University of Arkansas Fayetteville - Razorback Yearbook (Fayetteville, AR)

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An Early Arkansas Fortress—Fort Smith kansas: Clark, Lawrence, Arkansas, Hempstead, and Pulaski. ARKANSAS BECOMES TERRITORY On March 2, 1819, President Monroe approved the Arkansas petition to become a Territory and thereupon appointed Sen. James Miller the first governor, and Robert Crittenden his secretary. Miller had become famous in the War of 1812 when he silenced offensive British batteries. He was a son of New Hampshire. He arrived at Arkansas Post, capital of the Territory, on Dec. 26, 1819, and his arrival caused as much furore as did the first edition of the Arkansas Gazette, first newspaper in the Territory when it appeared Nov. 20, 1819. On the occasion of the first paper, a store at the Post gave away a barrel of whiskey to celebrate. No official record has been made whether the feat was repeated to honor the new governor. Secretary Crittenden arrived at the capital on July 4, when Arkansas Territory began its separate exist¬ ence. A two-fold celebration was held—one for the Territory, one for the National Government. Governor Miller resigned shortly after the capital was moved to Little Rock, and the president put George Izard in the chair. This educated man brought with him the largest library to be seen in the Territory, and his collection of razors, one for each day in the week. The site of Little Rock, and even the name, musf have been unattractive to some citizens, for Gov¬ ernor Miller tried to have the town moved to Crystal Hill, about 12 miles up the river, and built a home there, but his plan was not given cognizance. In 1821, some of the settlers there drew up a petition to change the name of Little Rock to Arkopolis, combination of Indian and Greek meaning Arkansas City, but this, too, was not accepted. CITIZENS MOVE FOR STATEHOOD Ambition characterized action of Arkansas and they aspired to statehood. Ambrose Sevier, Congressman from the Territory, introduced a bill in 1833 to have Arkansas become a State. It was opposed on the grounds that the commonwealth was not large enough, nor possessor of public buildings to accommodate a state government. A census, ordered by Congress in its investigations, showed 50,000 population. Gover¬ nor Pope devoted untiring energy to having buildings constructed on federal land. When Governor Fulton expressed disapproval of the people framing a constitution, they petitioned for a convention. Finally the legislature called a constitu-

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drained by the Mississippi for the king of Spain, whose country held it for 130 years. Arkansas was a football, says Historian John H. Moore, And all efforts to own it was a tournament from 1539 to 1803. There were five teams: Indians, Spanish, French, English and the All-American team. After DeSoto had died in Arkansas and been buried in the Mississippi river, his wife waited in Cuba for his return, but in vain. Finally she committed suicide by jumping from the tower of the fortress which still stands in Havana. FRENCH SECOND EXPLORERS After many years the French came exploring. A Jesuit missionary named Marquette, and a fur trader called Joliet, first explored the Mississippi river as far south as the mouth of the Arkansas river. They spent a short time with the Indians there, learned that the Father of Waters went to the Gulf, and then re¬ turned to Canada. When they returned to Canada, Rene Robert Cava¬ lier de La Salle looked the valley over. He went back to France and secured a commission from the king. In 1682 he raised the French flag at the mouth of the Mississippi and claimed the territory for his country. Then Arkansas went under French dominion. With La Salle was Henri de Tonti, called by some historians the Father of Arkansas. While La Salle was in France getting settlers to colonize the territory, de Tonti was busy building forts. When he went down to the mouth of the river to meet the detachment of settlers, he learned that La Salle and his troop had missed the river and landed in Texas, where the leader met death from one of his own men. Then de Tonti went north to the Arkansas river and there built a village which he called Post. This oc¬ curred in 1686 and was the first town in the Louisiana Territory. The town was later called Arkansas Post, first seat of government of the commonwealth. Arkansas again went under Spanish rule when Louis¬ iana Territory was ceded to Spain by France in 1762. France again received the country in 1800 when Spain ceded it back by the treaty of San lldefonso. ARKANSAS FINALLY UNDER U. S. The football was carried across the goal line for the last time in 1803 when President Thomas Jefferson pur¬ chased the land for $15,000,000 from Napoleon. His agents in the deal were William R. Livingston and James Monroe. At this time, as a result of the constant booting the ball had received, Arkansas was but a wilderness. Ex¬ ceedingly sparse homes of white men existed among numberless red men. About 400 whites existed in the territory, according to Moore, but by the time Arkan¬ sas was accepted as a Territory of the United Stafes, the figure had jumped to 14,000. Seeking elbow room from the steady westerly spread of civilization, many men found haven in Arkansas. As they came, they established towns. The first post of¬ fice was in Davidsonville and immediately after, one was set up at Arkansas Post, which two were the only mail stations in the country until Territoriality was es¬ tablished. The only settlers in the land at that time were adults, but about 1800, John Patterson, the first white child in Arkansas, was born. He came into the world in a meager log house, the floor of which was constructed of puncheon, split poles with the flat sides up. His mother cooked on the open fireplace. The Pattersons, like the other inhabitants, looked eagerly for the monthly visit of the post rider who carried mail on horseback from St. Louis to Monroe, La. In 1812a catastrophe occurred in the territory which is now included in northeast Arkansas and southeast Missouri that changed the whole map of the region. The great New Madrid Earthquake, so called after a little settlement in Missouri, caused the region in the St. Francis River Valley to sink and become inundated with lakes and swamps. Governmental administration was gradually being applied to the country and at the end of the childhood of Arkansas, when it became a youth as a Territory under United States fatherhood, two district courts had been established, sheriffs had been appointed, and the section divided into the first five counties of Ar-

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tional convention for Jan. 4, 1836, and the body of delegates assembled in the Baptist and Presbyterian churches at the Capital. The constitution, as drawn up, met with the approval of Congress with the exception of one clause: slavery school for Cherokee Indians at Dwight, near Russell¬ ville, in 1822. Presbyterians started their work about 1820, Baptists in 1825, and the Christians in 1832, ac¬ cording to Professor Shinn. The first sawmill in the state was established at The Great Seals of the Territory and the State was provided among the tenets. This barrier could not be hurdled until Michigan sought admittance to the Union. Then a bloc of Southern senators brought their pressure to bear. A political trade was nego¬ tiated finally with the northern faction, and the South¬ erners voted favorably for Michigan to enter without slaves if the Northerners would accept Arkansas with them. GOSPEL SPREAD EARLY While political developments were taking place, Ar¬ kansas was also growing in other ways. Churches were springing up rapidly as a result of the work accom¬ plished by circuit riders, preachers who covered a route of churches on horseback. They had started about 1810. The Methodists established a congrega¬ tion at Mount Prairie, Hempstead county, in 1816, and in 1820 the first sermon in Little Rock was delivered by Cephas Washburn, a New England Congregation¬ alism Washburn later left the capital and started a Helena in 1826, and the first national park in the na¬ tion was set apart as Hot Springs about this time. There were no public schools during the period, but several private ones were established. A Little Rock Academy was founded in 1825, and in 1835 Cane Hill, School (later college), called the first in Arkansas, was set up. The Arkansas Muse, Albert Pike, published his first poems in 1834, records reveal, and he followed the initial venture with several articles, poems, and books. ARKANSAS IS MADE A STATE Arkansas ' third reason to celebrate the Fourth of Ju ly occurred in 1836, when people celebrated State¬ hood, which had been declared June 15. In July, Ar¬ kansas officially had its state coming-out party as num¬ ber 25 of Uncle Sam s children. James Conway had been elected first governor and the first big parade was held to commemorate the inauguaration. Albert Pike gave him the oath of office and a salute of 26 guns was fired.