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GEOGRAPHY OF ALABAMA. 

By J^^K'ikirCuRRY, LL. D., 
General Manager of the Peahnd;/ Education Fiiiiil, etc., Wasliinyton, D. C. 



PHYSICAL FEATURES. 

Position and Extent. In what part of the United States is Ala- 
Ijama ? Between what degrees of longitude does it lie ; between what 
degrees of latitude ? By what states is it bordered ? With the scale of 
miles, find its extreme leugth from north to south ; find approximately 
its average breadth. The area of Alabama is 52,250 square miles, 710 
of which are water surface. 

Surface. Neither as to geology, climate, pvoductions, 
nor as to surface oau the state be divided into well-(li^fini>(l 
parts. Different regions are 
not separated by sharply 
drawn lines, but merge into 
one another, often by imper- 
ceptible gradations. As each 
shades into the other, some- 
times tlie same sections of 
hind will be agricnltnral, 
mineral, and timber-pro- 
ducing. 

The northern jiart of tlie 
state, which embraces a por- 
tion of the Cumberland pla- 
teau and ridges to the east, 
is hilly and uneven, although 
its elevations do not exceed 
2000 feet above the sea level. 
The Cumberland plateau 
consists of a broad tal)le- 
laud, and is bordered on the 
east by a series of long, 
straight, and parallel ridges, the tirst being the Raccoon 
and Sand mountains. Still farther east are Lookout 
i\Ionntain and a number of other ridges. 

Tlie middle section consists of a region of footldlls ex- 
tending into the rolling prairies, alluvial valleys, and i>ine 
barrens. Tlie central part is very fertile and is known as 
the " Black Belt." The falls, or rapids, in the streams of 
this section afford the best water power in the state. 

The southern part of the state is a low plain, sloping 
gradually to the Gulf of Mexico, and is nowhere more tlian 
-iOO feet above the sea level. 

Drainage. In extent and vahie the watei' lines are 
hardly surpassed by those of any state, and they drain 
every section. Besides the navigal)le rivers, giving an 
inland .steam navigation of over 2000 miles, other streams 
penetrate every county and neai-ly every iieighl)orhood. 
There are fonr i)rinci[)al drainage l)asins in Alabama: 
tliose of (1) the Mobile River and its branches, the Ala- 
bama and Tomliigljee; (2) the Tenness(^e; (:>) thi' Chatta- 
hoochee; (4) the Conecuh and Choctawhatehee. 

Copyright, ISOS, hy Americari Book Company. 




View of Mobile Bay. 



Mobile River is formed by the union of the Alabama 
and Tond)ig1iee, which themselves have important tribu- 
taries; and, although the Mobile is but 44 miles long, its 
deep, broad channels and Iwrdei-ing bayous carry the 
draiuagi^ of almost three fottrths of the state to Mobile Bay. 

Moljile Bay is the deepest roadstead and one of the best harbors on 
the Gulf coast. It is 30 miles long, and has an average width of from 12 
to 20 miles. A ship channel from the lower Ijay has been excavated, 
giving a depth of more than 20 feet. The largest vessels can enter the 

roadstead 27 miles below Mobile, 
and vessels of heavy draught can 
reach the city wharfs. 

The Alabama River is 
formed by the junction of 
the Coosa and the Talla- 
poosa, and flows through or 
liorders eight of the best 
planting counties, besides 
being accessible, by the aid 
of short railway lines, to the 
mineral regions. It is navi- 
gable throughout the year. 
The Cahaba is another im- 
portant tributary of the 
Alabama, cutting its way 
through the deposits of coal 
and iron in Shelby and Bibb 
counties. At Centerville, on 
this tributary, at Wetumpka, 
on the Coosa, and at Talla.s- 
see, on the historic Tallapoosa, these streams leave the 
elevated foothill region by a series of cascades, which in- 
territpt navigation, but afford excellent water powers. 
The Coosa again becomes navigable between Greensport 
and Rome, Ga. The tirst steamboat on these waters was 
launched at Greensport in 1845. The Federal government 
is clearing away the natural hindrances. 

The Tombigbee River flows in Alabama for 319 miles of 
its course. Within the state it is navigable. Its most 
important tributaries are the Black Warrior and Sipsey 
rivers. The Black Warrior is navigable to Tuscaloosa. 
The locks above being completed, water communication 
has been oi)ened l)etween the coal fields and tide water, and 
barges, laden with coal from the Warrior and its tributaries, 
can be floated to the Gulf. 

The Tennessee River, in Tennessee, occupies a valley 
east of the ridge of Raccoon Mountain : Intt, near Chat- 
tanooga, it breaks through a valley west of this ridge, which 
it follows to Guntersville, where it turns westward and cuts 
through the Cumberland plateau, emerging therefrom, 
after a tortuous course, just above Florence, in a series of 



ALABAMA. 



rapids called IMuyclt' Slioal.s. Tliese fonueiiy obstructed 
navigation, but have been so improved by locks and canals 
that the Tennessee is now navigable throughout its length. 

The Chattalioocliee River forms, with its western hank, about half the 
eastern boundary of the state. It is navigable to Columbus. Ga. 

The Conecuh and I'hoetawhatehee rivers, with tlu-u- tributaries, are 
not navigable by vessels, but are used by lunibemien for floating logs 
from the pineries. 

Soil. The soils are produced by the decay of the sur- 
face rock, and \-ary in fertility from the thinnest sandy 
land to the lichest alluvial. On the mountains they are 
sandy and not of remarkable fertility; in the "coves" and 
mountain valleys, a rich, calcareous soil predominates. The 
prairies have a fine black soil of great de^jth and fertility. 
The southern part of the state has a more sandy soil. It 
is claimed that a wall nught be Imilt around Alaljama, 
"leaving open only her seaports for foreign exports, and 
the state could live well on her native products and ujanu- 
faetures, and become a mine of wealth from the shipment 
abroad of her agricultural, mineral, and manufactured 
products." 

Climate. There are no exti'emes of heat and cold, and 
few tmfavorable hygienic comlitions, and the climate is 
generally healthful and pleasant. The influence of the 
mountains, cool breezes from the Gulf, resinous atmos- 
phere, and streams of 
purest water combine 
to make residence and 
labor possilile and con- 
venient during every 
month of the year. 

The mean annual tem- 
perature is about Gl°, the 
southern sections and the 
valleys being warmer than 
the highlands. The rain- 
fail decreases north and 
east of Mobile : the annual 
average for the state is 
about 52 inches. 

In north, central, and 
south Alabama are spi-ings 
of medicinal value, which 
have become popular health 
resorts. They contain iron, 
sulphur, magnesia, alum, 
and other elements. The 
pine sections have become 
abodes of health, during the autumn and winter months, for invalids 
forced to seek a climate more congenial than their own. Talladega, 
Shelby, Blount, Clarke, Baldwin, Washington, and other counties attract 
many visitors by their health-giving waters and tiieir pictiu-esque 
scenery. 

RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIES. 

For better nnderstandiug, the state may be regarded as 
divided into four great belts, namely, Cereal, Mineral, Agri- 
cultural, and Timber. 

The Cereal belt embraces the vall(>y of the Teimessee and 
its tributaries. The average width is about thirty miles. 
Protected by mountain ranges on the north and on the 



south, well watered Ijy bold springs and clear streams, with 
fertile soil and an intelhgent population, the valley has be- 
come famous for its beauty and its many natural advan- 
tages. Cotton is cultivated, but corn, wheat, rye, oats, 
barley, and potatoes are the chief crops. Stock-raising 
has now become an important industry. Pears, apples, 
peaches, grapes, and garden products are abundant. 

The Mineral belt comprises one third of the state, and 
produces in greater or less quantities the chief minerals of 
trade and industry, silver excepted. Side by side and also 
in separate localities lie immense deposits of coal, iron, and 
limestone. The principal coal fields are the Warrior, -with 





Cotton Warehouse, Annlston 



Cotton Mills. 



an area of 7810 square miles, the 
Cahaba, of over 400 square miles 
and of immense thickness, and the 
Coosa, of over 400 square miles. 
The coal is bituminous. It is free 
from sulphur. It is exported to 
Cuba, Mexico, South America, and 
other countries. Its clieiii)ne.ss and 
quality make Alal)ama rank high 
as a coal-producing state. The an- 
nual output aggregates 6,000,000 
tons. Alabama is fourth among 
the states in coal production. 

Both brown and red hematite iron ore 
are found in immense quantities in the 
ridges east of Sand Mountain. The most valuable outcroppings are 
found in St. Clair, Slielliy, Jefferson, and Tuscaloosa counties, but the ore 
is widely diffused in other localities. Its proximity to coal and limestone 
makes its manufacture easier and cheaper than in some other mineral 
regions. In 1896 the state was third in the production of pig iron. 
Among the other minerals are marble, marl, and, in limited quantities, 
gold, copper, lead, graphite, and also excellent building stone and claj's. 

The Agricultural belt is less definable than any other, but 
the section where cotton is predominant lies south of the 
Mineral belt, and extends across the middle counties, cover- 
ing one fourth of the entire area of the state. The soil is 
mostly of a dark color, and is of great fertility. TJie surface 
is generally rolling prairie. All the principal rivers, except 



ALABAMA. 




iiig in value and iniportanee. Proximity to the raw ma- 
terial, a mild climate, cheap fuel and food, and lonj^a-r 
hours of labor, give many advantages in manufacturing. 

Commerce. Cotton, coal, and iron are the leading con- 
tributions of the state to the world's commerce. Railway 
and river transportation furnish facilities for outgoing and 
incoming trade. There are about 3700 miles of railroad in 
the state. 

A fleet of steamei-s earries tlie trade between Mobile and Liverpool 
and Bremen ; steamers operate between Mobile and Mexican and Central 
American ports; and other lines connect Mobile with points in Florida 
and in the tropical fruit lielt. In 1897 0.57 vessels, of increased capacity 

made possible by the deepening of 

=1 the channel, entered and cleared at 

! Mobile, with $848,129 iu value of 
im])orts, and with exjiorts which 
were valued at $10,131,189. 



Blast Furnace, Birmingham. 

the Tennessee, flow through 
this Section, furnishing ready 
and cheap transportation to 
the Gulf. Alabanui is the 
fourth in rank as a cotton- 
producing state. After cot- 
ton, corn is the favorite crop, 
and wheat, oats, rye, barley, 
potatoes, turnips, onions, and 
peas are cultivated on neaily 
every farm. 



