University of Arkansas Fayetteville - Razorback Yearbook (Fayetteville, 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.

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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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The Masonic fraternity organized the Arkansas Grand Lodge in 1838 and gave to the state ' s chap¬ ters a central organization. The first chapter of Masonry in Arkansas was founded at Arkansas Post, but the lodge did not continue in operation. First permanent chapter of the Masonic lodge, which is still in existence, is in Fayetieville. It was established in 1835, and Archibald Yell, second governor of the State, helped to set it up. Yell is truly the most romantic figure of Arkansas history. Having served as a volunteer in the battle of New Orleans, he became district judge of Arkansas Territory and lived in Fayetteville. He was the first member of Congress from the state; governor in I 840; elected to Congress again, 1844; resigned and ac¬ cepted colonelcy of the Arkansas Volunteers for the Mexican War, 1846. He was killed at Buena Vista, Feb. 22, 1847, and before his final resting place in Evergreen cemetery at Fayetteville was reached, was buried three times. He was buried on the battlefield, and when the Arkansas troops returned home, they brought his body back in a metal coffin and placed it in the family graveyard back of his home, Waxhaws, which still stands on the foot of College avenue in Fayetteville. In 1872 the Masons moved his body from the family lot to Evergreen. TRAVELER TUNE IS COMPOSED The Arkansas Traveler first became known about 1840, according to legend and history. This famous old tune is said to have originated from Col. Sandford C. Faulkner, who, with a party of politicians, A. H. Sevier, Chester Ashley, William Fulton, and Archibald Yell, stopped at a squatter ' s home in the Boston moun¬ tains during a state campaign. After talking some foolish banter resembling that of the repartee of the Arkansas Traveler tale, Col. Faulkner played the moun¬ taineer ' s fiddle. Later at a banquet in Little Rock he was asked to reproduce the tune, and it thus became published. Education was spreading gradually as institutions of learning sprang up. Perhaps the first military school in the state, St. John ' s College, was founded in 1848, in Little Rock, by the Masons. The State School for the Blind was founded in 1859. A Deaf Mute Insti¬ tute came into being in 1868. First west of the Alleghenies, was what the Ga¬ zette in 1840 called the anthracite coal discovered near Spadra Bluff that year. A Mr. Walker picked up the mineral on the ground there and took a specimen to the newspaper office. The first public library was set up in I 843, when Pub¬ lisher Woodruff of the Gazette began circulating some of his personal volumes. The Fayetteville Female Seminary was founded in 1844 by Miss Sophie Sawyer on what is now West Mountain Street. The next institution of learning in the home of our University was Arkansas College, built in 1852, located on the present site of the First Chris¬ tian Church in Fayetteville. The need having arisen for a comprehensive report of minerals in the state because of new discoveries, Dr. David Dale Owen in 1858 mapped the gelogical resources of Arkansas. His work was not completed before his death, so his brother and Edward T. Cox A Band of Regulars in the Early Part of the Civil War