapidly by Saxon Anglo-Saxon pioneers Territory Formed I 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 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 i I i 41 i. i r 4 4 til h ti I I CLASSIC STRUCTURE Originally occupied in 1836 II I Arkansas Arkansas' old state house now II I converted into a war memorial building is one of the classic I colonial buildings of the nation I sas was a part of Louisiana from m 1804 1801 to 1812 and from 1812 to 1819 9 a part 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 th the e St. St Francis the Arkansas and Mississippi Mississippi Mississippi Mis Mis- rivers The state has a an n almost inexhaustible timber supply with forests of pine and harwoods hard har hardwoods hardwoods d woods covering nearly two-thirds two o othe of df f the state At Eureka Heber an and d Hot Springs health-giving health waters water s have long been used J Industries of Arkansas are devoted devoted devoted de de- voted almost entirely to extracting or processing products which originate originate originate within the states state's boundaries There are 28 oil and gas producing fields in in six southern Arkansas counties and 16 gas fields in five western counties Petroleum reserves reserves re re- reserves 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 curative curative cura cura- tive waters combine to bring great numbers of tourists and health seekers to Arkansas each year The states state's most widely known attraction is Hot lIot Springs National park containing containing containing contain contain- ing 47 hot springs with temperatures temperatures temper temper- up to degrees Adjacent to Hot Springs are arc Lakes Catherine and Hamilton with more than miles of shoreline Annual spring racing meets are arc held at Oak OakLawn OakLawn OakLawn Lawn jockey club Golf is played the year around The states state's scenic highlands include in include in- in include I clude two mountain groups the Ozar Ozarks s and both easily easily easily ily accessible State parks provide exceptional recreational facilities Sportsmans Sportsman's Paradise Arkansas' Arkansas duck shooting is nationally nationally nationally 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 of hunting and fishing may be enjoyed enjoyed en em joyed in the numerous lakes and I streams Float fishing on the Vh White te river and some of its tributaries tributaries tributaries tribu tribu- is a unique Arkansas pastime which h is 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 I Booneville Ark when he visited I there in 1938 And many of the rest of us who I have hav visited that state can heartily endorse the late Presidents President's words M 1 5 5 0 U R 1 r- r FAY T EVILLE w y-aR y r i r A y r W 0 x 43 II 1 L 1 r i t tf f rc f err Ul pili tl I a Rout r NATIONAL 4 i i J N o T f X I t 0 u 1 5 1 1 |