Timeline of Little Rock, Arkansas

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.

18th-19th centuries

Little Rock, Arkansas, 1887

• 1722 – French explorer Jean-Baptiste Benard de la Harpe lands near a small rock formation on the south bank of the Arkansas River, which he reputedly names la Petite Roche (the little rock). La Harpe builds a trading post near the little rock. The Quapaw Indians reside nearby.^[1]
• 1812 – William Lewis, a fur trapper, builds a temporary seasonal home near the little rock.^[1]
• 1814 Colonel Edmund Hogan, builds 1st home and ferry at the little rock where the road from Missouri crossed the Arkansas River ^[2][3][4][5]
• 1815 Colonel Edmund Hogan is signer of Grand Jury of the county of Arkansas, Territory of Missouri, requesting a company of regular troops be stationed in said county, April, 1816 ^[6]
• 1816-1818 Colonel Edmund Hogan represented Arkansas County in the 3rd Territorial General Assembly of Missouri in 1816 and 1818
• 1818 Colonel Edmund Hogan appointed first justice of Peace of Pulaski county ^[7]
• 1820
  • Jan 1820 Colonel Edmund Hogan sold his ferry and settlement on the Arkansas River at Little Rock to William Russell (The ferry was later owned by first territorial secretary Robert Crittenden) ^[4][8]
  • Little Rock is surveyed.^[1]
  • Robert Crittenden, born 1797, and Chester Ashley, born 1791, enter into an agreement for a "Partnership in the Practice of Law" which lays the groundwork for the Rose Law Firm, the oldest law firm west of the Mississippi River.
• 1821
  • March 21, 1821 Colonel. Edmund Hogan appointed as Brigadier General of the Arkansas Militia, by U.S. President Monroe.^[8]
  • Matthew Cunningham arrives in Little Rock. He is the first physician in the city.
  • Little Rock becomes the capital of the Arkansas Territory formed in 1819; and seat of Pulaski County.^[9]
  • Arkansas Gazette in publication.
  • Little Rock briefly renamed "Arkopolis."^[10]
• 1825 - Little Rock Tavern in business (approximate date).^[11]
• 1830 - Advocate (Whig) newspaper begins publication.^[12]
• 1831 – Little Rock is incorporated as a city.
  • Dr. Matthew Cunningham is elected the first mayor of Little Rock. His descendants reside in the city as of 2014.
• 1833 – The Territorial Capitol (now the Old State House) is built. Completed in 1842, it serves as the State Capitol until 1911.
• 1836
  • Jesse Brown becomes mayor.^[13]
  • Arkansas becomes the 25th State, and Little Rock became the official capital city.
  • Pulaski County Lyceum active (approximate date).^[14]
• 1837 - Antiquarian and Natural History Society and Bar Association founded.^[14]
• 1838 - Steam ferry begins operating.^[1]
• 1839 - Little Rock Theatre opens.^[15]
• 1840
  • The Tornado newspaper begins publication.^[16]
  • Tower Building of the Little Rock Arsenal built.
• 1843
  • Mount Holly Cemetery established.
  • William Woodruff's Circulating Library in business.^[17]
• 1845 - Catholic church built.^[1]
• 1850 - Population: 2,167.^[1]
• 1858 - Mechanics' Institute established.^[18]
• 1859 - St. Johns military college opens.^[19]
• 1860 - Population: 3,727.^[1]
• 1861 – Arkansas joins the Confederacy.
• 1863
  • Union forces occupy Little Rock.
  • Daily Pantograph newspaper begins publication.^[16]
• 1864 – 17-year-old David Owen Dodd is hanged on January 6 for being a Confederate spy.
• 1866 - Little Rock Police Department formed.
• 1867 - Mercantile Library founded.^[17]
• 1868
  • Arkansas constitutional convention held.^[20]
  • Little Rock National Cemetery established.
• 1870 - Population: 12,000 (approximate).^[1]
• 1873 - Baring Cross Bridge constructed.^[1]
• 1874
  • The Brooks-Baxter War takes place in Little Rock.
  • Union Station built.
• 1876
  • Horsecar trams begins operating.
  • Anthony House (hotel) burns down.
• 1877 - Walden Seminary founded.
• 1879 - Telephone begins operating per Western Union Telegraph Company.^[21]
• 1880 - General Douglas MacArthur born on January 26 in The Tower Building of the Little Rock Arsenal. The building is now the home of the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, and the surrounding area is called MacArthur Park.
• 1881 - Little Rock United States Post Office and Courthouse built.
• 1882 - Cathedral of St. Andrew built.^[1]
• 1883
  • Mosaic Templars founded.
  • Little Rock Electric Light Company begins operating.^[22]
• 1884
  • Waterworks system^[1] and Trinity Episcopal Cathedral built.
  • Minister's Institute founded.
• 1885 - Walnut Grove Methodist Church built.
• 1887 - Little Rock Electric Street Railway Company chartered.^[21]
• 1888 - Electric street lighting installed.^[1]
• 1890
  • Argenta becomes part of city (until 1917).^[1]
  • Population: 25,874.^[1]
• 1891 - Electric streetcars begin operating.
• 1892 - Fire Department established.^[21]

