9781422286067

LET’S EXPLORE THE STATES

Central Mississippi River Basin Arkansas Iowa Missouri

Dorothy Kavanaugh

Mason Crest 450 Parkway Drive, Suite D

Broomall, PA 19008 www.masoncrest.com

©2016 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher.

Printed and bound in the United States of America. CPSIA Compliance Information: Batch #LES2015. For further information, contact Mason Crest at 1-866-MCP-Book. First printing 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kavanaugh, Dorothy, 1969- Central Mississippi River Basin : Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri / Dorothy Kavanaugh. pages cm. — (Let’s explore the states) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4222-3321-4 (hc) ISBN 978-1-4222-8606-7 (ebook) 1. Arkansas—Juvenile literature. 2. Iowa—Juvenile literature. 3. Missouri—Juvenile literature. I. Title. F411.3.K38 2015 976.7—dc23 2015012250

Let’s Explore the States series ISBN: 978-1-4222-3319-1

Publisher’s Note: Websites listed in this book were active at the time of publication. The publisher is not responsible for websites that have changed their address or discontinued operation since the date of publication. The publisher reviews and updates the websites each time the book is reprinted. About the Author: Dorothy Kavanaugh is a writer and editor who lives near Philadelphia. She has written more than a dozen books for young readers. Picture Credits: Architect of the Capitol: 11; Everett Historical: 53; Federal Emergency Management Agency photo: 30; Library of Congress: 15, 34 (top), 35, 42 (top), 59, 60; National Aeronautics and Space Administration: 42 (bottom); National Institutes of Health: 22 (bottom); used under license from Shutterstock, Inc.: 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 16, 24, 26, 27, 32, 34 (bottom), 40, 47, 49 (top), 50, 58; American Spirit / Shutterstock.com: 1, 17, 29, 37, 39, 41; Creatista / Shutterstock.com: 43; Nagel Photography / Shutterstock.com: 19, 49 (bottom); R. Gino Santa Maria / Shutterstock.com: 57; Rena Schild / Shutterstock.com: 55; Stocklight / Shutterstock.com: 22 (top); Katherine Welles / Shutterstock.com: 20; The Woolaroc Museum: 13.

Table of Contents Arkansas ....................................................................7 Arkansas at a Glance, 6; Geography, 7; History, 10; Government, 18; The Economy, 19; The People, 20; Major Cities, 21; additional resources, 24–25. Iowa ........................................................................27 Iowa at a Glance, 26; Geography, 27; History, 31; Government, 36; The Economy, 38; The People, 40; Major Cities, 41; additional resources, 44–45. Missouri ..................................................................47 Missouri at a Glance, 46; Geography, 47; History, 50; Government, 54; The Economy, 56; The People, 56; Major Cities, 58; additional resources, 61–62. Index ......................................................................63 Series Glossary ........................................................64

LET’S EXPLORE THE STATES

Atlantic: North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia Central Mississippi River Basin: Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri

East South-Central States: Kentucky, Tennessee Eastern Great Lakes: Indiana, Michigan, Ohio

Gulf States: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi Lower Atlantic: Florida, Georgia, South Carolina Lower Plains: Kansas, Nebraska Mid-Atlantic: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland Non-Continental: Alaska, Hawaii Northern New England: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont Northeast: New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania Northwest: Idaho, Oregon, Washington Rocky Mountain: Colorado, Utah, Wyoming Southern New England: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island Southwest: New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas U.S. Territories and Possessions Upper Plains: Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota The West: Arizona, California, Nevada Western Great Lakes: Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin

Arkansas at a Glance Area: 53,179 sq mi (137,732 sq km). 29th largest state 1 Land: 52,036 sq mi (134,771 sq km) Water: 1,143 sq mi (2,961 sq km) Highest elevation: Mount Magazine, 2,753 feet (839 m) Lowest elevation: Ouachita River at Louisiana border, 55 feet (17 m) Statehood: June 15, 1836 (25th state) Capital: Little Rock

Population: 2,966,369 (32nd largest state) 2

State nickname: the Natural State State bird: Northern mockingbird State flower: apple blossom

