Thread:61Storm/@comment-29709319-20181110010804/@comment-29709319-20190111033017

It's a national state day so grab your glass of milk, check your calendar it's also Human Trafficking awareness day so remember to always be aware of your surroundings no matter if your a lone, with friends or with family, potential predators are out there waiting for the unwary. And just not the kidnapping ones but the ones that will approach you as well. So please be aware! And on the lighter side be ware of friends that step in puddles when with you😂.

January 11: National Arkansas Day, National Milk Day, National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, and National Step in the Puddle and Splash Your Friends Day.

🇺🇸The name Arkansas has been pronounced and spelled in a variety of fashions. The region was organized as the Territory of Arkansaw on July 4, 1819, with the territory admitted to the United States as the state of Arkansas on June 15, 1836. Arkansas is the 29th largest by area and the 33rd most populous of the 50 United States. The capital and most populous city is Little Rock. It Nickname(s): The Natural State (current), The Bear State (former), Motto: Regnat populus, State song(s): "Arkansas", "Arkansas (You Run Deep in Me)", "Oh, Arkansas", and "The Arkansas Traveler". Living insignia; Bird: 🕊Mockingbird, Butterfly: 🦋Diana fritillary, Flower: 🌸Apple blossom, Insect: 🐝Western honeybee, Mammal: 🦌White-tailed deer, Tree: 🌳Pine tree, Inanimate insignia; Beverage: 🥛Milk, Dance: 💃Square dance, Food: 🥜Pecan, Gemstone: 💎Diamond, Mineral: 💎Quartz, Rock: 💎Bauxite, Soil: Stuttgart, Other: 🍅South Arkansas vine ripe pink tomato (state fruit and vegetable). Arkansas generally has a humid subtropical climate, but it is still close enough to the Gulf of Mexico, for it to influence its weather. The daily high temperatures average around 93°F (34°C) with lows around 73°F (23°C) in July. In January highs average around 51°F (11°C) and lows around 32°F (0°C). Arkansas's all-time record high is 120°F (49°C) at Ozark on August 10, 1936; the all-time record low is -29°F (-34°C) at Gravette, on February 13, 1905. Annual precipitation throughout the state averages between about 40 and 60 inches (1,000 and 1,500 mm). Snowfall is infrequent but most common in the northern half of the state. The half of the state south of Little Rock is more apt to see ice storms. The highest point is Mount Magazine at 2,753 ft (839 m), the lowest point is Ouachita River at Louisiana border at 55 ft (17 m). The first Europeans explorers encountered the Caddo, Osage, and Quapaw peoples. The Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto in 1541 crossed the Mississippi and marched across central Arkansas and the Ozark Mountains. Encountering native resistance the whole way and after finding nothing he considered of value, he and his men returned to the Mississippi River where de Soto fell ill and died in May 1542. His body was weighted down with sand and he was consigned to a watery grave in the Mississippi River under cover of darkness by his men. From his deathbed he ordered his men to massacre all of the men of the nearby village of Anilco, who he feared had been plotting with a powerful polity down the Mississippi River, Quigualtam. His men obeyed and did not stop with the men, but were said to have massacre everyone. The Native Americans were outraged but their attack was forestall by the thinking that de Soto was an immortal deity, sun of the sun. In order to keep the ruse up, his men informed the locals that de Soto had ascended into the sky. His starving men, who had been living off maize stolen from Native Americans and who had not been allowed to eat the enormous herd of hogs de Soto had with him but had to care for them, immediately started to butcher them. Later under the command of de Soto's aide de camp Moscoso his men attempted Mexico again but failed. The expedition retuned to Arkansas built a small fleet of boats, then headed down the Mississippi River and eventually on to Mexico by water. Later explorers included the French Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet in 1673, and Frenchmen Robert La Salle and Henri de Tonti in 1681. Tonti established 📍Arkansas Post at a Quapaw village in 1686, making it the first European settlement in the territory. Settlers, such as fur trappers, moved to Arkansas in the early 18th century. These people used Arkansas Post as a home base and entrepôt. During the colonial period, Arkansas changed hands between France and Spain following the Seven Years' War, although neither showed interest in the remote settlement of Arkansas Post. In April 1783, Arkansas saw its only battle of the American Revolutionary War, a brief siege of the post by British Captain James Colbert with the assistance of the Choctaw and Chickasaw. Napoleon