Where the name comes from
French explorers wrote down a Quapaw name. English later kept the French spelling, and a law locked the pronunciation.
1 · Quapaw, “downstream people”
The Illinois called the Quapaw something like akakaze. French writers turned it into Arkansas.
2 · Say it AR-kan-saw
In 1881 the state legislature said the last s is silent. Kansas is next door, but it is not said the same way.
3 · A demonym and a motto
People here are Arkansans. The motto, Regnat Populus, means “The people rule.”
Downstream = río abajo. Silent = mudo.
Little Rock, the capital
Named for a small rock outcrop on the Arkansas River that river boats used as a landmark.
1 · 202,591 (2020 census)
Largest city in Arkansas. The metro area holds about 750,000 people.
2 · A rock, then a city
French explorer Bénard de la Harpe noted la petite roche in 1722. The territorial capital moved here in 1821.
3 · Central High, 1957
Nine Black students integrated Central High under federal troops. The school is now a National Historic Site.
Capital = capital. Landmark = punto de referencia.
Fayetteville and the northwest
The second story of Arkansas is not a second city. It is a cluster: Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville.
1 · 93,949 in Fayetteville (2020)
Home of the University of Arkansas. The whole metro is over 500,000 people and still growing.
2 · Walmart’s hometown
Sam Walton opened Walton’s Five and Dime in Bentonville. Walmart’s HQ is still there.
3 · Crystal Bridges
Alice Walton’s art museum opened in 2011 in the woods of Bentonville. Free admission.
Cluster = agrupación. Headquarters = sede.
Hot Springs, the spa city
A city of about 38,000 people wrapped around 47 thermal springs.
1 · Water at 143 °F (62 °C)
Rain falls on the Ouachitas, sinks a mile (1.6 km) down, and comes back up as hot water after about 4,000 years.
2 · Oldest park idea in the system
Congress reserved the springs in 1832, 40 years before Yellowstone. It became a national park in 1921.
3 · Baseball and gangsters
Babe Ruth trained here. Al Capone took the baths. The water is still free to drink from downtown fountains.
Spring = manantial. Bathhouse = casa de baños.
Land: river, highlands, diamonds
The river
Mississippi + Arkansas
The Mississippi builds the Delta, the flattest, richest soil in the state. The Arkansas River cuts the middle from Fort Smith to the Mississippi.
The highlands
Ozarks + Ouachitas
The Ozarks are plateaus. The Ouachitas are folded ridges, rare in the US. Magazine Mountain, 2,753 ft (839 m), is the roof.
The hole
Crater of Diamonds
A 37-acre (15 ha) volcanic pipe near Murfreesboro. It is the only public diamond field in the world. You keep what you find.
Diamond = diamante. Highland = tierra alta.
Three days Arkansas remembers
Sept 23–25, 1957
The Little Rock Nine
Nine Black students entered Central High. President Eisenhower sent the 101st Airborne after the governor blocked the door.
April 27, 1927
The Great Mississippi Flood
Levees broke. Water covered about 6,600 mi² (17,100 km²) of Arkansas. It remains one of the worst floods in US history.
Nov 3, 1992
A governor wins the White House
Bill Clinton, 46, of Hope and Hot Springs, was elected 42nd president. He remains the only US president born in Arkansas.
Flood = inundación. Troops = tropas.
Industry: three cards
Retail giant
Walmart, based in Bentonville, is the world’s largest retailer by revenue. Tyson Foods (Springdale) is a giant in chicken.
Timber and paper
About 56% of the state is forest. Southern pine and hardwood feed mills from Crossett to Fort Smith.
Rice mill of the US
Arkansas grows more rice than any other state, about 50% of the US crop in many years, on flooded Delta fields.
Rice = arroz. Forest = bosque.
Food: three dishes
Fried catfish
Cornmeal crust, hot oil, a squeeze of lemon. Order it with hushpuppies on the Delta.
Cheese dip
Little Rock restaurants claim they invented melted cheese dip with rotel tomatoes in the 1930s–40s. It is a game-day bowl.
Chocolate gravy
Ozark breakfast: cocoa gravy over biscuits. It sounds like dessert. Locals eat it before school.
Fried = frito. Gravy = salsa espesa.
Game day: Woooo pig sooie
The University of Arkansas Razorbacks play in Fayetteville. The call is a hog call: “Woooo, pig, sooie.”
Football is the religion
Razorback Stadium holds about 76,000. The team joined the SEC in 1991.
Calling the Hogs
Students raise their arms and yell in three beats. Visitors are expected to try it once.
And the Travelers
The Little Rock Travelers (now Arkansas Travelers) have played baseball since 1901. Dickey-Stephens Park sits on the river.
Hog = cerdo. To yell = gritar.
Thanks · Next stop: California
Arkansas, episode 04: one silent s, one public diamond field, and 3.1 million people who call the Hogs.
Answer key
1) a 2) b 3) a 4) c 5) b
How to use it
Slides 2 to 11 for reading, 12 to 20 for listening, 21 to 25 for speaking. Every measurement is given twice, miles then km.
Thanks = gracias. Next = siguiente.