1 U.S. Geological Survey 2 U.S. Census Bureau, 2014 estimate

Arkansas

I n 1995 the state of Arkansas adopted the nickname “the Natural State,” to reflect its amazing natural resources: tall mountains, deep valleys, flowing rivers, dense woodlands, and fertile plains. Arkansas’s scenic beauty and abundant wildlife help to make tourism one of the state’s most important indus- tries. But it is also a hub of industry and commerce, home to America’s largest business as well as several other Fortune 500 companies. Geography Located in the southeastern United States, Arkansas covers an area of 53,179 square miles (137,733 square kilometers). It is the 29th largest state by area. Arkansas borders six other states. To the north is Missouri. The Mississippi River forms Arkansas’s eastern border, separating it from Tennessee and Mississippi. Louisiana is located to the south. Oklahoma is located to the west, while Texas is to the southwest. The geography of Arkansas varies widely. The state is covered by mountains, river valleys, forests, lakes, and bayous. Arkansas can be divided into three geographic regions: the northwest, the

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Central Mississippi River Basin: Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri

1972 has been protected from devel- opment or the construction of hydro- electric dams by the National Park Service. The Arkansas delta region is locat- ed east of the Ozarks and along the Mississippi River. Most of this region is low and flat, with fertile soil and swampy bayous. A broad plateau called Crowley’s Ridge rises between 200 and 550 feet (61 and 170 m) above the delta lowlands. This forma- tion is 150 miles (240 km) long and

Arkansas delta , and the southeast. Northwest Arkansas includes the southern half of the Ozark Mountain range. Much of this area is covered with oak and hickory trees. The Ozark National Forest covers 1.2 million acres (490,000 hectares), and includes Arkansas’s highest point, Mount Magazine, and two nearby peaks, Mount Nebo and Petit Jean Mountain. The Arkansas River runs through this region, as does the Buffalo National River, which since

Words to Understand in This Chapter

civil rights movement— an extended effort, conducted largely during the 1950s and 1960s, to secure for African Americans the rights of personal liberty guaranteed to all citizens. delta— a triangular tract of sediment deposited at the mouth of a river. nomadic— people who roam from place to place frequently, without establishing permanent settlements. plateau— an area of relatively flat land that is raised sharply above adjacent land on at least one side. poll tax— a sum of money that must be paid in order to be eligible to vote. secede— to withdraw from a political union. segregation— the practice of keeping white and black people apart in public.

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Central Mississippi River Basin: Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri

A woman looks out across the Petit Jean River Valley from a large rock outcrop along the Ozark Mountain hiking trail in Mount Magazine State Park.

Southern Arkansas is sparsely pop- ulated, with much of this region cov- ered by the pine and cypress trees of the Piney Woods. The woods are thick and dense. In addition to the Arkansas River, which flows through the state, and the

between half a mile (0.8 km) and twelve miles (19 km) wide. Most of the residents of the Arkansas delta region live in cities or towns on Crowley’s Ridge, including the state’s fifth-largest city, Jonesboro. The delta region is known for cotton production.

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Central Mississippi River Basin: Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri

Canoes on a bank of the Buffalo National River. The waterway is one of the few remaining rivers with no man-made dams in the 48 contiguous states. The river flows 135 miles (217 km), often cutting through massive bluffs on its way through the Ozark Mountains to the White River.

(34ºC). It is cooler in the Ozark region, with average January tempera- tures around 46ºF (8ºC) and summer temperatures around 89 (32ºC). Arkansas receives average rainfall of about 49.6 inches (126 cm). Some of the mountain areas receive about 5 inches (13 cm) of snow, but the delta and southern regions rarely see snow. History Approximately 14,000 years ago, the first humans crossed into North America from Asia via the Bering land bridge. These humans migrated south

Mississippi, which forms the eastern border, Arkansas has four other major rivers. The Ouachita River and the Red River each flow southeast into Louisiana. The St. Francis River in northeastern Arkansas flows into the Mississippi River. The White River flows from northwest to southeast Arkansas. Like other southern states, Arkansas has a warm climate. The average January high temperature in Little Rock is around 51º Fahrenheit (10º Celsius), while temperatures in July and August average around 93ºF

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Central Mississippi River Basin: Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri

tices are known as Mississippian cul- ture, and flourished from around 800 to 1600 CE . The Toltec Mounds site on the Arkansas river in central Arkansas includes the remains of the largest Mississippian site in the region. Among the first Europeans to explore the area that today is Arkansas were members of a small army led by Hernando de Soto. After crossing the Mississippi River, the Spaniards trekked west through the area in 1541. In May 1542, while passing back through the region, de Soto died in Arkansas. His men buried him secretly in the Mississippi River

and spread throughout the continent, with some of them settling in the region that today is Arkansas. Descendants of these early inhabi- tants became various Native American tribes. Most of the Native Americans were nomadic . They traveled through large areas during the year and hunted or fished for their food. However, by around the year 650 CE , some tribes had begun to settle into permanent vil- lages and develop more complex civi- lizations. The built large mounds and earthworks as ceremonial and reli- gious centers. Their culture and prac-

Spanish conquistador and explorer Hernando De Soto (1500–1542), riding a white horse and dressed in Renaissance finery, arrives at the Mississippi River on May 8, 1541. De Soto was the first European documented to have seen the river.