Bonaparte sold French Louisiana to the United States in 1803, including all of Arkansas, in a transaction known today as the Louisiana Purchase. Americans began to change all along the frontier, including in Arkansas. Following a controversy over allowing slavery in the territory, the Territory of Arkansas was organized on July 4, 1819. Gradual emancipation in Arkansas was struck down by one vote, the Speaker of the House Henry Clay, allowing Arkansas to organize as a slave territory. Slavery became a wedge issue in Arkansas, forming a geographic divide that remained for decades. As European Americans settled throughout the East Coast and into the Midwest, in the 1830s the United States government forced the removal of many Native American tribes to west of the Mississippi River. During the territorial period additional Native Americans were removed. The Quapaw were the last to be removed in 1933. The capital was relocated from Arkansas Post to Little Rock in 1821, during the territorial period. When Arkansas applied for statehood, the slavery issue was again raised. But Congress eventually approved the Arkansas Constitution after a 25-hour session, admitting Arkansas on June 15, 1836 as the 25th state and the 13th slave state. Arkansas struggled with taxation to support its new state government, a problem made worse by a state banking scandal and worse yet by the Panic of 1838. Arkansas State constitution called for the creation of two banks. The State Bank of Arkansas, meant to loan money to individuals, and the Real Estate Bank of Arkansas, which was a land grant bank typical of those seen in other states. The two banks were opened for business in 1838, but by 1840 the State bank had failed. Its bonds were then issued to the Real Estate bank. The Real Estate bank was unable to sell the bonds but was able to use them as collateral for $121,000 loan with the North American Banking and Trust Company of New York. The legality of this transaction were questionable. The New York trust company then sold them to James Holford, a banker in London, England for $325,000. The New York trust company would soon fail having stolen over $200,000 from the state of Arkansas through this deal. Holford then sought to make back the money by suing the state of Arkansas for $250,000, filing in both Arkansas and New York. Then the Real Estate bank failed and the ownership of the bonds was transferred to the state. The question then became whether or not the state was legally obligated to refund these bonds at face value or even at all since they were now surrounded by legally questionable deals and bad faith. The ordeal turned the state against banking, and an amendment was added to the constitution in 1846 prohibiting the state from chartering another bank. The bonds were still tied up in a lot of real estate. In the reconstruction era the carpetbagger government was looking for ways to fund infrastructure projects, many of which turned out to be phony ways to funnel money into their own pockets. The Arkansas legislature passed laws to refund the bonds on April 6, 1869 with 30 years interest. Once agin they were contested on the grounds that they were fraud and breach of faith in their sale by the trust company. Governor Baxter's veto a refunding bill that tip off the Brooks-Baxter War in 1874. It wasn't until 1884 that the Fishback Amendment, named for its author William M. Fishback of Fort Smith, Arkansas, was passed prohibiting their payment, and added to the Constitution of Arkansas. Plantation agriculture set the state and region behind the nation for decades. The wealth developed among planters of southeast Arkansas caused a political rift to form between the northwest and southeast. Residents generally wanted to avoid a civil war. When the Gulf states seceded in early 1861, Arkansas voted to remain in the Union. Arkansas did not secede until Abraham Lincoln demanded Arkansas troops be sent to Fort Sumter to quell the rebellion there. On May 6, a state convention voted to terminate Arkansas's membership in the Union and join the Confederate States of America. Arkansas held a very important position for the Rebels, maintaining control of the Mississippi River and surrounding Southern states. The bloody Battle of Wilson's Creek just across the border in Missouri shocked many Arkansans who thought the war would be a quick and decisive Southern victory. Battles early in the war took place in northwest Arkansas, including the Battle of Cane Hill, Battle of Pea Ridge, and Battle of Prairie Grove. Union General Samuel Curtis swept across the state to Helena in the Delta in 1862. Little Rock was captured the following year. The government shifted the state Confederate capital to Hot Springs, and then again to Washington from 1863–1865, for the remainder of the war. Throughout