Here Are 15 Things They Don't Teach You About Arkansas In School
Arkansas history is super interesting, or at least what most of us remember about it from the fifth grade is pretty awesome. And those cool factoids? Heck yes! The mockingbird is our state bird. (Mock on, mockingbird!) It turns out, though, there’s more to the story of Arkansas than what we were taught. From the bloody to the fruitful, here are 15 things you probably didn’t learn about in school:
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Speaker of the House John Wilson killed Representative Joseph J. Anthony in 1837. They’d had a duel over paying bounties on wolf pelts.
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In 1783, Spanish forces, who supported the colonial effort, held Arkansas Post. They were attacked by the British. The six hour siege ended with the defeat of the British forces. The commander of the British forces was named James Colbert, so this is called the Colbert Incident or the Colbert Raid.
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I guess they wanted Arkansans to store money like old-timey cartoon robbers?
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It was called the Brooks-Baxter War. It began in 1874 and was over a contested 1872 gubernatorial election.
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No, it’s not Fayetteville.
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If you want to see them, try the Buffalo National River up in Ponca.
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Annual precipitation totals for Arkansas come to 50.6 inches. Washington only gets about 38.4 inches per year.
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This is due in part to the music festivals held there, but it probably helps that McSpadden Mountain Dulcimers makes some of the finest handmade dulcimers in the world. Ozark Folk Center State Park is also located in Mountain View. You can take classes on jig dancing, herb growing, and, of course, dulcimer playing.
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Like, the archery kind.
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What is now Hot Springs National Park was the first federally protected recreation area. Before the National Park Service or Yellowstone National Park were even a gleam in the eye of Congress, Hot Springs was set aside for that purpose.
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If you don’t know what bauxite is, I will tell you: it’s the world’s biggest source of aluminum. You’re welcome.
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Yeah, lemons just don’t grow well here. We still love our lemonade though.
Did you learn these facts in school? Do you know other tidbits? If so, please share with the class.
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