Pipe Works, Anniston 
Apples, pears, jdums, peaches, 



Almost every kind of veget^ible 
and fniit grown in the United States 
finds here congenial soil and climate 
ehen-ies, berries of all kinds, melons, figs, etc., grow abundantly. Fruit 
culture has been far more remunerative than fields of cotton. On the 
mountain sides are excellent jiasture facilities, and the pine districts 
afford lusiuiant grasses on which sheep and goats are sustained almost 
throughout the year. Stock-raising and wool-gi"owing arc becoming 
profitable imlustrics. Several large sheep ranches are maintained, with 
herds numbering from HOOO to 5000 head ; and in Escambia county 
30,000 sheep are supported upon the nutritious native herbage. 

The Timber belt lies south of the Agricultural, and 
abounds in forests, which cover hundreds of thoustinds of 
acres. The long-leafed pine, the cypress, juiuper, jind pop- 
lar, and other woods sustain hundreds of mills and a large 
lumljer trade, home and foreign. Tlie turpentine business 
has much increased. In this and the other belts there 
are a great variety and abundance of other trees, such 
as the oak, hickory, walnut, cherry, beech, locust, cedar, 
elm, mai)le, sliort-leafed pine, and magnolia. 

Manufacturing is rapidly becoming an important in- 
dustry and a source of increasing prosperity. The reducing 
and rolling of iron is the largest manufacturing inter(>st. 
carried on cliielly in Jefferson, Bibb, .Slielby, St. Clair, Tal- 
ladega, Calhoun, Cherokee, and Etowah counties. The 
sawing of lumber, the manufacturing of cotton goods and 
furniture, the grinding of grain, the iiroduction of cotton- 
seed oil — these and other kinds of manufacture are grow- 



HISTORY. 

The Indian inhabitants of Ala- 
Ijama belonged to three great fam- 
ilies : the Mobilians, including the 
Choctaws in the southwest, the 
< "liickasjiws iu the northwest, and 
tiie Muskogees or Creeks, who 
roamed over the central part of 
the state ; the Cherokees, living 
among the mountains in the north- 
east : and the Tensas Indians, who 
occupied tiie banks of the Mobile 
River and its bayous. 

The first white men to 
enter this region were De 
Soto and his followers, who, 
in 1.5-10, crossed the country 
from the Savannah to the Mississippi River. AN'ith these 
men of war were scions of the noblest families of Spain, 
who came in quest of gold and glory. The exact route of 
their tortuous march through Georgia, Alabama, and Mis- 
sissij)pi ciinnot l)e traced with any accuracy. 

Tile first settlement was made by the French under 
Bienville, at the mouth of Dog Kiver, on Mobile Bay. in 





View of Birmingham. 



ALABAMA. 



1702. In 1711 the colony was moved to the site of Mobile. 
By the treaty of Foutainebleau, in 17(30, tliis region came 
into possession of the English. At the close of our Revolu- 
tion Englauel ceded to the United States tlie region north 
of 31° north latitude, and to Spain the region south of that 
parallel. The latter was not attached to the United States 
until 180,3. 

Mississippi territory was organized in 1798, and enlarged 
in 1802 so as to embrace the present states of Mississippi 
and Alabama north of 31° north latitude. In 1817 this terri- 
tory was divided, the eastern part becoming Alaljama ter- 
ritory. Alabama was admitted to the Union as a state with 
its present boundaries December 14, 1819, a convention 
of 45 delegates from 15 counties having met in Huntsville 
and framed a constitution in the month of July preceding. 

Early in January, 1861, Alabama passed an ordinance of 
secession, and she aided in establishing the government of 
the Confederate States. 

Montgomery was the fii-st capital of tlie Confederacy, and its presi- 
dent was inaugurated there. During the war Alabama sup|)lied 122,000 
troops to the Confederate army. 
The battles of Spanish Fort, Fort 
Blakely, Fort Morgan, Selma, Tus- 
caloosa, and the capture of Colonel 
Straight (in Cherokee county) with 
1700 men, all occurred within the 
territory of this state. 

St. Stephens, where the first and 
last territorial legislatui-es met, 
Huntsville, Cahaba, and Tusca- 
loosa, have each in turn been the 
capital of Alabama, but ever since 
1846 Jloutgomery has been the seat 
of the state government. 

According to the census 
of 1890, Alabama contained 
a population of 1,513,017, of 
which nearly one half was of 
African descent. Less than 

one per cent of tlie people were foreign-born. Tln'ee fourths 
of the Avorking i^opulation are engaged in agriculture. 

Government. The legislative power is vested in a 
general as.seiidjly, composed of a senate and a house of 
representatives. 

The executive power is vested in a governor, secretary of 
state, treasurer, auditor, attorney-general, and sui)erintend- 
ent of education, all elected by the people for two years. 

The judicial power is vested in a supreme court, circuit, 
chancery, coitnty, and probate courts. There are also 
courts of county commissioners, municipal courts, and 
justices of the peace in all the precincts. 

The state is divided into Gli counties, which are subdiN-ided into elec- 
tion precincts. The local government is in the hands of appropriate 
ofiicers, chosen by popular vote. 

Education. The state is divided into school districts, 
each of them liaving one or more public schools, where all 
children in the district Ijetween the ages of 7 and 21 years 
may obtain an education free of cost. 

Higher education may be obtained at the T'niversity of 




state Capitol, Montgomery. 



Alabama at Tuscaloosa. It was opened in 1831, and pro- 
vides for students both academic and professional courses. 
The Agricultitral and Mechanical College, or the Alabama 
Polytechnic Institute, with many laboratories and a large 
experiment farm, is located at Auburn. The Girls' Indus- 
trial School is at Montevallo. These are all for white 
students, and give free tuition at the expense of the state. 

State normal schools are located at Florence, Troy, .Jacksonville, and 
Livingston for white teachers, and at Montgomery and Huuts\ille for 
colored teachers. Besides these, there are excellent colleges and schools 
for both sexes and both races at various places in the state. Among 
them are the Normal and Industrial Institute at Tuskegee ; Talladega 
College ; Greensboro University ; Judson Female Institute, chartered in 
1839 ; JIarion Female Seminary ; Howard, Lafayette, Lineville, Spiing- 
hill, Athens, East Lake, Union, and Isbell colleges ; the Synodical Insti- 
tute ; Central Female Institute ; Alabama Conference Female Institute ; 
and numerous academies. 

CITIES AND TOWNS. 

Mobile, the county seat of Mobile county, is the largest 
city and the connnercial metropolis of Alabama. Mobile is 

one of the largest cotton- 
shipping ports of the United 
States, having sis miles of 
improved river frontage. 
Naval stores, timber, and 
early fruits and vegetables 
are other important articles 
of export, while coffee and 
tropical fruits are the i)rin- 
cipal articles of import. 

Mobile has extensive manufac- 
tures of lumber, foundi-y and ma- 
chine-shop products, etc. It has a 
fine system of public schools and 
several higher institutions of learn- 
ing. It is also well supplied with 
libraries, churches, charitable insti- 
tutions, and public buildings. 



Biniii)/f/]i((iii, the county seat of Jefferson county, is the 
center of the mineral region of the state, and the location of 
large iron, steel, and smelting works, which give employment 
to many thousand workmen. Its rapid growth and the de- 
velopment of its manufacturing industries have been among 
the most i-emarkable incidents in the history of the state. 

Bii-mingham is also the most important conmiercial and railroad center 
in Alabama. The city has excellent schools, and is the seat of Howard 
and East Lake colleges. 

Moiifr/onier!/, the county seat of Montgomery county, is 
the state capital. The capitol building has a commanding 
situation overlooking the city and surrounding country. 
The city is well laid out, beautifully ornamented, and has 
good schools. Montgomery has considerable manufac- 
tures, and is an important cotton market and trade center. 

Amiisto)!, in Calhoun county, is in the midst of a fine 
agricidtural and mineral region. Anniston is a city of re- 
cent and remarkable growth. It has extensive manitfac- 
turing establishments of iron, cotton, and other products. 
It has good schools. 



6 



ALABAMA. 



IluntsviUe, the county scat of Matlisou county, one of the 
oldest places in tlic state, is in tlie grazing and fanning 
region of the Tennessee valley. Lumbering is an impor- 
tant industry, and there ai-e manufactures of cotton goods, 
furniture, etc. Tlie 



educational advan- 
tages of Huntsville 
are superior. 

iSV//»((,thecounty 
seat of Dallas 
county, is situated 
in a fine agricul- 
tural section, and 
commands a large 
trade in cotton and 
general merchan- 
dise. It has excel- 
lent railroad facili- 
ties and extensive 
manufactories, in- 
cluding railroad 
shoi)s and cotton 
mills. The city has 
excellent schools. 

Bessemfr, in Jefferson county, has lar-jfe furnaces, rolling mills, an<l 
iron and steel manufactories. It is the center of the richest and most 
easily accessible deposits of iron, coal, and limestone in the country. 
Several lines of railroad enter the city. 

Decatur and Neic Decatur, in Jfornran county, on the Tennessee River, 
at the junction of importiint railroads, practically form one city. They 
have together cxtcnsivo and varied manufacturing interests. 

Kufauta, in Barbour county, on the Chattahoochee I?ivcr, is an iniiior- 
tant commercial center. It has a good trade by rail and water, an( 
number of important manufactoi-ies. 

Florence, the county seat of Lauderdale (.'ounty, has varied manufac- 
tures, a large river and inland trade, and good schools. 

Fort I'aiiitc, in Dekalb county, i,^ the center of a rich coal, iron, and 
timber region, and has largo maiuifacturing interests. 

(rudsden, the county seat of Etowah county, is situated in a fine min- 
eral and timber region, and has extensive iron, lumber, and cotton mills. 

Oreennik, the county seat of Butler county, in the south-central part 
of the state, is the trade center of a large cotton-growing section. 



tural region, and has long been distinguished for the refinement, intelli- 
gence, and hospitality of its inhabitants. Located here are the Judson 
Female Institute, one of the first institutions in the country to give 
diplomas to women, the Military Institute, and the Female Seminary. 
Opelika, the county seat of Lee county, is an important railroad 
junction and trade center in the eastern part 
^ of the state. 