the state, guerrilla warfare ravaged the countryside and destroyed cities. Passion for the Confederate cause waned after implementation of programs such as the draft, high taxes, and martial law. Under the Military Reconstruction Act, Congress declared Arkansas restored to the Union in June 1868, after the Legislature accepted the 14th Amendment. The State soon came under control of the Radical Republicans and Unionists, and led by Governor Powell Clayton, they presided over a time of great upheaval as Confederate sympathizers and the Ku Klux Klan fought the new developments, particularly voting rights for African American. After Reconstruction, the state began to receive more immigrants and migrants. Chinese, Italian, and Syrian men were recruited for farm labor in the developing Delta region. None of these nationalities stayed long at farm labor. Some early 20th-century immigration included people from eastern Europe. Together, these immigrants made the Delta more diverse than the rest of the state. Construction of railroads enabled more farmers to get their products to market. It also brought new development into different parts of the state, including the Ozarks, where some areas were developed as resorts. By 1900 the Democratic Party expanded use of the white primary in county and state elections, further denying blacks a part in the political process. Only in the primary was there any competition among candidates, as Democrats held all the power. The state was a Democratic one-party state for decades, until after passage of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 to enforce constitutional rights. Based on the order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt given shortly after Imperial Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, nearly 16,000 Japanese Americans were forcibly removed from the West Coast of the United States and incarcerated in two internment camp located in the Arkansas Delta. The Rohwer Camp in Desha County operated from September 1942 to November 1945 and at its peak interned 8,475 prisoners. The Jerome War Relocation Center in Drew County operated from October 1942 to June 1944 and held 8,000 prisoners. After the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas in 1954 that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, some students worked to integrate schools in the state. The Little Rock Nine brought Arkansas to national attention in 1957 when the Federal government had to intervene to protect African-American students trying to integrate a high school in the Arkansas capital. Governor Orval Faubus had ordered the Arkansas National Guard to aid segregationists in preventing nine African-American students from enrolling at Little Rock's Central High School. After attempting three times to contact Faubus, President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent 1000 troops from the active-duty 101st Airborne Division to escort and protect the African-American students as they entered school on September 25, 1957. In defiance of federal court orders to integrate, the governor and city of Little Rock decided to close the high schools for the remainder of the school year. By the fall of 1959, the Little Rock high schools were completely integrated. Once a state with a cashless society in the uplands and plantation agriculture in the lowlands, Arkansas's economy has evolved and diversified. Six Fortune 500 companies headquarters are based in Arkansas, 🍁Walmart; 🍁Tyson Foods, 🍁J.B. Hunt, 🍁Dillard's, 🍁Murphy USA, and 🍁Windstream. The state's agriculture outputs are poultry and eggs, soybeans, sorghum, cattle, cotton, rice, hogs, and milk. Its industrial outputs are food processing, electric equipment, fabricated metal products, machinery, and paper products. Mines in Arkansas produce natural gas, oil, crushed stone, bromine, and vanadium. According to CNBC, Arkansas ranks as the 20th best state for business, with the 2nd-lowest cost of doing business, 5th-lowest cost of living, 11th best workforce, 20th-best economic climate, 28th-best educated workforce, 31st-best infrastructure and the 32nd-friendliest regulatory environment. As of 2014, Arkansas was the most affordable U.S. state to live in. Arkansas is one of the most under-educated states in the Union. It ranks near the bottom in terms of percentage of the population with either a high school or college degree. The state's educational system has a history of under-funding, low teachers' salaries and political meddling in the curriculum. The University of Arkansas, flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System in Fayetteville was ranked #63 among public schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Other public institutions include University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Arkansas Tech University, Henderson State University, Southern Arkansas University, and University of Central Arkansas across the state. It is also home to 11 private colleges and universities including Hendrix College, one of the nation's top 100 liberal arts colleges, according to U.S. News & World Report. Timeline table on schooling: 🍁1829 Territorial legislature permits townships to establish schools. 