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About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 6, 1955)
: 1 . M ' i MLand ! !- ; ' j r - ' . Statesman, Salem, On.,' Tuesday, Sept. 6, 1 9S5-See. 2) 7 Arkansas THE UNITED STATES . Exclusive Series In THE STATESMAN Surprises Contrasts and o LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Arkan sas, ' as one writer described it, "is far enough south to regard ham hocks and turnip greens as high style fare, far west enough to serve them without batting an eye to the guest who clomps to the table in high-heeled boots." The sUie, neighbor to Mis-" souri, Texas, Oklahoma, Tennes see and Mississippi, sits on top of the Louisiana boot Like most southern states, it is a cotton producer .as well aa raiser of corn, soybeans, rice, spinach and alfalfa. Arkansas is a land of surprises: Almost half of its 73; counties are without towns' of even 200 population. Yet, , in this rural area, is one of the country's (lar gest jet bomber bases. There jare still some circuit-riding ers in the Ozark area and some towns are served with I library books by a man who totes them preach- . . "M ; . ' - ' ' . . , I - - . - - , . t - , - - " j ' " ' J ' ".'' f ' ' ' ! ! ', I . I ' " ' " ' in over the ridges, r While many of the state's rur al areas still rely on fiddlin, tur key callin', and spittin contests for entertainment, there are also four television stations in the state and the familiar antennas can be found on homes of sharecroppers. I i away , from the I i i ; L ? i . - -t-v m it n r. t. To add to the mixture of "back-i Only! an hour woods" and bustling enterprise. the state is a producer of oil and gas, and minerals have an annu al production value ox about S12S million. Famsns Alumni Its famous alumni include Lum and Abner, Bob Burns and Diz zy Dean, Dorothy Shaver, Mor gan Beatty and John Gould Flet cher, Pulitzer prize winner in po etry. In the political field, its most recent contribution has been Sen. J. William Fulbright, author of the Fulbright exchange schol arship program which has made it possible for hundreds of young Americans to teach and study throughout the world. The state comprises an area of f 53,000 square miles. With Little i ) Rock as the pivot point, j the tour j J norsrAPkaas lInd.'"10 Ita h business and . . 4 i ne great rice-neid region comes ' next Since this area was largely ; " ' unpopulated prior to .this cen- ; tury, its inhabitants, descendants midwesteen Germans and are totally - different in from adjoining cotton plant "grand style" accommodations at Hot Springs is the Ouachita Na tional Forest The Ouachita Riv er winds through the game-filled forest past three dams which set up a; 100 mile chain of lakes. - Float fishing is i one of the state's chief vacation commodi ties with its center in the White River country j of North-central Arkansas. This sport provides fishermen with j a crack at some of the state's best fishing waters, inaccessible except by boat Aside from tie pleasant aspect of fishing and lolling in the sun, for the more industrial and am bitious type, Arkansas can boast a post-1945 boom, j ''t A total of 68 manufacturing plants have been located in the metropolitan area of Little Rock Arkansas Population '1850) W09r 511 (30th). F ! ' :) Area 13,105 sen are miles (26th). . I - .