Defining Moments in Arkansas History
Hernando de Soto leads first European expedition into Arkansas.
Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto led the first European expedition into Arkansas, marking the first time Europeans entered the region. In May 1539, he departed from Cuba with approximately 600 men, along with horses, pigs and supplies, under a royal mandate to explore, establish settlements and build forts. After landing on Florida’s southwest coast, de Soto and his expedition traveled through the Southeast and crossed the Mississippi River into present-day Arkansas on June 28, 1541.
French and Italian explorers establish Arkansas Post trading settlement.
Poste aux Arkansas (Arkansas Post) was founded as a trading post by French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, and Italian explorer Henri de Tonti near the Quapaw village of Osotouy in present-day Arkansas County. Today, it is preserved as a state park located 16 miles north of Dumas. From 1686 to 1821, during the colonial and early national periods, the post served as the regional center for government, military and trade under French, Spanish and eventually U.S. control.
The only Revolutionary War battle in present-day Arkansas occurs at Arkansas Post.
During the Revolutionary War, Arkansas – then part of Spanish Louisiana – was the site of the Colbert Raid at Arkansas Post on April 17, 1783, the only Revolutionary War battle in present-day Arkansas. British partisan Captain James Colbert, aided by Chickasaw allies, attacked the Spanish garrison at Fort Carlos III, but Spanish soldiers, Quapaw allies and local settlers successfully defended the Fort. This final land-based battle in the Mississippi Valley highlighted the global nature of the Revolution, involving not only Britain and the American colonists but also Spain, Indigenous nations and shifting power in the West. Today, the site is preserved as Arkansas Post National Memorial, where visitors can learn about the battle and the state’s role in the Revolution.
The Louisiana Purchase made Arkansas part of the United States and eventually led to the forced ceding of Native American land there.
American diplomats James Monroe and Robert Livingston negotiate to purchase over 800,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River from France for $15 million, known as the Louisiana Purchase, which made present-day Arkansas a part of the United States. The Purchase allowed the U.S. government to open lands in the West for settlement, eventually leading to the forced ceding of Native American land in Arkansas.
Arkansas Territory created; Gazette newspaper founded at Arkansas Post.
On March 2, President James Monroe signed an act establishing the Territory of Arkansas. The first Territorial Legislature convened at Arkansas Post on July 28, designating it as the territory’s capital due to its status as the largest and most important town. On Nov. 20, William Woodruff published the inaugural edition of the Arkansas Gazette at Arkansas Post.
Territorial capital moves to Little Rock.
The Arkansas territorial capital was moved from Arkansas Post to Little Rock, whose name – “le Petit Rocher” in French – first appeared on a map in 1799. The first settlement near present-day Little Rock was established in the spring of 1812 by trapper William Lewis, who built a cabin along the Arkansas River roughly 100 yards north of today’s Old Statehouse. A U.S. Post Office named “Little Rock” was established in March 1820, and the town was incorporated in 1831 and later as a city in 1835.
The Trail of Tears.
During the 1830s, an estimated 60,000 Native Americans and others were forced to pass through Arkansas on their way to Indian Territory, making the state a central corridor of the Trail of Tears. Multiple routes – both overland and by river – cut across Arkansas, with significant activity along the Arkansas River, the Memphis to Little Rock Road and in towns like Fayetteville, Batesville, Little Rock and Fort Smith. Arkansas’s harsh weather, disease and scarce supplies caused many deaths. Today, Arkansas preserves and commemorates this history through research, historic trails and markers across the state.
Hot Springs is the first land in U.S. set aside for protection by Congress.
Hot Springs became famous for its thermal waters, which attracted settlers and visitors in the early 1800s. Recognizing its unique natural value, Congress reserved the area in 1832 for federal use, making it the first land in the United States set aside for protection and public benefit. This reservation later evolved into Hot Springs National Park, officially designated in 1921. Today, the park and its historic Bathhouse Row remain central to the city’s identity as both a health and tourist destination.
Construction on Arkansas’s first courthouse starts.