🍁1868 State law required racial segregation of schools. 🍁1871 University of Arkansas was established. 🍁1873 University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff established as a school to train Black teachers. 🍁1877 Philander Smith College established as a school for Black students. 🍁1890 Henderson State University established as a private school. The state assumed responsibility for it in 1929 as Henderson State Teachers College. 🍁1885 Arkansas School for the Deaf and Arkansas School for the Blind established. 🍁1909 Arkansas Tech University, Southern Arkansas University, University of Arkansas at Monticello and Arkansas State University established as schools offering high school diplomas and vocational training. 🍁1920 Schooling made compulsory. 🍁1925 University of Central Arkansas established as Arkansas State Normal School established. 🍁1948 University of Arkansas School of Law admits a Black student. 🍁1957 Governor Orval Faubus used National Guard troops to oppose racial integration of Little Rock Central High School. 🍁1958 In Cooper v. Aaron the United States Supreme Court ruled the state was bound to integrate school despite the opposition of the governor and legislature. 🍁1983 The Arkansas State Supreme Court ruled the state's funding of education was Constitutionally deficient. Arkansas's natural beauty and its history are showcased and preserved in the 52 Arkansas State Parks system, seven National Park Service sites, and three national forests covering more than 2.9 million acres of Arkansas, plus more than 200 Arkansas camping sites and recreational areas. Attractions: Arkansas is home to many areas protected by the National Park System. These include: 1️⃣Arkansas Post National Memorial at Gillett! In 1686, Henri de Tonti established a trading post known as "Poste de Arkansea" at the Quapaw village of Osotouy. The establishment of the Post was the first step in a long struggle between France, Spain, and England for dominance of the Mississippi River Valley. Over the years, the Post relocated as necessary due to flooding from the Arkansas River, but its position always served of strategic importance for the French, Spanish, American, and Confederate military. Spanish soldiers and British partisans clashed here in the 1783 Colbert Raid, the only Revolutionary War action in Arkansas. Arkansas Post became part of the United States following the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. By 1819, the post was a thriving river port and the largest city in the region and selected as the first capital of the Arkansas Territory. During the Civil War, Confederate troops tried to maintain tactical control of the confluence of the Arkansas and White Rivers, and in 1862 they constructed a massive earthen fortification known as Fort Hindman at the Post. In January 1863 Union troops destroyed the fort, ensuring control of the Arkansas River. Visitors are invited to view the park movie - "Arkansas Post: Echoes of the Past" and explore museum exhibits reflecting over three hundred years of human history at Arkansas Post. This twenty minute feature is available upon request daily from 8:30 a.m. till 4:30 p.m. And take a hike through the natural beauty and tranquility of over two miles of trails winding through the "historic town site" and a hardwood forest. Fishing is allowed in all the waters in and around the park; however, an Arkansas fishing license is required for individuals 16 years of age and older. 2️⃣Blanchard Springs Caverns! When visiting you will enter a "living" cave where glistening formations like stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and flowstones are still changing. These crystalline formations are the result of minerals deposited by dripping water. Forest Service interpreters guide all tours. Stroll through large, beautifully lighted rooms with handrails and paved trails for comfortable walking. Climb over rocks, crawl through and slide down red clay mud in an undeveloped section of the Caverns. Tour the “Water Works” exhibit hall and view the movie “The Amazing World Below” which introduces you to the underground world. There are 3 trails; 🍁Dripstone Trail: This shorter, easier trail takes you almost half a mile one-way through the Caverns. All stairs can be avoided, making trails accessible for wheelchairs and strollers. 🍁Discovery Trail: Open June-August. This longer, more strenuous tour is 1.2 miles long, with nearly 700 stairsteps and explores the middle level of the Caverns system. 