A History Of The North Western Editorial Excursion To Arkansas A Short Sketch Of Its Inception And The Routes Traveled Over

Reprint of the original, first published in 1876.

Excerpt from A History of the North-Western Editorial Excursion to Arkansas: A Short Sketch of Its Inception and the Routes Traveled Over, the Manner in Which the Editors Were Received, the Resolutions Adopted and Speeches Made at Various Points Crossmg'the river this hack, by invitation, to meet our guests upon 'the farther bank of the Arkansas, I stepped, while waiting, the arrivalof the shops of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway, Where was being constructed a cabinet of timber grown entirely in this State. It was nearly finished, and was a most beautiful specimen of mechanical skill. It was intended, I lea1ned, for exhibition, first at the coming Fair in St. Louis, 'and then at the, Centennial. The kinds of timber used were ash, beech, bois d'arc, ' cherry, cedar, cypress, gum, holly, hickory, oak, poplar, pine and walnut, and certainly these woods had never taken more attractive form. The conspicuous red of the cedar, the clear White' of the holly, the rich, dark brown of the walnut rivalled the painter's art, and another trophy was borne away by nature. I felt proud of the State of my adoption. I could see m that cabinet, as any one else could see, possibilities of which we have as yet a very inadequate conception. A million times over that exquisite piece of workxnan ship could be reproduced in Arkansas, and 'yet her forests' would stand well nigh as they now stand, thick; loftyf'and umbrageous, an invitation to the capital of 'other States, and a sure reward for 'the industry of the mechanic.' About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1876 edition. Excerpt: ...THE EXCURSION ' At nine o'clock P. x. the " pencil-shovers " gathered at the depot of the Iron Mountain & Southern Railroad, where we found a train, consisting of five Pull-_ man cars and one day coach, placed at our disposal for five 'days. Being assigned luxurious quarters we started for the Southwest. On the morning of the-_ 29th, on rubbing our eyes, we found that we were actually "Arkansas Travellers," whether we had learned the " turn of the tune " or not. At the State line a little village has recently sprung up and been christened Moark. The Times man exclaimed "Jerusha, what a name!" but Col. Mills informed us it signified two great States bound together, "Mo." "Ark." At Walnut Ridge, a village of 200 inhabitants, we breakfasted. Here was a young black bear that took a decided liking to the Times man, but he kept outof its way much easier than he could have done after the Little Rock banquet. The country from Moark to Little Rock, 160 miles, is level and heavily timbered with poplar, oak and gum. A part of the way walnut and ash are abundant, and a few pine trees. It is intersected by the Little Red, White and, Black rivers, all of them navigable half the year. Along these streams the coun try is well improved, cotton, corn and wheat being the chief products. This is a. ' Back from the _ magnificent fruit country, apples and peaches never failing. streams the country is wild, and lands can be bought for from $1.50 to $3 per acre, on long time. Towns are springing up on this railroad as by magic._ A large Northern population is found here, and trains are filled with men from Michigan, Indiana and Illinois, prospecting for good lands and a...

What do Scott Joplin, John Grisham, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Maya Angelou, Brooks Robinson, Helen Gurley Brown, Johnny Cash, Alan Ladd, and Sonny Boy Williamson have in common? They’re all Arkansans. What do hillbillies, rednecks, slow trains, bare feet, moonshine, and double-wides have in common? For many in America these represent Arkansas more than any Arkansas success stories do. In 1931 H. L. Mencken described AR (not AK, folks) as the “apex of moronia.” While, in 1942 a Time magazine article said Arkansas had “developed a mass inferiority complex unique in American history.” Arkansas/Arkansaw is the first book to explain how Arkansas’s image began and how the popular culture stereotypes have been perpetuated and altered through succeeding generations. Brooks Blevins argues that the image has not always been a bad one. He discusses travel accounts, literature, radio programs, movies, and television shows that give a very positive image of the Natural State. From territorial accounts of the Creole inhabitants of the Mississippi River Valley to national derision of the state’s triple-wide governor’s mansion to Li’l Abner, the Beverly Hillbillies, and Slingblade, Blevins leads readers on an entertaining and insightful tour through more than two centuries of the idea of Arkansas. One discovers along the way how one state becomes simultaneously a punch line and a source of admiration for progressives and social critics alike.