Arkansas Between the Wars
Post War in Arkansas
After WWI, renewed hope and economic improvements helped many Americans and changed people's lives. Harvey Couch helped to modernize Arkansas.
Telephone
Couch brought telephone lines into AR. Eventually, his company had more than 1,500 miles of line that provided service for a couple of different states.
Electricity
Harvey Couch's newest idea was to enlarge electrical service throughout Arkansas. He bought an electrical transmission line between Arkadelphia and Malvern. Once this got started, the new area had it's first 24-hour electrical service.
"The Climber"
The only Arkansas car company was one that made cars specifically for the state's roughest and more steeper roads. The Climber Motor Corporation produced about five cars per day and sold them at around $2,250.
Entertainment in Arkansas
The Roaring Twenties was the nickname given to the 1920's because this was when the economy seemed to be booming. Radios and sports were two big types of entertainment in Arkansas.
WOK was the first commercial radio station in AR. This opened in Pine Bluff. Many listened to hear comedy acts, detective stories, and jazz music.
Baseball began making its way through popularity in the early twentieth century. Teams ranged from farmers, laborers and businessmen. The Little Rock Travelers later became Arkansas's only professional baseball team.
Oil and Booming
In El Dorado, a speculator had been drilling when the ground began to rumble and a huge wall of oil spewed into the sky. Some of this oil eventually seeped into the ground and began contaminating water supplies and layers of soil for farming.
Once word got around, people began rushing to old west. 59 oil companies and 30,000 residents came to El Dorado. A similar thing happened to a town just outside of El Dorado called Smackover. This little town soon became the home of 25,000 people.
The Flood of 1927
The flood of 1927 destroyed people's lives, animals, and property in multiple states, including Arkansas. Arkansas received the most damage by this flood. Tons of counties were flooded with water over 30 feet and had to climb somewhere high to wait to be rescued.
The Flood of 1927 was one of the largest natural disasters in US history. The Red Cross opened many camps to try and help the homeless while the flood tore apart their cities.
People in Arkansas
- Joseph T. Robinson was was one of the strongest political voices in AR. He served as a US congressman and a governor of AR. Robinson was a strong senate supporter during the Great Depression.
- Hattie Caraway, the wife of the late US Senator Thad Caraway, was appointed to take his place after his death. She was the first woman elected to the US Senate. She was well respected and in office for 13 years.
- Bonnie and Clyde were two of the most famous criminals in the Mid West and South. Together, they robbed stores in Fayetteville, Little rock, and Texarkana. They shot a marshal and kidnapped a man. Many thought that their actions were brutal and uncalled for.
Works Cited
"The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture." The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
Berry, Trey. The Arkansas Journey. Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith, 2007. Print.