I'hmiix is located in Lee county, at the head 
of navigation on the Chattahoochee River, op- 
posite Columbus, Ga. It is a prosperous place. 
SlieJJictd, in Colbert county, is an industrial 
place, with iron fiu'naces and manufactories. 
Talladega is the county seat of Talladega 
county. It is an important trade and manu- 
facturing center. It is the .seat of the state 
institutions for the blind and deaf, and of other 
excellent educational institutions. 

Troi/, the county seat of Pike county, has 
several manufactories, and commands a large 
trade. It is an educational eentc r. 

Tuscaloosa, the county seat of Tuscaloosa 
county, is at the head of navigation on the 




A Street in Montgomery. 



l^lack Warrior River. Besides being the seat of the State University, 
it has fine public schools. It has cotton mills and other manufactories. 
The Alabama Insane Hospital is located near by. 

'Tuscumbia, the county seat of Colbert county, is a railroad junction, 
and has important manufactures and fine schools. 



I'nion Springs, the county seat of Bullock county, is a ceut< r of trade 
Marion, the coimty seat of Perry county, is the center of a rich agricul- I and manufactui-es. 



GEOGRAPHY OF MISSISSIPPI. 

By J. L. M. Curry, LL. D., 
General Manager of the Peabody Education Fund, etc., WusJiinglon, D. C. 



PHYSICAL FEATURES. 

Situation and Extent. lu wliat part of the United Sta"tes is Missis- 
sippi ' How is it situated with refeveiioe to the other Gulf states '? What 
parallel forms its northern boundary '? Throug-h how many degrees of 
iatitude does it extend ? What two rivers form its western boundaries ? 
With the scale of miles find the extreme length of the state. Find its 
average breadth. 

The area of Mississippi is 46,810 square miles. It is the smallest of 
the Gulf states, being a little smaller than Louisiana (48,720) and less 
dian one fifth the size of Texas. 

Surface. The bi.i-hest elevations in the state do not 
exceed 1000 feet, but within this limit almost every variety 
of surface is represented. Generally it is undulating, 
with a gradual slopc^ from north to south. On tlie Ponto- 
toc ridge, in Tippah and Union counties, many of the 
hills have an elevation of 800 or 1000 feet; in the central 
portion the elevation is from 300 to 500 feet ; while near 
the coast the land is only from 20 to 30 feet above the 
waters of the Gulf. The rolling table-lands fall off some- 
what abruptly in the 
western part of the 
state, and the lowlands 
along the Mississippi 
Eiver form the Yazoo 
Delta, which occupies 
about one sixth of the 
area of the state, and 
was called by Prentiss 
"the cornucopia of the 
world." The soil here is 
wholly alluvial, the re- 
sult of dejiosits from 
overflows during past 
centuries. 

There are four nearly level 
regions — the Yazoo Delta, just 
mentioned ; the prairie region 
on the Alabama Une in the 
northeast ; the central sec- 
tion ; and the Gulf coast, including the vast pine lands of the state, 
now dotted with pretty viUages which contain many attractive homes. 

Drainage. The drainage of the state is al)out equally 
divided lietween streams flowing directly into the Gulf 
and those entering the Mississippi Eiver. The ridge 
wiiich forms the main watershed rises in the northern 
liart and extends almost directly southward to the Gulf. 
The Mississippi, which with its affluents drains nearly one 
third of the state, is very tortiums, its course along the 
western border being nearly twice the length of the state 
measured in a straight line Tlie larger part of the bottom 
lands lying on the Yazoo and Mississippi rivers is below the 

CopyrigH, 180S, by American Book Company. 



surface level of the rivers at high water. This makes it 
necessary to levee the rivers in order to protect the lands 
from overflow. At times of extreme high water breaks in the 
embankments develop into great crev'asses, through which 
the waters flow with rapidly increasing volume, inundating 
vast tracts of country, leaving rich sedimentary deposits, 
and sometimes changing the river channels for miles. 





A Levee on the Mississippi. 



The Bluffs at Natchez. 

The tributaries of the Mississippi are 
the Tennessee, draining parts of two 
counties in the northeastern corner of 
the state ; the Yazoo, navigable to Gren- 
ada ; the Big Black; and the Homo- 
chitto. The chief streams of the Gulf 
.system proper are the Tombigbee, navi- 
gable to Columbus, and at some seasons 
to Aberdeen ; the Pascagoula, formed 
from the union of the Leaf and Chicka- 
sawlia ; and the Pearl. At the mouths 
of these rivers are bays which, with the 
Mississippi Sound, afford anchorage for 
vessels of different draught. 

Climate. Along the Gulf 
coast the climate is delightful, 
and this part of the state is a favorite place of resort and 
residence, giving unusual opportunities for hunting, boat- 
ing, and fishing. 

The resinous air of the jmie woods and the exhilarating 
Gulf breezes are xcry lielpftU to invalids with chronic 
troubles of throat and lungs. In the interior and north- 
ern parts the climate is more variable, the temperature 
lower, and during the winter months light snows 
occasionallv fall. 



The rainfall is abundant, especially in the southern part of the state, 
the average being 50 inches. The prevailing winter winds are from the 
northwest; those in summer are from the Gulf. 



10 



MISSISSIPPI. 



m 




High Water on the Mississippi. 

Tho iiiiiioral s])riii{j:s, — the Cu.'^taliau, luka, Greenwood, 
Shin, Stafford, and Donald, and tlic far-fanuMl Cooper's 
Wells, — are efficacious in many diseases and are popnlar 
resorts. The death rate in Mis.sissippi is under thirteen in a 
thousand. 

RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIES. 

Agriculture. Tiie situation (if tlit^ state on the lower 
Mississippi River is especially favorable to the develop- 
ment of an industrial commonwealth. The soils are rich 
and varied, capaljle of producing successfully and protit- 
al)ly a large number of farm products. This is true not 
only of the bottom lands, l)nt also of a large portion of 
the upland districts. The alluvial deposits of the great 
river have made the bottom lands practically inexhaustible 
in fertility, while the prairies an<l other parts of the state 
are hardly less productive. 

Mississippi is one of the great cotton states of the coun- 
trj', and all its other industries are more or less tributary 
to the culture of the cotton ])lant. In proportion to the 
population, Mississippi produces more (.-otton than any 
other state, the yield being nearly one bale to each in- 
habitant. The average cotton production of the state is 
1,201,000 bales annually, on an acreage of 2,S35,:}1G. The 
county of Washington, lying between the Mississippi and 
Yazoo rivers, is the greatest cotton-producing county in 
the country. The manufacture of cotton-seed oil greatly 
increases the value of the cotton crop. 

The chief cereals are corn and oats, and their produc- 
tion is largely increasing. Wlieat, potatoes, peas, beans, 
and sorghum are produced, and then^ are large grass and 
hay crops. In the south, rice and sugar cane are grown. 
The cultivation of small fruits and early vegetables has 
grown to ]je an inijiortant industry in the state, strawber- 
ries and tomatoes l^eing grown in great abundance for 
fonngn markets. 

Forest Products. Throughout tli'" timlier district, in 
the .southern pari of the state, large t|uantili<'s of pine 
lumber, turpentine, rosin, and tar are manufactured for 
New Orleans and northern markets. In other jjarts of 



tho state, the ash, magnolia, cypress, cottonwood, willow, 
and other trees, contribute to profitable manufacturing 
industries. 

Commerce. The Mississippi and its tributaries afford 
ciieaji anil easy transportation ; and the topography of the 
interior is favorable to economical railroad construction. 

The railroads of Mississippi have a total length of over 
2.')00 miles, reaching nearly every part of the state. 

HISTORY. 

In l.")40 De Soto and his followers entered the territory 
comi)risi!ig the present state of Mississippi from the east. 
They crossed the Tomliigbee River near whei-e the city of 
Columbus now is, and sjjent the winter of 1540-41 at an 
Indian town on the banks of the Yazoo River. These were 
the first Europeans to look upon the turbid waters of the 
Mississippi. 

The first settlement in Mississippi was nmde by the 
French at Biloxi in 1()99. Natchez was settled in 1716, 
175 years after De Soto discovered the Mississippi River. 

By the treaty of Paris, in 176.3, ttie whole of the French possessions 
in North America, and the Spanish possessions in Florida and east and 
northeast of the Mississippi, were ceded to Great Britain. From 1763 to 
1781 tlie territory now included in the state of Mississippi was an Eu<rlish 
province. From 1781 to 1798 Spain held possession; but in 1795 all 
that part north of latitude .30= X. was ceded to the United States. It 
was not, however, until 1798 that Spanish forces evacuated Natchez, 
where the officials had their headquarters. That part of the ten-itory 
south of latitude 31 - N., havint; again come into the possession of the 
French, was attached to the United States in 1803. 

By act of Congress, April 7, 1798, the Mississippi terri- 
tory was organized, and was subsequently enlarged by 
various additions so as to include all of the present states 
of Mississippi and Alaljama. In 1S17 (December Id) Mis- 
sissippi was admitted to the Union as a state, with its 
present limits. 

The growth of the state in population and intelligence 
was from the first very rapid, and its citizens always 
exerted a large influence in national affairs. 

Mississippi was the second state to pass an ordinance of 
secession, the state convention taking that action January 
9, IStil. 

During the war which followed, the nortlu-rn and west- 
ern borders of the state were frequently the scene of im- 
portant military movements. The .state was more than 




Vicksburg. 



MISSISSIPPI. 



11 



once overrun by large I'aiding forces of Federal soldiers, 
and suffered iniu-h in eonsetiuence of theii' invasions. 

Politically the state held a leading place in the Confederate govern- 
ment ; and one of its citizens, Jefferson Davis, was president of the Con- 
federacy during its entire existence. 

After the war the state was under provisional and military govern- 
ment until March, 1870, when civil government was reestablished under 
the constitution adopted in 1869. 

During the decade from 3870 to 1880 the population of Mi.s.sissippi in- 
creased from 827,922 to 1,131,597, or over 36 per cent. The poptdation 
in 1890 was 1,289,600. 



Government. The government of Mississippi is con- 
ducted under the constitution adopted Noveml)er 1, 1890. 

The legislative department consists of a senate and a 
house of representatives. Senators and representatives 
are elected for four years. 