In anticipation of Arkansas achieving statehood, a new “courthouse” was constructed in Little Rock to serve as the first state capitol. In 1833, territorial governor John Pope hired Gideon Shryock, architect of the Kentucky State Capitol, to design the building along the Arkansas River. Completed in 1842, the Old State House was designated a National Historic Landmark on Dec. 7, 1997, the highest honor for a building. Today, it operates as a state-run museum, open free of charge 361 days a year.
Arkansas joins the Union as the 25th state.
Arkansas becomes the 25th state of the Union on June 15. Rapid growth paves the way for statehood. The Census of 1820 found 14,273 people living in Arkansas. By 1835, that number grew to 52,240 people and jumped to 97,974 people by the end of the decade. Through strong family ties both prominent in Arkansas and President Andrew Jackson, James Sevier Conway is elected as Arkansas’s first governor.
Arkansas’s first railroad tracks were laid.
As early as 1835, plans were being made for the construction of railroads in Arkansas. Arkansas’s first railroad laid from what is now West Memphis to Madison, which is on the St. Francis River. This was the first section of what would become the Memphis and Little Rock Railroad, and it was the only functioning railroad completed by the end of the decade.
Arkansas secedes from the Union to join the Confederacy.
Between December 1860 and February 1861, seven Deep South states seceded from the Union to form the Confederacy. Arkansas held a convention in March 1861 to debate secession, with many residents still undecided. After Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter and President Lincoln called for troops, Arkansas was forced to choose sides. On May 6, 1861, the state convention voted 69–1 to secede, officially breaking from the United States.
Union victories at Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove.
In March 1862, Union forces under Brig. Gen. Samuel Curtis defeated Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn’s larger Confederate army at the Battle of Pea Ridge after two days of fighting. The Union victory secured Missouri for the North and left Arkansas virtually defenseless as Confederate forces retreated east of the Mississippi River. On December 7, 1862, Confederate forces under Gen. Thomas Hindman clashed with Union troops at Prairie Grove in northwest Arkansas, resulting in over 1,350 casualties on each side. Though the battle ended in a tactical draw, the Confederates withdrew, and along with Pea Ridge, the fight helped secure Missouri for the Union.
Isaac Charles Parker appointed as judge over Western Arkansas District; Bass Reeves commissioned as a deputy U.S. marshal.
In 1875, President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Isaac Charles Parker as federal judge of the Western District of Arkansas, giving him jurisdiction over the lawless Indian Territory. Nicknamed the “Hanging Judge,” he oversaw nearly 14,000 cases and sentenced 160 people to death, though he personally opposed capital punishment. That same year, Bass Reeves was hired as a commissioned deputy U.S. marshal, making him one of the first Black federal lawmen west of the Mississippi River.
Jim Crow law in Arkansas mandates segregated train travel.
The Separate Coach Law of 1891 required segregated train coaches in Arkansas, reflecting the Democratic Party’s strategy to maintain political power by fueling racial divisions. Despite strong opposition from Black leaders, citizens and legislators, the bill passed easily and marked a turning point in Arkansas’s race relations by legally enforcing segregation. The law remained in effect for more than 80 years until federal rulings against interstate segregation in the 1950s effectively nullified it. Arkansas formally repealed the law in 1973, long after its practical collapse.
New state Capitol completed; alcohol banned under Newberry Act.
The Arkansas State Capitol was constructed between 1899 and 1915 on the site of the old state penitentiary in Little Rock, with convict labor helping to reduce costs. Arkansas’ General Assembly passes the Newberry Act, banning the manufacture and sale of alcohol in the state.
Elaine Massacre becomes deadliest racial conflict in Arkansas history.
The Elaine Massacre of 1919 was the deadliest racial conflict in Arkansas history and one of the bloodiest in the United States. Sparked by a shooting at a meeting of Black sharecroppers seeking fair pay, white mobs and U.S. troops descended on Elaine, killing an unknown number of African Americans – likely in the hundreds – while only five white men died. In the aftermath, 122 Black men were charged with crimes, and 12 were sentenced to death, becoming known as the “Elaine Twelve.” Years of legal battles, led by Black attorney Scipio Africanus Jones and the NAACP, eventually secured their release, and the massacre is now recognized as a brutal act of racial violence rather than a planned Black “insurrection.”
Oil discovered near El Dorado, Smackover.
