Place:Little Rock, Pulaski, Arkansas, United States

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) had a population of 709,901 people in the 2011 census. The MSA is in turn included in the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Pine Bluff, Arkansas Combined Statistical Area, which had a population of 886,992 in the 2011 census. As of the 2010 US Census, Little Rock had a population of 193,524. It is the county seat of Pulaski County.

Located near the geographic center of Arkansas, Little Rock derives its name from a small rock formation on the south bank of the Arkansas River called la Petite Roche (French: "the little rock"). The "little rock" was used by early river traffic as a landmark and became a well-known river crossing. The "little rock" is across the river from "big rock," a large bluff at the edge of the river, which was once used as a rock quarry.

There have been two ships of the United States Navy named after the city, including USS Little Rock (LCS-9).

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Origins

Archeological artifacts provide evidence of Native Americans inhabiting Central Arkansas for thousands of years before Europeans arrived. The early inhabitants may have included the Folsom people, Bluff Dwellers, and Mississippian culture peoples who built earthwork mounds recorded in 1541 by Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto. Historical tribes of the area included the Caddo, Quapaw, Osage, Choctaw, and Cherokee.

Little Rock was named for a stone outcropping on the bank of the Arkansas River used by early travelers as a landmark. La Petite Roche (French for "the Little Rock"), named in 1721 by French explorer and trader Jean-Baptiste Bénard de la Harpe, marked the transition from the flat Mississippi Delta region to the Ouachita Mountain foothills. Travelers referred to the area as "the Little Rock," and the landmark name stuck.

Timeline

• 1722 – French explorer Jean-Baptiste Benard de la Harpe lands near a small rock formation on the south bank of the Arkansas River, which he reputedly names la Petite Roche (the little rock). La Harpe builds a trading post near the little rock. The Quapaw Indians reside nearby.
• 1812 – William Lewis, a fur trapper, builds a home near the little rock.
• 1820 – Little Rock is surveyed.
• 1820 – Robert Crittenden, born 1797, and Chester Ashley, born 1791, enter into an agreement for a "Partnership in the Practice of Law" which lays the groundwork for the Rose Law Firm, the oldest law firm west of the Mississippi River.
• 1821 – Little Rock becomes the capital of the Arkansas Territory formed in 1819.
• 1831 – Little Rock is incorporated as a city.
• 1833 – The Territorial Capitol (now the Old State House) is built. Completed in 1842, it serves as the State Capitol until 1911.
• 1836 – Arkansas becomes the 25th State, and Little Rock became the official capital city.
• 1861 – Arkansas joins the Confederacy.
• 1863 – Union forces occupy Little Rock.
• 1864 – 17-year old David Owen Dodd is hanged on January 6 for being a Confederate spy.
• 1874 – The Brooks-Baxter War takes place in Little Rock.

• 1880 – General Douglas MacArthur born on January 26 in The Tower Building of the Little Rock Arsenal. The building is now the home of the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, and the surrounding area is called MacArthur Park.
• 1911 – The current State Capitol building is completed. It is the second building constructed to house the state government, after the Old State House.
• 1916 – Pulaski Heights, one of Little Rock's earliest western suburbs, is annexed into the city, setting the stage for further westward expansion.
• 1957 – The Little Rock Nine are enrolled at Little Rock Central High School after public protests, and the Arkansas National Guard under the direction of Governor Orval Faubus, prevents their first attempt at enrollment. At the time, Arkansas was the third most segregated state in the country (behind Mississippi and Alabama respectively). President Dwight Eisenhower dispatches federal troops to ensure the students' safety and enforce their right to attend school. These events are collectively referred to as the Crisis at Central High.
• 1958 – All three public high schools in Little Rock are closed for one year by Governor Faubus.
• 1968 – Construction booms downtown, Worthen Bank Building at and Union National Bank at are under construction and replace The Tower Building as the city's tallest buildings. Union National Bank subsequently merged into Worthen, which eventually would become part of Bank of America.
• 1974 – First National Bank building is under construction and becomes the city's tallest building at and 30 stories. The building currently is Arkansas headquarters for Regions Bank.
• 1986 – The Capitol Tower is completed, and at 40 stories and tall, is the tallest building in Arkansas. The skyscraper's name changed to the TCBY Tower later, and became the Metropolitan Tower as of October 2004. The Stephens Building is also completed, and is 25 stories and tall when finished. It was first known as the First South building, and then the Rogers building.
• 1992 – Bill Clinton is elected President of the United States. He delivers an election night acceptance speech from the front steps of the historic Old State House in downtown Little Rock. He is the first person from the State of Arkansas to be elected President. He was elected to a second term in 1996.
• 1997 – The 40th anniversary of the Crisis at Central High is marked by the opening of a new National Park Service visitor center.
• 2003 – First Little Rock Marathon is held. Counting the relays, 1,615 runners participate in the race, making it one of the top 25 races in the nation for 2003.
• 2003 – Little Rock resident Wesley Kanne Clark, a retired four-star general in the U.S. Army and former Supreme Allied Commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), announces his intention to run in the presidential primary election for the Democratic Party nomination.
• 2004 – William J. Clinton Presidential Center opens with a host of dignitaries and celebrities, including then-Governor Mike Huckabee, then-President George W. Bush, and former presidents George H. W. Bush and Jimmy Carter.
• 2006 – The international charitable organization Heifer International dedicates a $17.5 million world headquarters in downtown Little Rock. The organization announces plans to further develop the location into the Heifer International Center campus.
• 2006 – The Pulaski County Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge, better known as the Big Dam Bridge, opens to the public. It extends across the Arkansas River, and is currently the world’s longest bridge specifically built for pedestrians/bicycles.
• 2006 – The five-year construction boom of mixed-use, high-rise buildings in downtown's historic River Market district began construction on over 60 stories of residential and retail property and 240 additional hotel rooms. Among the major residential projects completed during this period are the Capital Commerce Center (2002), First Security Center (2004), 300 Third Tower (2006), and River Market Tower (2009).
• 2007 – Dickey-Stephens Park, home to the Arkansas Travelers minor league baseball team, opens. The newly constructed ballpark has a capacity of 7,000, and is situated on the Arkansas River in North Little Rock, Arkansas, opposite downtown Little Rock.
• 2009 – In the 2009 Little Rock Army recruiting office shooting on June 1, a Muslim convert opened fire with an assault rifle in a drive-by shooting on soldiers in front of a US military recruiting office at 9112 North Rodney Parham Road in Little Rock killing Private William Long and wounding Private Quinton Ezeagwula.
• 2011 – Little Rock's record high temperature of 114 degrees Fahrenheit is recorded by the National Weather Service in August.

Research Tips