The executive department consists of a governor, lieuten- 
ant-governor, secretary of state, treasurer, and an atiditor of 
public accounts. There are also an attorney-general and 
a superintendent of public 
education. All are elected 
by the jieople for four years. 

The judicial department 
comprises a supreme cotirt, 
circuit, chancery, and jits- 
tices' courts. Judges and 
chancellors are appointed 
by the governor, and con- 
firmed by the senate. Jus- 
tices of the peace are elected 
by the people. 

Jlississippi contains 75 counties. 
It has 2 senators and 7 represent- 
atives in Congress, and therefore 
has 9 votes in the electoral college. 




A Street in Natchez 



Education. The constitution guarantees free public 
schools fur four months in each year. Several counties ex- 
tend the term, and nearly all the towns and cities have 
annual sessions of nine months. The chief educational 
officers are the state superintendent of public education 
and a state board of education. 

County superintendents of education are elected by the 
people in most of the counties, and by the state board of 
education, with the consent of the senate, in the others. 
Their term of office is four years. 

Each county is divided into school districts, in each of 
which a school must be located. Free schools are thus 
established throughout the state, and in towns and cities 
there are graded and high schools. 

The State University is at O.xford ; the State Agrricultural and Me- 
chanical College is near StarkviUe ; the Industrial Institute and Female 
College is at Columbus ; the state institutions for the education of the 
deaf and dumb and the blind are at Jackson. 

Alcorn University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, near 
Rodney, and the Normal School at HoUy Springs, are state institutions 
exclusively for the benefit of the colored race. 

There are many flourishing colleges and .academies under private or 
denomiuatidnal management in different portions of the state. Among 
these are Tougaloo University, .Jackson College, Rust University, 
Natchez College for negroes, and Bellha\en College, at Jackson ; Whit- 



worth College, at Brookhaven ; the Mississippi College and Hillman 
College, at Clinton ; St. Stanislaus College, at Bay St. Louis ; Union 
Female College, at Oxford ; the Collegiate Institute, at Grenada ; the 
Southern Female College, at West Point ; East Mississippi Female Col- 
lege and Stone College, at Meridian ; Lea Female College, at Srnnmit ; 
Millsaps College, at Jackson ; Blue Mountain College ; and colleges for 
girls at Pontotoc and Port Gibson. 



CITIES AND TOWNS. 

Jackfioii, the capital of Mississippi since 1822, is situated 
on tlie Pearl River, in Hinds county, near the geographical 
center of the state. It is the junction of trunk railway 
lines, and commands an extensive trade in cotton and 
general nierchandise. The city is regularly laid out, and 
contains several handsome public buildings. In addition 
to the capitol, the state institutions for the insane, the 
deaf and dund), and the blind, and also the state peniten- 
tiary are located here. The city is well supplied with pulj- 
lic schools, and is the seat of several denominational in- 
stitutions of learning which 
hold a high rank. 

Vickshiirfj, the county seat 
of Warren county, is the 
largest city in the state. It 
is situated on the jVIississippi 
Rivei', not far below the 
mouth of the Yazoo. It de- 
rives its imjtortance from its 
location, and from being the 
commercial center of the 
richest cotton-prodttcingdis- 
trict of the state. It has a 
large river and inland trade. 
In addition to the advan- 
tages of river traiis]ioita- 
tion, Vicksburg has good railroad connections. The city 
is well built and contains many fine residences, though its 
site is generally hilly and irregular. It has excellent 
schools and other public institutions. 

Mciidiaii, the county seat of Lauderdale county, is an 
important railroad, manufacturing, and commercial center. 
It has manufactures of cotton goods, machinery, furni- 
ture, carriages, and wagons ; also oil mills, railroad shops, 
and other manufactories. It commands a large cotton 
and jobbing trade with the surrounding country, and is 
well supi^lied with compresses and warehouses. It is 
noted for its educational advantages. The East Missis- 
sippi Insane Asylum is located here. 

Natcltez, the county seat of Adams county, is the oldest 
city in the state. It is beautifully sititated ou the Missis- 
sippi River, aboiit 80 miles below Vicksljurg. Its location 
on a high bluff commands an extended prospect of the sur- 
rounding country. The city is noted for its fine residences 
and cultivated society. It has substantial public improve- 
ments and good public and ju-ivate schools. It has also a 
large trade in cotton and general nierchandise, and is the 
location of several excellent institutions of learning. 

Greenville, the county .seat of "Washington count)^, is 



12 



MISSISSIPPI. 



located on the Mississippi, about 92 miles above Vicks- 
burg. It is the center of an extensive network of railways, 
ami the coiiiniercial center of the rich agricultural section 
known as the Yazoo Delta. The chief inilustrj- is that of 
handling and shipping cotton, for which it has good facil- 
ities. It has cotton-.seed oil mills, .saw and i)laning mills. 
ColitDihiis, the county seat of Lowndes county, is favor- 
ably located on the Tombigbee River, being at the head 
of regular steamboat navigation, and at the junction of 
several railroad lines. It is an important cotton market, 
and has a large ^md increasing trade. In addition to its 
public schools, it is the location of sevei-al higher educa- 
tional institutions, principally the flourishing Industrial 
College for girls, the fu'st of the kind established in the 
Southern states. 

Aberdeen, the covmty seat of Monroe county, is situated in the north- 
eastern part of the state, on the Tombifcbee River, which durinjj a part 
of tlie year is navigable to tliis point. It is surrounded by a fine agricul- 
tural country, with which it has a large trade. It is noted for its fine 
climate, and for artesian mineral waters. 

Jiiiy Si. Louis, I'ass ChristUin, 3Iis.iissi2)pi Citij, and Ocean Springs are fa- 
vorite places of resort and of botli summer and winter residence. While 
all have abundant seiuitropical fruits, Ocean Springs does a large fruit- 
growing business, and sells large quantities of gi-apes, pears, olives, and 
figs. 

Jiiloxi, in Harrison county, is situated on the coast, between the Bay 
of Biloxi and Mississippi Sound. It is a noted health resort, and is largely 



visited both summer and winter. It is the largest town on the coast, and 
has important manufacturing interests, extensive canneries, and sawmills 
and planing mills. 

Brookhuren, the county seat of Lincoln county, is located in the midst 
of the yellow pine region, 54 miles south of Jackson. It has several 
manufactories and a good trade. 

Cantun, the county .seat of Madison eountj', is surrounded by a fertile 
country. It is beautifully laid out, having its streets lined with tine live 
oaks, and is noted for its nurseries and flowers, and for its shipment of 
fruits and vegetables. 

Corinth, tlie county seat of Alcorn county, is a growing railroad center 
and cotton market, in the northeastern part of the state. It has some 
manufactures. 

Grenada, the county seat of Grenada county, is a railroad junction. 

Holly Springs, the county seat of Marshall county, is noted for its ex- 
cellent educational institutions and good railroad facilities. It has a 
large trade with the surrounding country. 

McConih, in Pike county, 78 miles south of Jackson, is a growing place. 

Okolona is a prosperous and gi-owing town, in Chickasaw county. 

Water Valley, the eountj' seat of Yalobusha county, is the location 
of large railroad shops, which employ many hands. 

Wesson is in Copiah county, on an important railroad, 9 miles from 
Brookhaven. It has large manvifactures of cotton and woolen goods, 
which employ many hands. 

West I'uiiit, the county seat of Clay county, is an iiii]i()i'l:int railroad 
center, and is located in the midst of the rich prairie section of the state. 
It has factories and machine shops. 

Yazoo City, the county seat of Yazoo county, is located on the eastern 
edge of the Yazoo Delta. It has cotton compresses, oU mills, gristmills, 
and several other manufactories. It is an important shipping point of 
cotton. Here is one of the finest school buildings in the South. 



GEOGRAPHY OF LOUISIANA. 

By W^ W.^Clendenin, A. M., M. S., 
Professor of Geology and Miucralofiij in Ihc Loitisiana Sfati- I'liirersity, Baton Rouge. 



PHYSICAL FEATURES. 

Location, Boundaries, and Extent. lu wliat part of the United 
States is Louisiana ? What parallel of latitude forms the northern 
boundary of that part of the state west of the Mississippi ? What paral 
lei forms the northern boundary of that part on the east side ? What 
forms the eastern boundai'y between these two jtarallels '? What otlier river 
forms a part of the eastern boundary ? Describe the western boundary. 
By what is the state bounded on the south 1 Name the other states that 
border upon the Gulf. Where is the most southern point of Louisiana? 
Tlirough how many de.y'rees of lonffitude does the state extend ; through 
how many degrees of latitude ? With the seale of miles, find the greatest 
extent of the state north and south ; 
east and west. The area of Louisi- 
ana is 48.720 square mUes. It is a 
little larger than Mississippi (46,810 
S(iuare miles) and a little smallei' 
tlian Arkansas (53,850 square miles). 

Topography and Drain- 
age. In common with all 
the states that border tipon 
the Gulf of Mexico, Loui- 
siana has ])een many times 
beiietith the sea, and as often 
raised above sea level to form 
part of the land. The to^jog- 
rapliy of the state as we now 
see it is largely the work of 
those vast form-prodttcing 
agencies which wrought dur- 
ing the last two periods of 
elevation, when Louisiana 

was land, and of those which were active in the intervening 
period of subsidence, when it was sea bottom. 

A study of the topography seems to prove that during 
the period of elevation last previous to the present one 
Louisiana stood at a much greater height than now. It 
also seems to have remained sufficiently long at that 
greater height to enable the rivers to cut their valleys 
wide and deep, and to send their tributary branches into 
eA'ery part of the region, tlie whole of Avhich was then 
probablj' hilly. 

The stibsideuce which followed brought the highest 
hilltops below the level of the sea, eualjling the Gulf of 
Mexico to extend its waters northward beyond the 
northern limits of the state. Still farther north the 
land remained above sea level, and from this unsub- 
merged laud the streams brought sediment and deposited 
it over the drowned hills and valleys of Louisiana. With 
this sediment all the valleys were partially filled, many 
of them completely, and the hills themselves received a 
veneering. 

When Louisiana again rose above the sea, the northern 

Copyright, ISOS, by American Book Company. 