🍁Wild Cave Tour: This tour offers you an introduction to off trail caving in a structured environment. The newest of the Caverns tours takes visitors to the undeveloped sections of the middle level. 3️⃣Buffalo River is one of the few remaining unpolluted, free-flowing rivers in the lower 48 states offering both swift-running and placid stretches. The Buffalo National River is a 150-mile long river. It begins as a trickle in the Boston Mountains 15 miles above the park boundary. Following what is likely an ancient riverbed, the Buffalo cuts its way through massive limestone bluffs traveling eastward through the Ozarks and into the White River. The national river has three designated wilderness areas within its boundaries. The Buffalo National River is 132 miles long and the best way to get around is by boat. The very best way to see Buffalo River is by canoeing. The Buffalo River is a favorite with anglers.The river is great for swimming, but never swim alone or during high water. Bird watching is quite popular and another way to enjoy the Buffalo River is by horse. And for the hiking enthusiast here are 6 hiking trails. 🍁Lost Valley Trail, 2.1 miles round trip, This trail begins at Lost Valley Campground. Features along the trail include waterfalls, towering cliffs, a large bluff shelter, a natural bridge, a cave and spring wildflowers. The cave is about 200 feet long and ends in a large room with a 35 foot waterfall. If you intend on entering the cave, make certain each person in your group is equipped with a flashlight. 🍁Ozark to Pruitt Trail, at Pruitt, 2.6 miles, Many wildflowers are in bloom along this trail from March through June. 🍁Mill Creek Trail, at Pruitt, 2.1-mile loop, This level trail follows Mill Creek through a lowland hardwood forest and features a pioneer homesite. This trail is best hiked before summer grasses take over the trail. 🍁River Overlook Trail! This 1.1-mile trail begins at the Collier Homestead parking area at Tyler Bend. The Collier Homestead provides one of the many glimpses into the pas. The loop trail leads you to the historic Collier homestead and to river overlooks. The trail is accessible to wheelchairs for one-half mile, including the homestead and first overlook. 🍁Indian Rockhouse Trail, at Buffalo Point. This 3.5-mile loop begins your journey to the Rockhouse, a large bluff shelter once inhabited by Indians, at the trailhead located between the ranger station and restaurant. The return trail is a strenuous uphill climb. 🍁Morning Star Loop Trail, at Rush, 0.3-mile loop, This path passes the ruins of the Morning Star Mine buildings, including the remains of a blacksmith shop, livery barn, and smelter built in 1886. Begin at the Morning Star Trailhead. Do not enter the mines. 4️⃣Fort Smith National Historic Site! There are many exhibits, features, and other noteworthy items/places available to view and experience at the Fort Smith National Historic Site. 🍁Tour the building, which includes: Two Jails, Judge Parker's Court Room, Exhibits on theU.S. Deputy Marshals, the Military,Outlaws, andTrail of Tears. 🍁You can visit the Gallows. 🍁Or browse the Eastern National Book Store. 🍁Attend a Ranger-led program. 🍁Take a walking tour using Audio Wands of both the building and the grounds. [Available for free at the Front Desk]. 🍁Walk the grounds and read our Wayside Information Panels. 🍁Take a short walk up to Belle Point and visit the first Fort Smith site. 🍁Walk along the Arkansas River and view the Trail of Tears overlook. 🍁Enjoy a picnic under one of the many shade trees or on one of our picnic tables located next to the main parking lot. 🍁Kids can earn their Junior Ranger badges by completing activities in our fun and educational workbooks. 🍁Visit the Commissary Storehouse, Fort Smith's oldest building. 🍁Watch the beautiful sunsets on Belle Point overlooking the confluence of the Arkansas and Poteau Rivers. 🍁Watch, It Took Brave Men U.S. Deputy Marshal Video. 🍁And you can see what is growing in the Historic Officer's Garden. 5️⃣Hot Springs National Park! Hot Springs National Park was the nation's first federally protected reservation, having been created by Congress in 1832. Originally named Hot Springs Reservation, it was made a national park and renamed in 1921. It was originally created to protect the region's 47 natural flowing thermal springs. Today the park protects eight historic bathhouses, and is the nation's smallest national park by area. The park visitor center is housed in the former luxurious Fordyce Bathhouse, and the entire "Bathhouse Row" area is a National Historic Landmark District that contains the grandest collection of bathhouses of its kind in North America. 