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Central Mississippi River Basin: Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri

including Arkansas, which La Salle named Louisiana. La Salle’s friend Henri de Tonti established the first European settle- ment in the region at Arkansas Post in 1688. It was located near the spot where the Arkansas and Mississippi Rivers converged. The trading post was a place where fur trappers and mountain men could trade with Native Americans. The main tribes living in this region during the 18th and early 19th cen- turies were the Caddo, Osage, and Quapaw peoples. The Caddo lived in

so that hostile Native Americans would not know that the feared Spanish leader was dead. The next Europeans to explore the region were French. More than a cen- tury after De Soto, in 1682, the French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, led an expedition down the Mississippi River from present-day Illinois all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. La Salle claimed for France the Mississippi River and its entire drainage basin. That massive territory included a million square miles in the center of North America,

Restored buildings at Arkansas Post, the first European settle- ment in the region. French and Spanish fur traders used the post to trade with Native Americans, particularly the Quapaw people. In 1819 Arkansas Post was designated the first capital of the Arkansas Territory, but it was replaced as capital by Little Rock two years later. Today, Arkansas Post is a national park.

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Central Mississippi River Basin: Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri

the hot springs in central Arkansas. During the first decade after the Louisiana Purchase, few white settlers came to Arkansas. In fact the largest immigrant group was the Cherokee Native American tribe, which was forced to leave its traditional lands in southeastern states like South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee due to the expansion of American settle- ments there. Large numbers of Cherokee came to Arkansas after the end of the War of 1812, and again in 1817. These Native Americans, and other tribes living in Arkansas would

villages along the Red River in the southeast. The Osage hunted in north- ern Arkansas, although most Osage villages were in what today is Missouri. The Quapaw were very friendly to the French. They lived in villages were near the mouth of the Arkansas River. The name Arkansas comes from Akansea , a French pho- netic spelling of a Native American word for the Quapaw tribe. In 1803, France sold its rights to the Louisiana Territory to the fledgling United States, which had been created when thirteen British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America declared their independence from Great Britain. This purchase more than doubled the size of the United States. U.S. President Thomas Jefferson sent the Lewis and Clark expedition to explore the northern area of the new territory. Jefferson sent a less-well-known expedition, led by William Dunbar and George Hunter, to find the southern boundary of Louisiana. The Dunbar-Hunter Expedition explored the Red, Black, and Ouachita rivers and discovered

During the 1810s, the U.S. government imple- mented policies that removed Cherokee Indians from their homes and and forced them to move to new lands in the west, including Arkansas and Oklahoma.

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Central Mississippi River Basin: Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri

Oklahoma). On June 14, 1836, Arkansas was admitted as the 25th state. Although Arkansas was a slave state, its residents were somewhat divided on the issue of slavery. Many residents did not have slaves, as the crops that could be grown in the northeastern part of Arkansas did not require cheap labor. After the election of Abraham Lincoln in November 1860, seven southern states voted to secede from the Union and form their own country, the Confederate States of America. Arkansas residents, how- ever, voted to remain part of the United States. However, when Lincoln refused to allow the southern states to secede, and asked Arkansas to send troops to Fort Sumter, South Carolina, to quell the rebellion there, state leaders refused. In May 1861, at a second convention, Arkansas leaders voted to join the Confederacy. During the war Arkansas was strategically important because it could control river traffic on the Mississippi River, a vital lifeline for U.S. trade and commerce. Several

eventually be forced by the U.S. gov- ernment to move to new lands farther west in Oklahoma. Over time, the lands of the Louisiana Purchase were broken into different entities, called territories. Once a territory was formed, its resi- dents could apply for statehood when certain conditions were met. The Arkansas Territory was formed in 1819. It included all of the present- day state, plus part of the land that would eventually become Oklahoma. Like other southern lands, slavery was permitted in Arkansas. Slave labor was used on large cotton planta- tions in the southeastern part of the territory. In 1820, the Arkansas Territory had a population of about 14,000. By the mid-1830s, the territo- ry’s population had reached 60,000, making it eligible for statehood. The territory’s leaders drafted a state con- stitution, and petitioned the U.S. Congress for admission to the United States. The state’s present-day bound- aries were set, with the western por- tion becoming part of what was then called Indian Territory (now