A Planter's Home, Louisiana. 



part, which was the last to disappear and the first to 
reappear, still presented a hilly surface, though the 
inequalities of hill and valley had been greatly reduced. 
The streams again occupied their former valleys, — now 
partially filled, — having only to cut new channels. Far- 
ther sottth, where the drowning had lasted longer, the 
leveling by sediment had been complete, and hill and 
valley alike had been entireh' buried and obliterated. 
A line drawn approximately east and west through 
Lake Charles, Baton Rouge, and Covington will septirate 

the hill section from the fiat 
section, and these, together 
with the wide flood plains 
of the Mississii:)pi and Red 
rivers, mtdvC up the types of 
surface in the state. 

Th<^ hills are well and com- 
pletely drained V)y streams 
witli steep, V-shaped val- 
leys; and these streams pour 
their waters into a few larger 
master streams, whose wide, 
though partially filled, val- 
leys are an inheritance from a 
former geologic perioil. The 
ridges are water partings, 
and there are no consider- 
able level interstream areas. 
The flats are imperfectly 
drained bj' slightly Ijranched 
and sluggish streams, which follow sinuous courses, and 
finally empty directly into the Gulf or join the master 
streams from the hills. In the flats, wide, undraineii 
interstream areas are the rule. 

The bottom or alluvial lauds I'onstituting the flood plains 
of the Mississippi and Red rivers are in most respects 
topographically unlike both the hills and the flats. They 
are broad, smooth areas, and are the products of the 
rivers they border. 

These lands are highest along the banks of the streams that produce 
them, and their drainage is consequently away from the streams. This 
imperfect drainage is accomplished by a network of sluggish st)'eams 
called bayous. With each flood stage of the parent river the flood plain 
is built up by a coating of sediment, and these periodic deposits have 
accumulated during the history of the river to many hundred feet in 
thickness. To protect these alluvial lands from the periodic overflows 
of the parent rivers, artifieial levees have been built. 

In Louisiana the Mississippi, Red, and Atc-hafalaya rivers are the 
only streams that have been systematically leveed by the state. There 
are private levees along many of the smaller streams and bayous. 

Rivers and Lakes. No other state in the Union has 
so many miles of frontage upon navigable waters as Loui- 



13 



14 



LOUISIANA. 




Lake Pontchartrain. 

siana. The entire southern coast is accessible to eoastiiifi' 
vessels, and so far-reaching are her rivei's that onl\' 
two parishes in the state ai-e inaccessible by navigable 
streams. From Pearl River upon the east to Sabini' 
Kiver upon the west alnK)st every stream that enters the 
Gulf is navigable. 

Of these the Chefimcte, Tangipalioa, Tickfaw, aii«l Amite, east of 
the Jlississippi, and the Calcasieu in the southwest, have tlieir sources in 
the hills; and their partially filled valleys show them to be the modern 
representatives of rivers belonging to a fonner period of elevation. 
They are clear, deep, and, in tlieii' upper courses, rapid streams, con- 
stantly supplied from the hiUs by 
spring-fed tributaries. 

Another class of streams 
in south Louisiana includes 
lliose which, though some- 
times sending their more 
northern feeders into the 
hills, are confined for the 
most part to the coastal flats 
and marshes, and belong in 
their development to the 
present i)eriod of elevation. 
They have steep and often 
vertical liaid<s, their dejitli is 
aliiKirmaliy great in com- 
parison to their width, and 
their shiggisli currents follow tortuous courses throudi 
lands but little higher than their own surfaces. In south- 
east Louisiana they are generally, though improperly, 
called bayous; as, Bayou Libert ij and Bai/oK Lacomh, in 
St. Tammany parish. In southwest Louisianti the Ver- 
milion and ]\Iermentau rivers are of this class. 

The Mississippi, though in a sense national, is pecu- 
liarly a Louisiana river. This state forms its right baidc 
from the Arkansas line to the river's mouth, and soutli of 
31° north latitude lies upon both sides of it, so that in this 
last particular Louisiana has a peculiar claim uiion it. 

Though of little importance as a carrier of the state's drainage, — there 
being not more than fifteen townships (in East Baton Rouge, East Feli- 
ciana, and West Feliciana parishes) whose surface waters must of neces- 
sity be poured into it, — the Mississippi is, nevertheless, vastly the most 
important river in Louisiana. Through it and its tributaries this state 
is put in water communication with most of the country between tlie 
Appalachian and Cordilleran mountains; and but for the shoaling at its 




A Swamp, Red River Region. 



mouth, — which engineering skill is fast overcoming, — the largest ocean 
steamships could at all seasons reach as high a point as Baton Rouge, 
and for most of the year beyond the limits of the state. 

Next to the Mississippi, the Atchafalaya (more propei-ly 
a bayou) is the most important Louisiana stream entering 
the (iulf. Like the bayous Lafourche and Plaqueminc, 
the Atchafalaya is in the true sense a distributary of the 
Mississippi. 

The natural course of tiio Red Kiver is through the Atchafalaya, 
which is rapidly widening and deepening its channel, and the connection 
of the Red and Mississijipi could l)e closed without affecting the thor- 
ough drainage of the section imder consideration. 

Between the Atchafalaya and the Mississippi, and 
north of Bed Kiver in the Mississippi alluvial lands, exist 
a nntltitude of bayous whose channels are vastly hirger 
than are reipiired or could be produced by the rainfall 
upon these lauds alone. They owe their cajiacious chan- 
nels to the action of the flood waters of the ^lississippi 
Ijefore these were restrained liy artilicial levees. 

Tliese bayous, connecting as they do with eacii other and with, the 
Arkansas, Red, and Mississippi riveis, and extending to the Gvdf, con- 
stitute probably the most extensive, and potentially the most important, 
system of nalin-al canals upon tlie globe. 

Next to the Mississi))pi, the Ked is the most important 
river in Louisiana. It is navigable throughout its course 

in the state for most of the 
year, there being but a short 
simniier season when the 
di ptli is not everywhere suf- 
ficient for the steamers that 
jily on this river. It brings 
north Louisiana and the rich 
alhtvial lands along its own 
course into easy water com- 
niunii-ation with New Or- 
le;nis and other great com- 
mercial centers. 

Louisiana has many lakes. 

Three distinct types will be 

considered. K'epresenting 

the first type are : east of tlie 

^akes Maine) las, Pontchartrain, and Borgne, 



^lississiji])! 

a series which proliably represents an ancient lower course 

of that stream; west of the Mississijipi, Lakes Salvador, 

(irand. White, (irand (in Cameron parisii), Calcasieu, and 

Sabine. 

These are usually expansions of streams that enter the Gulf, and were 
once what the marginal l)ays now are. They have been produced by the 
encroachment of the land upon the Gulf, and the shifting of sediments 
across tiieir mouths by Gulf currents. 

These lakes are being filled by the sediments brought down by the 
rivers flowing through them, and their shallowness offers the most seri- 
ous obstacle to the navigation of these streams. 

Anollier type of lakes is that found ah^ng Red River. 
They are invariably expansions of tributaries of this 
river, and have been })roduced by the drowning of the 
lower valleys of these tributaries by the building up of 
the Red River flood plain. 



LOUISIANA. 



15 




A Sugar-Cane Plantation. 

The tliii'd type includes the great number of small 
lake.s that l)onler the Mis.?issippi and Red river.s and their 
Ijayous. These are usually of a crescent or horseshoe 
shape, and, while most commonly called lakes, are fre- 
quently designated as "old rivers" and "false rivers." 
They are in fact abandoned sections of rivers and bayous, 
and are produced by cut-offs in the process of the 
streams' development. 

Soil. In southeast and southwest Louisiana are the 
long-leafed pine flats. Here the soil is derived from the 
underlying grayish sandy clay, and is not generally con- 
sidered fertile. In the pine hills to the north of the flats 
the soil is much more sandy. 

Bordering the wide Mississippi alluvial plain, upon the 
adjacent highlands, occurs a deposit of Ijrownish-yellow 
clayey loam called buff. It is very similar in appearance, 
texture, and composition to the loess deposit along the 
Rhine River in (xermany, and is probably of a similar 
glacial origin. This loam is fine-grained, even-textured, 
and rich in all the elements of plant food, and produces 
a soil that for fertility, ease of cultivation, and wide adapt- 
ability excels every other soil in the state. 

The alhivial lands of the Mississippi and Red rivers 
present another distinct type of soil. They are equally 
prized for their fertility. 

In the lower valley, south of Red River, these lamls constitute the 
gre&t sugar-cane plantations of Louisiana. North of the Red River 
cotton and corn are the staple crops. 

The Red River alluvium is of a briek-red color. Throughout the val- 
ley cotton and corn are the staple crops. 

Climate. The climate of Louisiana is tempered by the 
adjac^ence of the (irulf and the presence of the large water 
surfact! furnished by the numerous bayous, rivei-s, and 
lakes. Along the southern coast fi-ost rarely occui's, and 
in no i^art of the state ar(> sudden or severe weather 
changes common. The prevailing direction of the wind 
is south to southeast, and the rainfall is abundant, though 
nowhere excessive. 



The rains are well distributed through the year, being somewhat more 
abundant during the growing season, and for the year amount to from 
60 to 75 inches. They are chiefly cyclonic in character. 

ECONOMIC PRODUCTS. 

Minerals. Sulplmr is obtained in Calcasieu parish, and 
is known to exist there in great quantities. Rock salt is 
mined in Ilieria parish, and has been found at Orange 
Island in that parish in a continuous deposit over 1800 
feet thick. Some fairly good sandstone is quarried in 
Vernon parish, and crystalline limestone in AVinn parish; 
but these areas are small and relatively of little impor- 
tance. Clays suitable for building and paving lirick are 
found, and these constitute the chief mineral wealth of the 
state. 

Farm Products. Though Louisiana lands are well 
adapted to diversified farming, the three products, cotton, 
rice, and sugar, have in turn yielded such splendid profits 
in times past that most of the farmers and planters yet 
cling to the one-crop system, and continue to plant the 
particular crop whose culture they have become familiar 
with. Thus in south Louisiana we find extensive sugar 
plantations, and in southwest Louisiana broad rice fields, 
while for the remainder of the state cotton is the great 
staple " money " crop. 

In St. .James parish, upon sandy alluvial lands, the now famous 
Perique tobacco grows ; and this same tobacco may be grown upon any 
of the sandy alluvial lands either of the Mississippi or Red rivers in 
Louisiana. 