6️⃣Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site! Little Rock Central High School is recognized for the role it played in the desegregation of public schools in the United States. The nine African-American students' persistence in attending the formerly all-white Central High School was the most prominent national example of the implementation of the May 17, 1954 Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education. On November 6, 1998, Congress established Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. The Visitor Center for the site is located diagonally across the street from the school and across from the memorial dedicated by Michael Warrick, and opened in fall 2006. It contains a captioned interpretive film on the Little Rock integration crisis, as well as multimedia exhibits on both that and the larger context of desegregation during the 20th century and the Civil Rights Movement. Opposite the Visitor Center to the west is the Central High Commemorative Garden, which features nine trees and benches that honor the students. Arches that represent the school's facade contain embedded photographs of the school in years since the crisis, and showcase students of various backgrounds in activities together. Opposite the Visitor Center to the south is a historic Mobil gas station, which has been preserved in its appearance at the time of the crisis. At the time, it served as the area for the press and radio and television reporters. It later served as a temporary Visitor Center before the new one was built. Little Rock Central High School, The Reflecting Pool was restored during the 2004–05 school year. 7️⃣Pea Ridge National Military Park! The Pea Ridge Battle saved Missouri for the Union. On March 7-8, 1862, 26,000 soldiers fought there to decide the fate of Missouri and the West. The 4,300 acre battlefield honors those who fought for their beliefs. Pea Ridge was one of the most pivotal Civil War battles and is the most intact Civil War battlefield in the United States. Pea Ridge has much to offer. Indoor Activities in the Visitor Center include: 🍁A 28-minute orientation film, 🍁Temporary exhibits, 🍁A museum explaining the battle and the local area during the Civil War. 🍁A great bookstore/giftshop. Outdoor Activities include: 🍁7-mile self-guided tour road, 🍁28 Interpretive Exhibits, 🍁9 miles of horse trails, 🍁7 miles of hiking trails. Pea Ridge National Military Park also organizes and hosts occasional community events, historical programs, and service projects. 8️⃣Arkansas State Capitol Building! The Capitol Building stands 230 feet tall featuring a circular central drum tower that is capped with a dome and cupola. The building was built over a century ago as a replica of the White House and has been used in many movies as a stand in. The construction started in 1899 with George Mann and ended in 1915 with Cass Gilbert. The Arkansas State Capitol Building is the seat of government of the state of Arkansas located in Little Rock. The exterior of the Capitol is made of limestone, which was quarried in Batesville, Arkansas. Total construction cost was $2.2 million with today’s value of the building being $320 million. The front entrance doors are made of bronze, which are 10 feet (3 metres) tall, four inches (10 cm) thick and were purchased from Tiffany's in New York for $10,000. The cupola is covered in 24 karat gold leaf. The government was formerly located in the Old State House. The Capitol was built on the site of the state penitentiary and prisoners helped construct the building. They lived in a dormitory that was left on the Capitol grounds while construction was taking place. It's not the kind of thing you'll notice unless somebody points it out to you, but the foundation of the State Capitol is tilted. The original plan was to have the building face squarely down 5th Street so that a visitor approaching on Capitol Avenue would be impressed by the architectural majesty of the building. But as sometimes happens with public projects things go awry from the very beginning and the foundation was laid about nine degrees off square. 9️⃣The Ozark National Forest encompasses 1,200,000 acres (4,856 km2) primarily in the scenic Ozark Mountains in northern Arkansas. The forest contains the tallest mountain in Arkansas, Mount Magazine, and Blanchard Springs Caverns. The Ozark – St. Francis National Forest is a United States National Forest. It is composed of two separate forests, Ozark National Forest in the Ozark Mountains; and St. Francis National Forest on Crowley's Ridge. Each forest has distinct biological, topographical, and geological differences. Together, the two forests are home to 23 developed campgrounds, and include nine swimming areas, 395 miles (636 km) of hiking trails, and 370 miles (600 km) of streams for fishing. In addition to the hiking trails, the forest provides trails designated for horseback riding, canoeing, mountain biking, and all-terrain vehicles. The longest horse trail is the Sylamore Trail with a length of 80 miles (130 km). This trail passes over rocky bluffs, into deep hollows, and across mountain streams. 