The oil industry in Arkansas burst onto the scene in the early 1920s with the discovery of oil at El Dorado in 1921 and the Smackover Pool in 1922, transforming small farming towns into booming oil centers. El Dorado quickly grew from 4,000 residents to nearly 30,000, while Smackover swelled from just over 100 residents to 25,000 within months. These discoveries made south Arkansas one of the nation’s leading oil regions, with the Smackover Pool briefly becoming the largest-producing oil site in the world. Though production declined after the boom, oil remained central to the region’s economy and identity, commemorated today at the Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources near Smackover.
Flood of 1927 devastates Arkansas, the hardest-hit state in the nation.
The Flood of 1927 was the most devastating and expensive flood in Arkansas’s history and among the worst in the nation. Arkansas suffered more human and financial losses than any other state in the Mississippi River Valley, and the disaster carried lasting social and political consequences. It reshaped how both Arkansas and the country understood disaster relief and the government’s responsibility to assist victims.
Hattie Caraway becomes the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate.
Thaddeus Caraway won a U.S. Senate seat in 1920 and served until his sudden death on Nov. 6, 1931. A week later, Gov. Harvey Parnell appointed his widow, Hattie Caraway, to fill the vacancy, and she was sworn in on Dec. 8. She went on to win a special election on Jan. 12, 1932, becoming the first woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate, and was re-elected later that same year.
Japanese American internment camps established in Jerome and Rohwer.
The Rohwer Relocation Center in Desha County was one of two World War II-era camps in Arkansas built to confine Japanese Americans from the West Coast, the other being the Jerome Relocation Center in Chicot and Drew counties. Together, the two facilities held about 16,000 people between Sept. 18, 1942, and Nov. 30, 1945, with Rohwer among the last of the ten camps nationwide to close. The Jerome Relocation Center was in operation for 634 days—the fewest number of days of any of the relocation camps.
Little Rock school desegregation brings global civil rights attention.
In 1957, nine African American students, later known as the Little Rock Nine, attempted to integrate Little Rock Central High School, sparking a national crisis when Gov. Orval Faubus used the Arkansas National Guard to block their entry in defiance of federal court orders. President Dwight D. Eisenhower responded by sending the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division and federalizing the Guard to ensure the students could attend, though they endured relentless harassment throughout the school year. The Little Rock Nine have since been honored with statues, hall of fame induction and other recognitions, and in recent years they have continued to speak out against efforts to limit the teaching of African American history in Arkansas.
Sam Walton founds Walmart.
Walmart was founded in 1962 by Sam Walton in Rogers. Walton’s idea was to create a discount store that offered customers the lowest possible prices. The company grew quickly, establishing its headquarters in Bentonville, where it remains today. From these Arkansas roots, Walmart expanded into one of the largest retailers in the world.
Buffalo River designated America’s first National River.
The Buffalo National River, flowing through Newton, Searcy, Marion and Baxter counties, was designated the nation’s first national river on March 1, 1972. Managed by the National Park Service, it preserves 135 miles of the river’s 150-mile course and remains one of the few free-flowing rivers in the lower forty-eight states.
Arkansas native Bill Clinton elected 42nd U.S. president.
William Jefferson (Bill) Clinton, a native of Hope (Hempstead County), served as both the 40th and 42nd governor of Arkansas before becoming the 42nd president of the United States. His time as governor – 11 years and 11 months in total – was the second longest in state history, surpassed only by Orval E. Faubus’s 12 years. Clinton was also the second-youngest governor in Arkansas history, after John Selden Roane, and the third-youngest U.S. president, following Theodore Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy.
Arkansas population surpasses 3 million.
Arkansas reaches a population of over 3 million people for the first time.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders elected as Arkansas’s first woman governor.
On Jan. 25, 2021, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, daughter of former Gov. Mike Huckabee, announced her bid for Arkansas governor, entering a race that already included Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin and Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. She secured the Republican nomination on May 24, 2022, with most of her campaign funding coming from out-of-state donors. She went on to defeat Democrat Chris Jones in the general election on Nov. 8, 2022.
Sources: Encyclopedia of Arkansas, the Arkansas Secretary of State and Only in Arkansas websites.