ARKANSAS 



364 



ARKANSAS 



who live neither in cities nor in towns, but 

 on farms. This class in 1910 totaled over 

 seventy-six per cent of the entire population 



ARKANSAS 



Map shows boundaries, coal areas, principal 

 rivers, important cities aud greatest elevation in 

 the state. 



and the proportion seems to be decreasing very 

 slowly. There are in the state twenty-eight 

 incorporated places each with a population of 

 2,500 or more. Of the cities, the largest are 

 Little Rock, the capital; Fort Smith, a com- 

 mercial and industrial center; Pine Bluff, one 

 of the chief manufacturing cities; Hot Springs, 

 the famous health resort; and Argenta, which 

 has had the most rapid growth of any city in 

 the state. All of these are fully treated in 

 their alphabetical order in these volumes. 



Surface Features and Rivers. A relief map 

 of Arkansas presents a very simple though not 

 a monotonous appearance. A line drawn 

 diagonally from the corner of the northeastern 

 "jog" to that of the southwestern would divide 

 the state into two fairly equal sections, a north- 

 western one of low mountains and hills and 

 a southeastern one of lowland. The highest 

 mountains, in the extreme northwestern corner 

 of the state, are a part of the Ozark system, 

 which sends its spurs southward from Missouri; 

 Mount Magazine, the loftiest peak, has an 



altitude of 2,823 feet. This Ozark section has 

 of recent years come into deserved prominence 

 as one of the most beautiful scenic regions of 

 the Mississippi Valley. Rounded peaks, rugged 

 cliffs, unbroken pine forests, steep-cut river 

 gorges and undulating stretches of farm land 

 are features of its varied beauty. Sloping from 

 this mountainous section is a stretch of hilly 

 land which joins the southeastern plain. This 

 plain is for the most part low so low that 

 overflow from the Mississippi is common, de- 

 spite the levees built by the Federal govern- 

 ment. Occasionally, however, the marshy 

 shore is diversified with ridges and high bluffs. 



It can be seen from the above description 

 of the surface that the rivers must have a 

 southerly or southeasterly trend. The Arkan- 

 sas, the greatest river of the state, runs from 

 northwest to southeast, dividing the state into 

 two nearly equal parts. In its sluggish course, 

 very different from its earlier, swifter phase, 

 as it rushes through the Royal Gorge of Colo- 

 rado, at carries down to the Mississippi great 

 quantities of silt and has gradually built a 

 huge sandbar across its mouth. 



Other rivers of importance are the White, 

 which enters the state from Missouri, receives 

 the Black and Cache rivers, and after a very 

 twisted course joins the Arkansas; the Red 

 River, which crosses the southwestern corner; 

 the Saline, a tributary of the Red; and the 

 Ouachita, which drains the south-central por- 

 tion of the state. These numerous rivers are 

 of the utmost importance to Arkansas. Not 

 only are most of them subject to overflow 

 in the lower part of their courses, thus deposit- 

 ing a fertile alluvial soil, but they provide 

 about 3,000 miles of navigable waterways. All 

 in all, Arkansas has more miles of waterway 

 in proportion to its area than any other state. 



Climate. The variation in surface tends to 

 bring about a certain variation in climate, and 

 sections of the lowland are very hot and un- 

 healthful, the familiar malaria of the river- 

 bottoms prevailing. In the higher parts of 

 the state, however, the climate is mild and 

 pleasant, free from extreme heat and drought 

 in the summer and cold in the winter. For 

 these reasons the Ozark region has attained a 

 reputation as being beneficial for people with 

 lung diseases. 



The summers are noticeably longer than in 

 Missouri or in Kansas, for Arkansas receives 

 the warm winds from the Gulf of Mexico. The 

 highest temperature ever recorded within the 

 state was 106, the lowest 12 below zero, but 



