Welcome to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas

This Day in Arkansas History

May 3, 1864

Major General Frederick Steele and his Union troops crossed the Saline River to reach the safety of Little Rock (Pulaski County) after evacuating Camden (Ouachita County) and being harassed by Confederate forces. With the disastrous failure of Steele’s Red River Campaign, Confederate forces across the state went on the offensive.

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About the Encyclopedia

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

New to Arkansas?
New to Arkansas?

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

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