-. Capital Little Rock. Flower Apple Blossom. targe cities Little Rock 10213, Fort Smith 53,037, North Little Reck 44,097, Pine Bluff 37,162.1 industrial outlook is reflected in an increase in bank deposits from $63,412,052 in; 1940 to $205,666,- 261 of which more than $37 mil lion occurred since 1945. " Since the start of World War II, Arkansas has come to the fore in aluminum , production. ' Its known reserves of . bauxite ore are sufficient to last for more than 40 years at the present rate of consumption. - An Arkansas state geologist, John C. Branner, found the state's first bauxite deposits just outside Little Rock in 1887. But the bauxite-rich area was, barely developed until World War II. Now Reynolds Metals Company and Aluminum Company of Am erica each have three plants in the state. r - Approximately 97 per cent of domestic bauxite produced in this country v comes from Arkansas with the value running to $11 million in a recent year. In addi tion, it now feeds some 35 man ufacturing plants fabricating al uminum in Arkansas. - ' ' - of Ji Czechs, I outlook j ers. mm i- Pine Forests South of the Arkansas river is t hickory, gum, cypress and pine -"w . -,, . . tnt a region sim ncn in pine tor- i'r. 'tl Si" ' ;.-Ui i ) a 1 r ' r - " fr"Vv,y'l ' - -d? came aown me xwississipi fssVV-r VIfn , , 'n "nd "countered a tribe ! I:X Wv ' - 1rNp;d- irjt -..C ' " -" . "s called the Arkansas a - ",. 'X - ; vrV T. , rf.tCX ,1 The first settlement w! - V : ' ;-cl ' , i S- . vV2L - I 1686 t Arkansas posl ,V H urdn. r .,TJ7' I miles above the mouth of make lumbering second among the state's resources, j In the f southwest are the oil fields. Just ; north of them is another area of pinewoods and scenic artas. The i northwest corner is a flourishing industrial area but is also rich J in apple orchards and vineyards. mm4 a taic s capildl.ijlUie nOCK, LiS' has not one hut thr ranitnic the restored Territorial i Capitol, (k recaiung aays 01 xne ibzus; the i state capitol built in 1835; and tne impressive capitol completed in 1911. j . Arkansas was first explored by DeSoto. In 1673, the French ex plorers, Marquette and Joliet, er of the same name. Settlement was ex- ; i ,f . er ot tne same name. S ' of the state, however. YA A r- M-r2f J ire'ne'y slow and inhabitants , ',15X I I -?Z?? 1 were when the United States , " -'r rsri. 4 acquired the territory as I part of ' viK- . "w.vv Vi v-. ,d e Louisiana Purchase in 1803. i r - I ' wc. I in i8iz. tne area was! separa ted from Louisiana and (became ; ; a Dan 01 Missouri, il nram a - - territory in its own right j in 1819, now Oklahoma. territorial status becoming a state on - S " "1 lerruory in us ov fT including what is . I 11 retainl itj ' - " v?v for 17 years, beco -I June 15, 1836. ' ' 1 The sUte't .t tourist business . brings in about $200 million a i i. . il. I year ana empaasis on tne state s " temperate climate promises te i duosi inai iigure sun aigucr. Capital of the vacation area is Hot Springs, oldest resort town 'iKj- i in the state and seat of the old- T'vj K- "V 4"' ;. . - . ,.-mmiri.i. x nnr.nn.. . w y. . - -r ' V z - - - . - v" -.-v. . r , ' i ' : Little Reck, Ark.-Highe$t point in Arkansas is 2785-foot Mag azine Mountain in Logan County.' A portion, of the vis ta is shown above. Below ie a major oil refinery at . El Dor ado. - - - ' ! : 1 i . Little Rock, Ark. Hot Springs - - - - -m - - -, i 3 : ,.L-..- ..i.i ,$ -Cs. . - ill 'il. . .4 fTrr ... -v;:;T , ; j tal ef Arkansas, comprises C. ' . I ,1 ' , . , . ' , ' ""X"- "If1 a national park the first in fc - '" - 1 I "l V- :f r t,j -the nation. If. population l . ' ; 1 " ! J. St V" ' . - ' AiV. I JX! ' approximates 35,000, but ?H ' P ' iPf f. fc'i- t . - ' " " x. . . r f j . . .a , i i rw ' . 1 n nai an esTimaiea owv.vwi m i a i i-a i , - - !-'. S LWV Af ' V...,t5 -:i vrfc ' 0-t''- Jrf J 1 : 5 IntemationaHy known as a ' " - "r5; .f . 'yzf:-1 i .P. .nd .. . i.k..w. pi.y. - - sSArf' U - ' H tl ? ''--ir fround and mountain re-- rW-tl - - I Atvi SV l I i treat. At -the left, giant - itiKm V V -'A-'V ' I r bluff, dwarf fishermen on . Z -1 &&fj7if 'XL ' " ! A'-f I Whit. River, and below I. 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