The capital of the state of Arkansas is Little Rock. It is in the central part of the state, on the south bank of the Arkansas River. To the west are the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains. Places of interest - State Capitol, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Little Rock has had three capitols. A replica of the first building, where the legislature of Arkansas Territory met from 1821 to 1836, is part of the Historic Arkansas Museum. This museum also includes a block of 19th-century houses and other historic buildings. The Old State House in Little Rock served as the Arkansas Capitol from 1836 to 1911. Now a museum, it is the oldest standing state capitol west of the Mississippi River. The current capitol was built between 1899 and 1915. MacArthur Park surrounds the Arkansas Arts Center and the birthplace of General Douglas MacArthur, a commander of the United States Army in World War II. The park also is home to the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History. Both MacArthur Park and the Governor's Mansion are part of the Quapaw Quarter, the oldest section of the city. The Museum of Discovery on the riverfront features exhibits related to science and technology. EconomyThe state government is a leading employer in Little Rock. The city is also an industrial center. Its factories produce such goods as processed foods, electrical and electronic items, watches and clocks, roofing materials, data transmission equipment, cosmetics, valves, and plastic and aluminum products. Farmers in the region around Little Rock sell their crops in the city. HistoryThe Quapaw Indians lived in the Little Rock area before the arrival of European settlers. The first European to travel in the region was the French explorer Bernard de la Harpe, in 1722. On the bank of the Arkansas River he saw two rock formations and named them “little rock” and “big rock.” Near the smaller rock was a Quapaw settlement. La Harpe set up a trading post there. In 1812 a fur trapper named William Lewis built his home at the “little rock.” This was the first house to be built in the area. In 1819 Arkansas became a territory, with its capital at Arkansas Post. The capital was moved to Little Rock two years later. Little Rock became a town in 1831 and a city in 1836. When the American Civil War began, Little Rock fought on the side of the Confederacy. In 1863 federal troops occupied the city and set up a government that supported the Union. When the railways expanded in the 1880s, Little Rock became an important transportation center. The whole world turned its attention toward Little Rock in 1957. Nine African American students tried to attend the city's Central High School, which then had only white students. The governor of Arkansas ordered state troops to prevent the African American students from entering the school. Riots broke out outside the school, and United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent federal troops to restore order. Within the next decade all public schools began to admit both white and African American students. In 1998 President Bill Clinton signed a law making Central High School a national historic site. Population (2000 census), 183,133. |