1️⃣0️⃣Ouachita National Forest is the oldest National Forest in the southern United States. The forest encompasses 1,784,457 acres (7,221 km2), including most of the scenic Ouachita Mountains. Six locations in the forest, comprising 65,000 acres (263 km2), have been designated as wilderness areas. The forest contains a number of hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding trails. The most extensive hiking trail is the Ouachita National Recreation Trail, which traverses 223 miles (359 km) across the region. This is a well-maintained backpacking, hiking trail with overnight shelters in several portions of the trail. Mountain biking is also allowed for some sections of the trail. Rockhounds(is the recreational study and hobby of collecting rocks and mineral specimens from the natural environment) frequent a belt several miles wide containing concentrations of quartz crystals. Visitors and rock collectors are free to pick up loose crystals within the belt for personal use and may dig for quartz with the permission of the district ranger. 1️⃣1️⃣Dig for diamonds at Crater of Diamonds State Park, in between Hot Springs and Texarkana in the Timberlands area. Crater of Diamonds State Park is famous for the 37.5-acre (15.2 ha) plowed field on which visitors can hunt for diamonds and other semi-precious gems. On average, two diamonds are found per day by park visitors. A visitor center contains information about the geology of the park, a gift shop, and a cafe. Interested visitors can continue to the Diamond Discovery Center, which offers an interpretive look at prospecting for diamonds. The Diamond Springs aquatic playground, enclosed pavilion, trails, and picnic areas surround the diamond field. The park offers campers 47 Class AAA facilities near the Little Missouri River. Crater of Diamonds State Park is situated over an eroded lamproite volcanic pipe. The park is open to the public and, for a small fee, rockhounds and visitors can dig for diamonds and other gemstones. Park visitors find more than 600 diamonds each year of all colors and grades. Over 29,000 diamonds have been found in the crater since it became a state park. Visitors may keep any gemstone they find regardless of its value. In addition to diamonds, visitors may find semi-precious gems such as amethyst, agate, and jasper or approximately 40 other minerals such as garnet, phlogopite, quartz, baryte, and calcite. 1️⃣2️⃣Crystal Bridges (world class art museum in Bentonville). The mission of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is to welcome all to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that unites the power of art with the beauty of nature. A world-class collection of American art. Stunning architecture. Nestled in an 120-acre Ozark woods with miles of trails. Crystal Bridges takes its name from a nearby natural spring and the bridge construction incorporated in the building, designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie. A series of pavilions nestled around two spring-fed ponds house galleries, meeting and classroom spaces, and a large, glass-enclosed gathering hall. Guest amenities include a restaurant on a glass-enclosed bridge overlooking the ponds, a Museum Store designed by architect Marlon Blackwell, and a library featuring more than 50,000 volumes of art reference material. Sculpture and walking trails link the Museum's 120-acre park to downtown Bentonville, Arkansas. Crystal Bridges’ permanent collection spans five centuries of American masterworks ranging from the Colonial era to the current day. Included within the collection are iconic images such as Asher B. Durand’s Kindred Spirits, Norman Rockwell’s Rosie the Riveter, and Andy Warhol’s Coca-Cola — each reflecting a distinct moment in American artistic evolution—as well as major works by modern and contemporary American artists, including Georgia O’Keeffe, John Baldessari, and James Turrell. The permanent collection, which continues to grow through a strategic acquisition plan, is on view year-round and is enhanced by an array of temporary exhibitions. There is no fee to visit the museum's permanent collection. A giant spider sculpture named Maman greets you when you arrive. See amazing art from American artists from the Colonial Era to modern times including the most expensive painting by a female artist. Eat on-site at Eleven, a restaurant on a glass-enclosed bridge. And a whole lot more! Notes: Lakeport Plantation, c. 1859 and built south of Lake Village, is the only remaining antebellum plantation house on the Mississippi River in Arkansa.

