Mapstronaut Bonus

On March 21, 1952, a tornado outbreak struck the southern United States and no state was struck quite as hard as Arkansas, where 112 people were reported dead and hundreds more injured. Especially devastated was the White County town of Judsonia. On today's episode, we look back on that day and the people who faced the terrible twilight.

When talking about the history of Chinese immigrants in the United States, one doesn't often think about Southern states like Arkansas. However, Chinese-Americans had a significant impact on this region, especially the Mississippi Delta. Today, we'll take a look at that impact.

How's that for an oxymoron?  

In this episode, I'll discuss the different styles of modern architecture as well as famous architects with ties to Arkansas and examples of those architectural styles from around the state. I'll also touch on why it is so important and so difficult to preserve buildings from this era of construction.

The snowfall of January 1918 would set records that would take more than a century to break or match, but just how did a state that averages only about six inches of snow each year manage to have two to three feet of snow in just one month? We'll be looking into some of the conditions that allowed for this unusual winter as well as the impacts that it had on the state on this week's episode of Mapstronaut Bonus. 

While none of the big bowl games you saw on TV this year took place in Arkansas, that doesn't mean that the state has no experience in that field. As a matter of fact, Arkansas has hosted several bowl games. It's just that none of the big ones ever managed to stick. 

Today we'll take a look at the history of those games that Arkansas hosted and I'll try not to get too distracted by the NCAA Championships on mute in the background. 

In 1971, the largest civil engineering feat of the US Army Corps of Engineers was completed, a project which turned one of the largest rivers in the United States into a commercially navigable waterway. Today, that system is responsible for transporting over a billion dollars worth of commodities, preventing millions of dollars of flood damage, and providing essential connection from seaports to cities in the middle of the continent. Join me today to learn about the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System and why it might be one of the most economically significant construction projects in Arkansas history. 

With the worst drought in Arkansas history serving to compound the hardships of the Great Depression, it was only a matter of time before people reached a breaking point. 

Enter: England, Arkansas; January 3, 1931. 

The events of this day in this small Arkansas town would lead to nationwide change and help usher in a social and economic revolution to bring the country from the depths of Depression.

The Mississippi Flyway is one of four migration routes used by North American waterfowl each year. In this episode, learn how this route brings millions of birds and millions of dollars into Arkansas every year. 

On the fourth week of Native American History Month, I talk about the cultures of the Mississippian Period.

There was a lot going on in Arkansas during the Woodland Period-- including the construction of some truly monumental sites. But what were the people like back then? And what was life like in Arkansas over 1000 years ago?