"If I could rest anywhere, it would be in Arkansas, where the men are of the real half-horse, half-alligator breed such as grows nowhere else on the face of the universal earth."

Quote attributed to Davey Crockett

Arkansas, officially "The Natural State", is a state of mountains, valleys, dense woodland and fertile plains. Its clear lakes and streams and abundant wildlife help to make tourism one of the state's most important industries.

Arkansas became a state on June 15, 1836.

In the early days of statehood, a couple of U.S. Senators had some disagreement on the spelling and pronunciation of Arkansas. One preferred to be called the senator from Arkan"saw" and the other preferred to be called the senator from Ar"Kansas".

In 1881, the conflict was resolved when the state General Assembly passed a Concurrent Resolution No. 4 stating that the state's name was to be spelled "Arkansas" but pronounced Arkan"saw". The act was modified in 1947 to more specifically address the pronunciation of the state's name.

The pronunciation preserves the memory of the Indians who were the original inhabitants of our state, while the spelling clearly dictates the nationality of the French adventurers who first explored this area.

During the early days of statehood, Arkansas' two U.S. Senators were divided on the spelling and pronunciation. One was always introduced as the senator from "ARkanSAW" and the other as the senator from "Ar-KANSAS." In 1881, the state's General Assembly passed a resolution declaring that the state's name should be spelled "Arkansas" but pronounced "Arkansaw."

The state's name has been spelled several ways throughout history. In Marquette and Joliet's "Journal of 1673", the Indian name is spelled AKANSEA. In LaSalle's map a few years later, it's spelled ACANSA. A map based on the journey of La Harpe in 1718-1722 refers to the river as the ARKANSAS and to the Indians as LES AKANSAS. In about 1811, Captain Zebulon Pike, a noted explorer, spelled it ARKANSAW.

At the time of the early French exploration, a tribe of Indians, the Quapaws, lived west of the Mississippi and north of the Arkansas River. The Quapaws, or OO-GAQ-PA, were also known as the downstream people, or UGAKHOPAG. The Algonkian-speaking Indians of the Ohio Valley called them the Arkansas, or "south wind."

THE STATE NAME: Arkansas is another form of Kansas and first appeared on a 1673 map of the region. The Kansas Indian tribe is a member of the Sioux nation. The Quapaw Indians lived west of the Mississippi River and north of the Arkansas River. The Quapaws were known as the "downstream people". Perhaps influenced, by French pronunciation of Indian names, the Algonkian-speaking Indians from the Ohio Valley called the Quapaws "Arkansas" meaning "south wind".

THE STATE NICKNAMES:

Arkansas: The Natural State The Natural State (Official) This nickname was officially adopted by the legislature in 1995 and is intended to highlight the "...unsurpassed scenery, clear lakes, free-flowing streams, magnificent rivers meandering bayous, delta bottomlands, forested mountains, and abundant fish and wildlife." This nickname replaced the official Land of Opportunity nickname following the slogan, Arkansas Is a Natural, which was used to promote tourism and outdoor recreation. Land of Opportunity This was the official state nickname of Arkansas prior to the adoption of The Natural State in 1995. Adopted in 1947, this nickname served for 38 years. The Wonder State This nickname served the state of Arkansas as the official nickname from 1923 to 1947. This name was adopted by concurrent resolution of the legislature to promote Arkansas' abundance of natural resources and to replace the nickname, the Bear State, which was so widely in use and, it was feared, gave a false impression of the state. The Razorback State Though not official, Arkansas is very often referred to as the Razorback State in reference to the athletic teams of the University of Arkansas. A razorback is a thin, long-legged wild hog resident in the state of Arkansas The Hot Springs State This nickname is in reference to the world-famous hot springs of Arkansas. A related, though less known, nickname was The Hot Water State. The Bowie State This nickname, along with The Toothpick State, references the famous knives that were in use in the Arkansas territory. The Bowie knife was first crafted by blacksmith/knifesmith James Black, to Jim Bowie's specification. It was said that a Bowie knife had to be sharp enough for shaving and heavy enough to use as a hatchet. It had to be long enough to be used as a sword and wide enough to paddle a canoe. The Toothpick State Another large knife, made by Arkansas blacksmiths/knifesmiths and referred to as an Arkansas Toothpick, was similar in heft to a Bowie knife, but longer and designed for throwing. The Bear State This is the earliest known nickname for Arkansas, first seen in print in 1858. Undoubtedly, Arkansas was referred to as The Bear State by early settlers who found the territory home to many bears. This nickname was pronounced, "Bar" State.

THE STATE CITIZENS: People who live in or who come from Arkansas, are referred to as Arkansans (Ar"kansans"). This term is a throwback to an earlier pronunciation of the state name as Ar"Kansas." Can you think of a succinct name for state citizens using the Arkan"saw" pronunciation?

THE PRESIDENTS The Natural State gave birth to one man who attained the office of President of the United States: William Jefferson Clinton: (Bill Clinton) was born in Hope, Arkansas on August 19, 1946 and served two terms (eight years) from 1993 to 2001.