Corn, hay, and live stock are being produced in increasing quantities, 
and each year sees the Louisiana planter and farmer less dependent 
upon his northern and western neighbor. 

Market gardening has proved profitable in almost every section of the 
state where tried, especially about New Orleans and along the north 
and south trunk hues of raih-oad. 

Fruits. The sandy soils of west and north Louisiana 
are proving well suited to i)eaches, grapes, and melons. 
All these yield good profits. Oranges are an important 
crop along the sotithern coast and along the lower courses 



of all the streams entering the Gulf. 



Pecans are grown 




Cotton Ready for Shipment, New Orleans. 



16 



LOUISIANA. 




A Cotton Gin. 

for the raarket, and many orchards of improved varieties 
are now being planted. 

Timber. Extensive areas of cA'press timber occur 
along the bayous and in the back swamps of all the larger 
streams. Both long-leafed and short-leafed yellow pine 
is obtained from the hills. 

The hard woods, — oak, ash, and other trees, — grow in eoninievcial 
quantities in the alluvial lands ; and much upland oak for staves is ob- 
tained from north Louisiana. 



INDUSTRIES. 

Farming. Louisiana 1 icing an agricultural state, the 
chief occujiation of the people is farming or planting. 
Sugar is manufactured and often refined upon the plan- 
tation where gi'own, and sirups and molasses are also 
made there. 

Manufacturing. As there is no water power in the state, 
and since it is so far fi'om the great coal fields of the coun- 
try, comparatively few manufacturing enterprises have 
been launched here. Only tliose cities and towns, — as New 
Orleans, Piaqucmine, and Baton Eouge, — whose supplies 
of coal can be floated to their wharfs from the Pennsyl- 
vania coal fields can ever hope to become important 
centers of manufacture. However, the excel- 
lent facilities for cheap water transportation 
afforded by the Louisiana Avaterways have in 
a measure compensated for expensive power, 
and a few factories are found. The most im- 
portant, next to the sugar mills, are : pine and 
cjT^ress mills and factories; mills for cutting 
hard woods; brirk factories; ice factories; 
cotton-seed oil mills; a few factories for the 
manufacture of cotton ; and in New Orleans a 
few others making leather goods, tobacco, etc. 

In the long-leafed pine sections a few turpentine 
orchards are found, and a limited amount of charcoal 
is made. Cotton compresses arc found in Xew Orleans, 
Shreveport, and Baton Rouge. 



Fishing. Along the Gulf coast and the streams trilju- 
tary to it the fish and oyster industry is important and 
growing. Besides supplying local inarkets with their 
pi-oducts, Barataria Bay and Berwick Bay are sending 
their oysters to distant markets. 

Commerce. The transportation of both raw and 
manufactured products is facilitated by the gi-eat length 
of coast and navigable streams, and by the goodly length 
of railway lines. As no parish is far removed from a 
navigable stream, so none is remote from a line of rail- 
road. There are over 2200 miles of railroad in the state. 

Government. The state government of Loiiisiana is 
conducted under tlie constitution of 1898. 

The legislative deijartment is vested in a general 
assembly, consisting of a senate and a house of represent- 
atives. The members of both of these bodies are elected 
by the people for 4 years. 

The general assembly meets in May of the even years, 
and the sessions are limited to 60 daj's. 

The executive department consists of a goA-ernor, lieu- 
tenant-governor, auditor, treasurer, and secretary of state, 
all elected for a term of 4 years by the people. 

Other state officers whose duties are in a measure ex- 
ecutive are an attorney-general, an adjutant-general, a 
state superintendent of public education, and a commis- 
sioner of agriculture and immigration. 

The judicial department consists of a supreme court, 
appellate courts. <listrict courts, and justices' courts. 

Parish Government. The early settlers and lawmakers of Louisi- 
ana having been Spanish and French, the namps, customs, and laws of 
Spain and France have surNaved in the state. One of these, that makes 
tliis state unique in our country, is the division of the state into parishes 
and wards, instead of counties and townships as is customary in ^ther 
states. The wards are subdivided into precincts. 

Each of the 59 parishes has its separate government. The legislative 
powei"s are vested in a police jury, consisting of one jurjnnan from each 
ward, elected by the people, and serving for 4 years. In most respects 
New Orleans has a separate government from the rest of the state. 

Education. The public free educational system of 
Louisiana includes the common schools, high schools, 
technical schuols, and the State University. Separate 
schools of all grades are provided for white children and 
negroes. 




-Jt 



View of New Orleans from the River. 



LOUISIANA. 



17 



The foundation of the system is the free common 
school, which admits without charge all children of the 
state between the ages of 6 and 18 years. For the sup- 
port of these schools Louisiana expends more for each 
pupil enrolled than any other distinctly southern state. 

In many parishes of the state high schools have been 
organized. These secondary schools, designed to fit men 
and women for business life or for tlie State University, are 
extensions of the common schools, and, like them, are free. 

There is a state board of public education, whose duties, 
with those of the state superintendent, pertain to the pub- 
lic common and high schools of the entire state. 

The technical schools of Louisiana include the State Normal School, 
for the training of teachers, at Natchitoches ; the Industrial Institute at 
Ruston ; and the Southern University (for negroes) at New Orleans. 
These are all doing a splendid work. They are coeducational. 

The Institute for the Blind and the Institute for the Deaf and Dumb 
are at Baton Rouge. These two institutions are doing a noble work in 
preparing unfortunate children to earn an independent living. 

Crowning the free educational system of Louisiana is the State Uni- 
versity and Agricultural and Mechanical College at Baton Rouge. It is 
severely military, and open only to young men, no provision being made 
l)y the state for the university training of yovmg women. There are many 
private academies, high schools, and colleges in the state. 



CITIES AND TOWNS. 

The population of Louisiana in 1890 was 1,118,587. In 
1896 it was estimated at 1,225,000. The principal cities 
and towns are briefly described below. 

New Orleans, the metropolis of the state, is on the left 
bfiuk of the Mississippi, 100 miles above the head of the 
passes. It has a i^opulation of about 275,000, and besides 
being the largest citj' in the state, it is the most important 
southern port. It is the greatest cotton market in the 
world, and is rapidly Ijecoming the most important export 
point for the grain of the Northwest. 

Because of the many steamers plying between this city and tropical 
countries. New Orleans is the chief distributing center for tropical fruits 
in the United States. The largest ocean steamers can load at its wharfs, 
and its commerce is with every civilized nation of the globe. 

The climate is subtropical, and the winters are especially delightful. 
Many northern people make this their winter home. With improved 
water service and sewerage. New Orleans would stand high among the 
healthy cities of the United States. Few cities have a better street rail- 
way ser\'ice, the lines being chiefly electric. 

The educational facilities are good for both elementary and higher 
instruction. A good system of free common and high schools is main- 
tained, and Tulane University and H. Sopliio Newcomb College make 
excellent provision for the higher education of both young men and 
young women. Southern University, for negroes, is one of the best in- 
stitutions for the higher education of that race in the South. Here are 
also excellent business colleges and private schools. 

Many beautiful homes are to be seen in New Orleans, and its public 
parks, though few, are among the prettiest in the country. Audubon 
Park is specially noteworthy, both for its beauty and because it is esta,b- 
lished in honor of the great Louisiana naturalist, John J. Audubon. 

This city is the location of a United States mint, of a most excellent 
charity hospital, and of the Louisiana Sugar Experiment Station. 

Slircirport is the second largest city in Louisiana, and 
has a population of about 15,000. It lies upon the hills 
to the south of and bordering Eed River in Caddo parish, 
of which it is the parish seat. 



Situated at the intersection of four grreat trunk lines of railway, with 
several branch connections, it lias railroad facilities which excel even 
those of New Orleans. The Red River, navigable for most of the year, 
gives water communication with distant markets. The water supply for 
the city is derived from Red River, and when properly filtered is whole- 
some. An abundant and pure supply of spring water could be obtained 
from the Caddo Hills to the north, and this may be done. 

Shreveport has a good high school and several private schools. The 
Charity Hospital here, like that at New Orleans, is a state institution, 
and is widely known for its excellence. 

An ice factory, cotton-seed oU mills, cotton compresses, and car shops 
are the principal manufactories. 

Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana, is the third city 
in population in the state. It is situated upon the left 
bank of the Mississippi, in East Baton Rouge pari.sh, 130 
miles above New Orleans, and marks the southern limit 
of the highlands bordering this river. Its permanent 
population is about 12,000, but the state institutions here 
give an additional population of 2000 or more. 

Besides the state institutions located here, there are a good high school 
and several private schools. The capitol, the handsomest building in 
the state, stands upon an eminence overlooking the Mississippi River. 
The new government building is modei-n and architecturally beautiful. 

The city has good railroad connections, but Baton Rouge is eminently 
a river city. All steamers plying between New Orleans and the upper 
river points land here regularly, and no physical hindi-ance exists to the 
coming to this point of the largest ocean steamships. In connection with 
the Agi'icultural and Mechanical College, here is the State Experiment 
Station. The State Penitentiary is located here. The city is well supphed 
with artesian water. 

LaTie Cliarles, the parish seat of Calcasieu parish, is the largest town in 
southwest Louisiana. It is situated upon the eastern shore of the lake of 
the same name, and is on the border line between the gi-eat rice fields 
of the prairies and the forests of long-leafed pine. Its balmy cUmate 
and good fi-ee schools, including a high school, make it attractive to 
home seekers from the Northwest. One trunk line runs through it, and 
two branch lines have termini here. These railroads, with the Calcasieu 
River, furnish good communication with markets. 

Monroe is the parish seat of Ouachita parish, and the most important 
town in Louisiana north of Red River. It lies upon both banks of the 
Ouachita River, and has both raihoad and water transportation. Good 
schools and good artesian water recommend Monroe. 

Alexandria, the parish seat of Rapides parish, is one of the oldest as 
well as the most important of the towns in central Louisiana. It is on the 
right bank of Red River and at the boundary between the long-leafed 
pine forests and the cotton lands of the Red River aUmdum. Its excellent 
shipping facilities include two trunk Imes of railroad, two branch roads, 
and the river, which is always ua\'igable. It has an abundant and whole- 
some supply of artesian water. Alexandria has good schools. 