🥛National Milk Day commemorates the day that many think the first milk deliveries in glass bottles began in the United States. Alexander Campbell of the New York Dairy Company professed to the New York State Senate that his company was the first to make these deliveries in 1878. Here are some milk facts: 1️⃣The United States and Australia are the world’s largest exporters of milk and milk products. 2️⃣Throughout the world, there are more than 6 billion consumers of milk and milk products. 3️⃣In the Middle Ages, milk was called the virtuous white liquor because alcoholic beverages were more reliable than water. 4️⃣1863 – French chemist and biologist Louis Pasteur invented pasteurization, a method of killing harmful bacteria in beverages and food products. 5️⃣1884 – American Doctor Hervey Thatcher of New York City, developed the first modern glass milk bottle, called ‘Thatcher’s Common Sense Milk Jar,’ which was sealed with a waxed paper disk. 7️⃣1932, plastic-coated paper milk cartons were introduced commercially as a consequence of their invention by Victor W. Farris. 8️⃣The females of all mammal species can by definition produce milk, but cow milk dominates commercial production. In 2011, FAO estimates 85% of all milk worldwide was produced from cows. 9️⃣Aside from cattle, many kinds of livestock provide milk used by humans for dairy products which include buffalo, goat, sheep, camel, donkey, horse, reindeer and yak. 🔟Milk is processed into a variety of dairy products such as cream, butter, yogurt, kefir, ice cream and cheese. 1️⃣1️⃣Modern industrial processes use milk to produce casein, whey protein, lactose, condensed milk, powdered milk and many other food-additive and industrial products. 1️⃣2️⃣And World Milk Day is celebrated on June 1.

👮National Slavery and Human Trafficking! This observances was started in 2011 by Presidential Proclamation of National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. The anniversary of this proclamation became known as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.Slavery was officially abolished in the USA by the Thirteenth Amendment in December 1865, however, its forms still exist to date. And the present-day USA is the source, transit and destination country for modern slaves: children, women and men. These people can be of foreign nationalities or the citizens of the USA, but they are all subjected to injustices of human trafficking, including sex trafficking, forced labor, involuntary servitude, forced marriage and debt bondage.Many mass campaigns are organized to observe National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. This helps raise public awareness of modern slavery. Creation of a number of organizations supporting and preventing human trafficking helps protect some vulnerable members of our community.

👢💦☔️National Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friends Day! If you are feeling somewhat mischievous (in a nice kind of way), join in on the celebration that all kids will love and all the young-at-heart adults will love just the same, as we celebrate National Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friends Day. This day can be a little bit tricky depending on where you live, as at this time of the year, many of the puddles could be frozen!

I'm sorry your having trouble with this thread Ef, and your not the only one I'm also having trouble with it and it's on my own wall.

Sending warm hugs!🐶💕❄️💕