Welcome to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas

Everything from Middle-aged white woman in fancy dress Octave Thanet to White woman with glasses smiling in New York Yankees hat and open denim button-up over white T-shirt V. L. Cox

This Day in Arkansas History

June 10, 1986

Located along State Highway 77 in Crittenden County, the town of Jericho voted to receive official incorporation. Jericho was first settled in 1848 by riverboat captain Stephen Stonewell James and his brother, John C. James, who built the town’s first gin and sawmill. The town was named after the biblical city and grew steadily in the 1880s and 1890s. As the African American population began to grow, Jericho’s white population started to decrease. In the 1920s, Jericho became home to one of the largest African American schools in the region, East Arkansas Baptist Association Academy.

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About the Encyclopedia

The CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas is a free, authoritative source of information about the rich history, geography, and culture of Arkansas. It is updated regularly to ensure the people of Arkansas have an accurate and accessible resource to explore our heritage. We invite you to browse our text entries and media galleries to learn more about the people, places, events, legends, and lore of the 25th state. We are continually adding new entries, photographs, maps, videos, and audio files, so check back frequently to see what’s new.

New to Arkansas?
New to Arkansas?

Our overview page covers everything you would want to know about our beautiful state, including state symbols, demographics and more!

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