Natchitoches, the home of the Louisiana State Normal School, is one 
of the oldest towns in the state. 

Jackson has Centenary College for boys, formerly a state school, and 
in its earlier history the best-known college in the Gulf states. The State 
Asylum for the Insane is located here. 

Clinton is the seat of SilUman Collegiate Institute for Girls and of the 
Southern Military Academy for boys. 

Ruston, the parish seat of Lincoln parish, is the home not only of the 
Louisiana Industrial Institute, but also of the Louisiana Chautauqua. 

Neil- Pieiia is the largest and most progi-essive town upon the historic 
Bayou Teche. It has a good high school. 

Calhonn, in Ouachita parish, is the location of the North Louisiana 
Experiment Station. 

BaijOH Sara. I'laqnemine, and Bonaldsonville are important Mississippi 
River towns; and Opelousaa, in St. Landry parish, and Hammond, in 
Tangipahoa pari.sh, are progressive places. Mansfield is a promising 
town in west Louisiana. A school for girls is here. Corington, in St. 
Tammany parish, is a health resort with mineral waters. 



GEOGRAPHY OF ARKANSAS. 

By a. H. Purdue, A. B., 
Professor of Geology in Arkansas State University, Fayetlerillf, Ark. 




PHYSICAL FEATURES. 

Location, Boundaries, and 
Area. The southern limit of the 
state of Ai'kaiisas is the parallel 
33° N. ; the northern limit, that 
of 36° 30' N. The lon^tude of the 
easternmost point is 89° 45' W. ; 
of the westeniiiiost point, 94' 40' W. 
Determine this from the map. 

In what part of the state is the 
easternmost point t The western- 
most point ? By using: the scale of 
miles, find the distance between 
these points. In the same way, 
lind the extent of the stjite north 
and south. 

Does the western border follow a 
meridian? What political divisions 
on the west 1 What state on the 
north? Does the Mississippi Hiver 
form the whole eastern boundary? 
What states lie to the east ? How is 
the southern boundary fonned? 
What is the difference in lonp^i- 
tude between the northeastern and 
southeastern comers of the state ? 

The distance between the north and south borders of the state is 238 
miles ; that from the easternmost to the westernmost point is 280 miles. 
The averajre width of the state from east to west is about 220 miles. The 
area, indudinsr the islands of the Missis.sippi River belonging to the 
-state, is 53,850 square miles. 

Compare the area of Arkansas with that of other states. How many 
states the size of Maryland would it take to equal Arkansas? How 
many states the size of Arkansa-s would it take to equal Texas ? In 
area, what is the rank of Arkansas among the states of the Union ? 

Surface. Tlie average elevation of Arkansas is al)oiit 
i)')0 feet above sea level. The surface is divided into two 
nearly equal parts — an ea.steru and southeastern low part, 
and a northwestern high i)art. The former is generally 
level or slightly undulating, with an average elevation of 
al>out "220 feet, in only a few places reaching the height of 
300 feet above sea level. 

The most marked surface feature within this area is Crowleys Ridge, 
which extends noithward from the Mississippi River at Helena to the 
St. Francis River at St. Francis, and into Missouri. In Arkansas this 
ridge curves slightly to tlie west. It is from 1 to 14 miles wide, and 
in the highest i>art is about 400 feet above sea level, and 180 feet above 
the adjacent lowland. The cities of Helena, Jlariauna, FoiTest City, 
Harrisburg, Jonesboro, and I'aragould are situated on this ridge. This 
elevation is a remnant of a plateau which once extended westward to 
the highland, and has been removed by the rivers of the region. 

The northwestern part of the state is largely highland, 
and is naturally divided by the Arkansas valley into two 
areas having distinctly diflferent types of mountains. 

Copyright, JS9S, by American Book Company/. 18 



The northern area forms 
the southern portion of the 
Ozark Mountains proper. 
This area has an average ele- 
vation of about 1.300 feet 
above the level of the sea. 
This region represents the 
type of mountain in which 
the rock layers are practically 
horizontal. The highest and 
southern portion is known 
as the Boston Mountains. 

The Boston Mountains fonn a 
plateau which extends westward 
into Indian Temtory. The portion 
in Arkansas is about l.")0 miles long 
and 30 miles wide. It hnsanaverage 
elevation of about 1700 feet above 
the sea level, and gradually slopes 
southward. It is highest in the 
southeast part of JIadison county. 
From this point eastward the north- 
ern slope is a bold, winding es- 
carpment, standing in many places 1000 feet above the country at its 
base. The southern slope, while abrupt, is not so precipitous as the 
northern. The plateau is dissected by numerous rapid streams, which 
have cut deep canyons, the intervening hills being of nearly imiform 
height, and usually level-topped. 

South of the Arkansas valley the highland region of the 
state is also a mountainous, rugged area, but very different in 



ARKANSAS 

eLtVATlO»«S*BOVeSE* LEVEL 
[ | jffaw«S00^1QOO.fWt 




Lumbering, Pine Blufi. 



ARKANSAS. 



19 



■?,:?»v-^o»s«&3 - 




a 







#'• 




. . .^ I n-, .'i-rry Field. 

character from the nortlieru region. It is composed of 
several series of parallel ranges running in the main a little 
north of east and south of west. These mountains belong 
to the great system that extends from the lowlands of the 
state westward into Indian Territory. 

The southern portion of this area is occupied by the 
Ouachita Mountains, which ai'e composed of several 
ranges, extending from near Little Rock south of west al- 
most to the western lioi-der of the state, and have an aver- 
age height of aljout 1500 feet above sea level. 

The Ouachita ilouiitains are much surpassed iu height by a series of 
ridges whicli lie between them and the Arkansas Kiver. Magazine 
and other mountains iu Logan county, and Mount Nebo, in Yell county, 
are remnants of a once continuous ridge whieli has been partly woi-u 
away by streams. Magazine Mountain is tlie highest point in the state, 
being 2823 feet above sea level. Low parallel ridges belonging to 
the system extend e:ist of the Arkansas Kiver to the lowland. 

Locate Crowleys Ridge; Boston Mountains; Ouachita Mountains. 
Note the general trend of the mountains south of the Ai-kansas River. 

What is the altitude of your home ? 

Drainage. In what general direction do the streams of Arkansas 
flow ? To what river system do they belong? From the map determine 
into what large rivers the drainage of the state is collected. In the same 
way trace out tlie water di\"ides between these rivers. Draw a stream 
map of the state showing the different river basins. Name the principal 
tributaries of each large river. Into what river does the Red River 
empty ? The Ouachita ? 

Tlie two divisions of the highland area form watersheds 
which determine the principal drainage basins of the state, 
and between tlieni flows the Arkansas, the most important 
river. Fi-om the Boston Mountains the streams flow 
northward and eastward into White River, or south- 
wai'fl and westward into the Arkansas. In the mountains 
north of the Ouachita Mountains, the main streams flow 
eastward along tlie narrow valleys and empty into the 
Ai'kansas River. The general direction for the drainage 
of the Ouachita Mountains is southeast. Iu many places 
the streams cut through the ridges, forming water gaps. 

The streams of tlie highland region are .swift, many of 
tho.se in the Ouacliita Mountains affording excellent water 
power; lint in the lowland area, where the fall is slight, 
most of them are sluggish and subject to overflow. 



All parts of the state are well supplied with excellent springs, many 
of which possess curative qualities, wliile others afford the best of water 
for domestic purposes. Especially are the springs numerous in the 
region north of the Boston Moimtains, where some of them are g^igantic. 

Several of these springs are so large that they are used to drive mills, 
the most notable one being Mammoth Spring, in Fulton county, which 
furnishes power to run a cotton mill. 

Along tlie Mississippi, and throughout the lowland area, frequent 
changes in the winding streams have formed numerous lagoons, or ox- 
bow lakes. In the northeastern part of the state are several shallow 
lakes in what are known as the " sunk lands." This region was sunk by 
an earthquake in 1811. 

Climate and Soil. The difference in latitude between 
the northern and southern parts of the state is iu itself 
sufficient to make an appreciable difference in the temper- 
ature of the two sections. To this must be added the va- 
riations resulting from the high elevations of the northern 
and central parts. The winters of the entire state are 
mild, liut while the summers are pleasant in the highland 
portion, they are warm in the lowlands. 

The mean annual temperatiu-e for the state is about 63° F. ; that of 
the noi'thern part, 58° ; of the soiithern part, 05". The winter temper- 
ature seldom falls below zero in any part of the state, and 112° is about 
the maximum summer temperature for any part. The yearly rainfall is 
about 42 inches. The winds are variable, those from the south, south- 
east, and southwest prevailing. 

In the highland region most of the soil is residuary, but in the low- 
land area a great portion of it is transported. Within the state are foimd 
extensive beds of limestone, sandstone, and shale, the decomposition of 
which has formed a great variety of soils. The overflows of the Missis- 
sippi and many other rivers in the lowlands have produced wide flood 
Ijlains of alluvial soil of inexhaustible fertility. 

Vegetation. Almost the entire state was formerly cov- 
ered with timber, which in many jiarts was dense, and 
much of which is yet standing. Prairies are pretty well 
distributed over the state, but they are usually so small as 
not to occupy a lar-ge part of its area. The largest are 
in the east central part. 

The timl)er of the highlands is chiefly oak, but hickory, walnut, ash, 
pine, and maple also occuj-. In the lowlands pine is most abundant, but 



'P^^^Hr^-M^lll ^" 


MlMT^i ■■■■■1 


Hit 


Nil 




j 




11 




^^ '' iim 


-1 


'^MM 



A Cotton Compress. 



20 



ARKANSAS. 




University ol Aikauias, Fayetteville. 

amonjr other common trees here are the oak, gum, hickory, {Mican, walnut, 
cypress, cottonwood, magnolia, holly, and irouwood. Dense caneljrakes 
occur along the flood plains. 

Physical History. In the geological sense, the highland part of 
.\rkaMsas is very old, while the lowlands are very young, belonging 
to what is known as the Tertiary period. As ge<ilogical time is meas- 
ured, the lowlands were recently covered by the waters of the Gulf of 
Mexico, which at the same time covered parts of Tennessee and of all 
the tiulf states. After standing for a very long time over the region, 
the water receded, leaving the land di-y. Though it is very much 
younger than the highlanil region, yet many' thousand years have elapsed 
since it was beneath the water. 

