Conversation

Imagine that you were stranded in the woods in Arkansas. What do we have around us that could be useful to survive?

natural resourcesMaterials found in nature

timberThe wood of a tree

exportTo send to other places

settlersPeople who moved into a new home in a new place

craterA hole in the ground with raised sides around it

mining Digging in the earth to get the natural resources there

Vocabulary

natural resourcestimber

export

settlers

crater

mining

Materials found in nature

The wood of a tree

To send to other places

People who moved into a new home in a new place

A hole in the ground with raised sides around it

Digging in the earth to get the natural resources there

Trash Art

A fish made of trash collected from the ocean. Can you make something out of trash?

Natural Resources

Trees

Man-made Resources

Books

Let’s Read

Have you ever played a computer, video or board game where you have to find resources to build something? In games like Minecraft, you have to collect natural resources to build and survive. Native Americans collected Arkansas’s many natural resources long before Arkansas became a state, and we still use our natural resources to build and survive today.

Water and Soil Native Americans lived along the rivers in Arkansas. The Caddo Indians lived around the Red River because the land around water usually has good soil for growing crops. The Quapaws lived around the Mississippi, White and Arkansas rivers because of the good soil. In the 1600s, white settlers came to begin life in Arkansas. People first settled along the Mississippi River because they used the river like a road for boats. Water also provided fish and water for crops. Cities like Little Rock, Fort Smith and Pine Bluff are examples of old cities that depended on the Arkansas River. Native Americans also used the state’s hot springs. Later the springs became a tourist spot. The water can reach up to 147 degrees Fahrenheit! There are good minerals in the water that people used to get healthy. 

Plants There are many trees in Arkansas. At first, this made it hard for people to settle in Arkansas. It took a lot of energy to clear the trees for farming, and the trees made it hard to travel. After the Civil War, however, timber became an important export. Trees helped build railroads and buildings not only in Arkansas, but across the United States. Many people moved to Arkansas to sell trees, and today it is still an important business. Cotton, soybeans, and rice all grow very well in the Mississippi Delta. The Quapaw grew squash and corn as well.  

Animals The Osage Indians were hunters in Northwest Arkansas. Arkansas is home to many kinds of animals, such as deer, duck, turkeys, beavers, raccoons, squirrels, foxes, bears, opossums and many kinds of fish. The animal skins were also used for clothing. The abundant sources of animals helped the Native Americans and early settlers have food and clothing.  

Fossil Fuels Arkansas is the home to many fossil fuels. Coal is found along the Arkansas River. Coal mining brought many people into Arkansas in the early 1900s. There isn’t as much coal now, and it is not as important to business today. Ten counties in southern Arkansas produce oil. In the 1920s, there was an oil boom. People got a lot of oil from the ground, which means many people moved to south Arkansas to work in the oil business. Not as much oil is drilled now, but it is still important to our state. The Fayetteville Shale is a natural-gas-producing field that runs along the Arkansas River Valley all the way to the Mississippi River. It is a recent discovery, and is one of the 10 largest gas fields in the United States. 

Other Minerals and Rocks From 1900 to 1990, bauxite was an important mineral found in Arkansas. Bauxite is used to create things such as soda cans and tin foil (all made out of aluminum). It is our state rock. Many people moved to Central Arkansas to mine bauxite in the 1900s. Salt is another important mineral. The Caddo Indians had one of the first large-scale businesses in Arkansas by making and trading salt they got along the Ouachita River. Bromine is found in the same area as the oil fields. Bromine is used in things from hair products, to keeping water in swimming pools clean, to keep things from catching on fire. Arkansas produces more bromine than any other place in the world! These natural resources have helped make our state what it is today. Keep reading to find out how it has affected our land.

http://the4thgradejourney.blogspot.com/2013/07/throwback-thursday-map-time.html

Make a map!

White

River

Arkansas River

Ouachita River

Red River

St. Francis River

Mississ

ippi

River

Water in Arkansas

Natural Gas

Cotton

Oil

Bauxite

Rice

Diamonds

Write it out

What natural resources do you have in or near your town? Draw a picture of those natural resources and write about why they are important.

Why were wild animals important to Native Americans and early settlers?