The rocks of the north central part of the state and those of the 
Ouachita Mountains are very old, belonging to what is known as the 
Silurian period. All the other rocks of tiie highland area are younger 
than the Silurian and Vielong to the Carboniferous i)eriod, except some 
in the southern part of it, which are younger than the Carboniferous 
and belong to the Cretaceous period. 



RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIES. 

Agriculture. The diversity of the soil and climate in 
Arkansas sujjplies the conditions for a variety of agi-icul- 
turul prodiic't.s. Cotton, the principal crop, is cultivated 
to some extent in the highlands, but chiefly on the flood 
plains of the lowlands. The entire state is well adapted to 
corn, hay, oats, sweet potatoes, sorghum, tobacco, and 
cowpeas. In addition to these products, the lowlands 
produce sugar cane and peanuts; the highlands, wheat 
and buckwlicat. 

One of the chief industries of the state is fruit-gi-owing. in which Ar- 
kansas is rapidly taking front rank. The apples produced in the north- 
ern part i)f tlie .stiite are among the finest in the country. Peaches, 
plums, prunes, pears, cherries, strawberries, and apricots are produced 
in large quantities. 

Large numbers of cattle, hogs, horses, and mules are annually reared. 
The northern i>art of the state is well adapted to sheep-raising. 

Lumbering. The extensive forests of the state, with 
th(^ir great variety of timber, make lumbering one of the 
chief industries. While most of the lumber is shipped 
out of tlie state for maimfaeturing and building, a large 
amount is consumed at home. The liard wood of the 
state is rapidly coming into use for manufacturing. 



A Street in Little Rock. 

Mining. Arkansas produces a variety of coal ranging 
from lignite, an impure form of bituminous coal, to semi- 
anthracite. Lignite is found in several places in the low- 
lands. Bituminous and seniianthracite coal are mined in 
the valley of the Arkansas River, where the workable l)eds 
are of large extent. 

Arkansas is one of the leading states in the production 
of manganese. The workable deposits occur in Indei)end- 
ence county north of Batesville. Manganese occiu's iu 
small quantities also in Polk, Pike, Montgomery, Garland, 
and Hot Springs counties. 

Deposits of iron ore are widely distributed over the state ; but, being 
usually of low grade and distant from manufacturing centers, they can- 
not Ije worked with profit. Marble of excellent quality occiu's widespread 
over the northi'rn part of the state, and while the quarrying industry is at 
present undeveloped, it will probably be a source of great profit iu the 
future. Chalk occurs in Little River, Hempstead, and Clark counties, 
and is manufactured into Portland cement at White Cliffs. 

Bauxite, the chief source of aluminum, occurs in large quantities in 
Pulaski and Saline counties. Deposits of phosphate rock are extensive 
in the northern part of the state, but their value is not known. Ores of 
zinc and lead occur also in this section, l)ut poor facilities for trans- 
jiortation have i)revented the development of the mining industry. 

Antimony occurs in small quantities in Howard county, and gyp.suni 
in Pike county. Clay, suitable for the manufacture of coai-se pottery, 
tile, and bricks, is widely distributed over the state. Xovaculite is the 
common stone of the Ouachita Mountains, and from it are made the 
finest oilstones. 

Manufacturing. While the manufacturing possibilities of Arkansas 
are very gieat, the industry is not yet well developed. There are several 
large cotton-seed oil mills in the cotton region. Furniture, flour, cotton 
goods, canned goods, and machinery are jiroduced in small ([uantities. 

HISTORY. 

The .state derives its name from a tribe of Indians known 
as the Arkansa, who lived near the mouth of the river 
which also bears their name at the time the region was 
first explored by white men. The first white men to enter 
the state were De Soto and his followers, in 1541. The 
earliest settlement was probably that made by the French, 
at Arkansas Post, in 168(j. 

The United States acquired its first right to the territory 
tlirough the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, and its final right 



ARKANSAS. 



21 




state Capitol, Little Rock. 

by treaties with the Osage and Quapaw Indians in 1818 
and 1824. Arkansas was organized as a territory in 1819, 
and admitted to the Union as a state in 1836. At tlie 
opening of the civil war, after a controversy in which two 
conventions were necessary to decide the question, the 
state passed an ordinance of secession May 5, 1861. It was 
restored to its former relations with the Union in 1868. 

Since the war the state has advanced rapidly in Avealth 
and popuhTtion. In 1870 the popuhatiou was 484,471 ; in 
1880 it was 802,525 ; in 1890 it had increased to 1,128,179. 

Government. The present constitution of Arkansas 
was adopted in 1874. 

The legislative department consists of a general assem- 
bly, which is composed of a senate and a house of rep- 
resentatives. The general assembly meets biennially. 

The number of senators must be not less than 30 nor 
more than 35; and the numlier of representatives, not 
less than 73 nor more than 100. The senators are elected 

for four years, and the rep- 

resentatives for two years. 

The executive depart- 
ment comprises a governor, 
secretary of stcite, auditor, 
and attorney-general. The 
constitution empowers the 
general assembly to pro- 
vide for a eomniissionei' of 
lands; a commissioner of 
mines, manufactures, and 
agriculture ; a superintend- 
ent of public instruction; 
and a state geologist. 

The judiciary department 
includes a sui)reme court, 
circuit courts, county and 
probate courts, and justices 

of the peace. Hot Springs. 




Education. The constitution requires that the state 
" shall establish and ever maintain a general, suitable, and 
efficient system of schools whereby all persons in the state 
between the ages of six and twenty-one years may receive 
gratuitous education." 

The public schools are under the general supervision of 
the state superintendent of public instruction, and under 
the immediate local supervision of the district directors. 
Each county holds a normal school annually for one 
month, and has an examiner whose duty it is to examine 
and license teachers. There are over 6000 teachers in the 
state, and 300,000 pupils are enrolled in the schools. Most 
of tlie towns and all the cities have excellent high schools. 

The University of Arkansas at Fayettevillc stands at the head of the 
public educational system of the state, and ranks among the Ijest educa- 
tional institutions of tlie South. Courses are p;iveu in the sciences, 
classics, engineering, and agricnlture. Tuition is free. 

The Branch Normal at Pine Bluff is under the direct supervision of 
the University of Arkansas, and was established for the education of 
colored teachers. 

The state also maintains a school for the blind, and one for deaf-nmtes. 

Besides the educational facilities offered by the state, there are excel- 
lent denominational colleges at Clarksville, Conway, Arkadelphia, Bates- 
ville, and Searcy, and private schools in various places. 

CITIES AND TOWNS. 

Littie Bock, the capital and leading city of the state, and 
also the county seat of Pulaski county, is situated on the 
south bank of the Arkansas River, and has excellent rail- 
road facilities. The population is about 45,000. The State 
Medical School, Deaf-mute and Blind schools. Insane 
Asylum, and State Prison are located here. There are ex- 
tensive manufacturing establishments, among which are 
cotton-seed oil mills, foundries, machine shops, and plan- 
ing mills. Furniture is also manufactured. 

Fort Si)iith,the second city of the state in size, has a popu- 
lation of about 20,000, is situated on the Arkansas River 
at the western border of the state, and is the county seat 
of Sebastian county. Its geographic location and excel- 
lent railroad facilities make it the center of distribution 

for a large territory, and 

give it an extensive whole- 
sale trade. It is the seat of 
the United States Court for 
the western district of Ar- 
kansas. The coal trade is 
extensive. Furniture, cot- 
ton-seed oil, fanned goods, 
and brick and tile are man- 
ufactured. The public 
.schools rank high, and the 
Ingh school building is the 
finest i)ublic school struc- 
ture in the state. 

Pine Bluff, the county seat of 
.Jefferson county, has large cot- . 
ton-seed oil mills and an e.vtensive 
lumber trade. 

Hot Spriiiffs, the county seat of 
Garland county, is, on account of 



22 



AKKAXSAS. 



its famous springs, one of the great health resorts of tue world. While 
warm water flows from the ground in a number of places, there are but 
seven springs in common use. The average temperature of these is 
136° F., and the temperature of the hottest is 146.5° V. The amount of 
mineral matter they contain is really very small. This fact, however, 
does not detract from their curative value. 

Helena, the county seat of Phillips county, is situated on the Missis- 
sippi River. It is an important shipping point. Lumber, boxes, and 
canned goods are manufactured. It has an excellent United States 
government Iniilding. The city is well supplied with artesian water. 

Joueshoio, the county seat of Craighead county, is a tliriviug city with 
stave, box, and hard-wood factories and exeelknt railroad facilities. 

Eureka Spriuys, in the northwestern part of the state, is widely known 
as a health resort. It is a railroad terminus, has an electric street rail- 
way, and is in the midst of picturesque scenery. 

Fai/etteiille is the county seat of Washington county. It is an im- 
portant shipping point for fruit, poultry, and hard wood, and is noted 
for its beautiful location and hcalthfulness. 

Arhidelphin, county seat of Clark county; seat of Ouachita College 
and Arkadelphia Methodist College. 

BentomiUe, county seat of Benton county; one of the important points 
MX the northwestern part of the state. 



Camden, county seat of Ouachita county ; excellent railroad facihties ; 
cotton compress and wagon faelorj'. 

lialesrille, county seat of Independence county ; siiipping point for 
building stone and manganese ore ; seat of Arkansas College ; location 
of I. 0. 0. F. Widows' and Orphans' Home. 

Briiikiey, in Monroe county ; railroad center ; manufactures large 
quantities of lumber and cotton-seed oil. 

Clarksnlle, county seat of Johnson county, has one of the tinest court- 
houses in the state ; seat of Arkansas Cumberland College ; important 
shijjping point for fruit and lumber. 

Con 11(11/ , county seat of Faulkner county ; seat of Hendrix College 
and Central liaptist College. 

Harriaoii, county seat of Boone county ; an enterprising city and an 
important business center. 

Magnolia, county seat of Columbia county ; important business center 
of southern Arkansas. 

Xeicport, county scat of Jackson county; good railroad facilities and 
navigation on White River; large cotton compresses. >awmdls, and 
stave factories. 

Prescott, county seat of Nevada county ; railroad facilities ; saw- 
mills and planing nulls. 

There are many other important and growing places in the state. 



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