A Closer Look

Let’s Read

West Gulf Coastal PlainWhen people started building cities in Arkansas, they were attracted to this area because of the Red River and the plants that could grow there. The West Gulf Coastal Plain is covered in forests of pine trees. When cities in the northern United States needed wood for their cities and railroads, they came to Arkansas to get trees. Once all the trees were gone, people moved into the fields and tried to make the land into farms. Unlike the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, however, the land would not produce the crops that made the most money, like cotton. So there were no trees and no crops. Having no trees is not good for the environment. For example, when there were no more trees, animals like the red-cockaded woodpecker couldn’t be found anymore. Many animals and plants lost their home. 

People then realized they could plant more trees, but this time they had to manage it better to save the business, plants and animals. Now a lot of this area is owned by people who manage the timber business. We also now have areas across the state that are protected so no trees can be cut down to make sure the state always has forests. The West Gulf Coastal Plain is also the source of mined natural resources, such as bauxite, coal and oil. These resources were in high demand in the 1900s, and brought a lot of people to the area for jobs. They got these rocks and minerals from “surface mining,” where machines remove all the soil on top of the minerals, then another machine mines the minerals. This can leave behind large areas of unusable land. We need to be careful about how often we do this to balance getting the materials we need and protecting the earth. Now, minerals like bauxite, coal and oil are rarely mined in Arkansas, but natural gas may become a large business.

Mississippi Alluvial Plain (Delta) When people first began to live in Arkansas, the Mississippi Alluvial Plain was full of wild prairies and forests. The Mississippi River often flooded, which made it hard to travel in the area, and the swampy conditions made it hard for people to live there, so for a long time the region remained the same. The floods, however, meant the soil was very good for growing crops. In the late 1700s people cleared the forests and kept the prairies from flooding in order to grow more food and cotton. This region became very rich, but it was at the cost of many slaves used for labor. When the slaves were freed, this region of the state lost some of the wealth and power it once had. Today 90% of the forests have been cleared, and this area is still the part of the state where the most crops are grown. Many of the areas known as “wetlands,” have been drained for crops. Some wetlands and prairies are protected in order to save the animals and plants that live there.  

Then Now

If you were going to make the first city in Arkansas, where would you want to build it? Why?  

Diamonds

Let’s Read

Did you know the largest diamond found in the United States was from Arkansas? In 1924, the “Uncle Sam” diamond was discovered in the Crater of Diamonds State Park. It was 40.23 carats, or over 8 grams: one large diamond!

Diamonds are one of the most valuable materials found on Earth. Arkansas is one of the few states where diamonds have been found, and the only state where people can find diamonds today. Diamonds are used in more than jewelry; they are the hardest natural material on Earth, and are used to cut and drill other hard surfaces.  

Diamonds in Arkansas go all the way back to a 95-million year old volcano. Diamonds are formed from very high temperatures and pressure, such as is found in the area below the Earth’s surface, called the mantle. A volcanic explosion brought up materials from the mantle. When it exploded, the volcano created a crater, and the materials from the mantle settled in this crater, including diamonds.

In 1906, a farmer named John Huddleston found two diamonds. The area became a state park in 1972, so anyone could come and mine for diamonds. If you find a diamond, you get to keep it!

Diamonds in the ground do not look like the diamonds we see in jewelry. Diamonds may be white, brown or yellow. Diamonds get their shine by the way they are cut; when they are found in the ground, they may look a little cloudy and will be shaped like a small rock.

Our state flag has the shape of a diamond to show we are a diamond-producing state. You can also find diamonds on our license plates of cars and on the state quarter of Arkansas. It is also our state gem! To learn more about Arkansas diamonds, visit craterofdiamondsstatepark.com.

Let’s Cook

Directions1) Get a bag of rice. Arkansas rice includes brands such as Riceland Foods, Inc.; Windmill Rice Company; Producers Rice Mill Inc. and Specialty Rice, Inc.2) Bring the water to boil in a saucepan. Rice expands, so make sure you get a big enough pot!3) Add the rice, salt and butter. Lower the heat to where the water is barely boiling, called a simmer.4) Cover the pot, put the heat on low, and let the rice cook for about 15 minutes. 5) Turn off the heat and let the rice sit (covered) for 5 minutes.6) Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. 7) Enjoy your delicious food!