20th century

1900s-1940s

• 1900 - Population: 38,307.^[23]
• 1908 - Gazette Building constructed.
• 1910 - Public library^[24] and Royal Theater open.^[25]
• 1911 – The current State Capitol building is completed. It is the second building constructed to house the state government, after the Old State House.
• 1915
  • Little Rock Motor Club active (approximate date).^[26]
  • Arkansas State Capitol built.
• 1916 – Pulaski Heights, one of Little Rock's earliest western suburbs, is annexed by the city, enabling westward expansion.
• 1917
  • Little Rock Public Library negro branch opens.^[27]
  • Little Rock Daily News begins publication.^[12]
• 1921 - Mopac Station rebuilt.
• 1924 - Albert Pike Memorial Temple, and Federal Reserve Bank built.^[1]
• 1926
  • Little Rock Zoo founded.^[28]
  • Donaghey Building constructed.^[1]
• 1927
  • Little Rock race riot, May 4, murder suspect John Carter was lynched and his body burned; a white mob of 5,000 rioted in the black business section, destroying many buildings^[29]
  • Little Rock Junior College and The Arkansas Museum of Natural History and Antiquities established.
  • Little Rock Senior High School built.
• 1929
  • Dunbar Junior and Senior High School and Junior College established.
  • Albert Pike Residence Hotel opens.
• 1932 - Travelers Field (ballpark) opens.^[30]
• 1937 - Urban League^[31] and the Museum of Fine Arts founded.^[32]
• 1940 – Population: 88,039.^[23]
• 1941 - Historic Arkansas Museum opens.^[33]
• 1947 - City Beautification Forum organized.^[34]
• 1948 - War Memorial Stadium (Arkansas) opens.

1950s-1990s

• 1950
  • Arkansas Governor's Mansion built.
  • Little Rock goes over 100,000 in population within the city and the metropolitan area has 196,000 people.
• 1951
  • Pratt C. Remmel becomes mayor.
  • Pulaski County Historical Society established.^[35]
• 1953 - Pulaski County Historical Review begins publication.^[36]
• 1955 - Little Rock Air Force Base activated near city.^[37]
• 1956 - Community Theatre of Little Rock founded.
• 1957 – The Little Rock Nine are enrolled at Little Rock Central High School after public protests, and the Arkansas National Guard under the direction of Governor Orval Faubus, prevents their first attempt at enrollment. Arkansas was the third most segregated state in the country at the time (behind Mississippi and Alabama respectively) . President Dwight Eisenhower dispatches federal troops to ensure the students' safety and enforce their right to attend school. These events are collectively referred to as the Crisis at Central High.^[38]
• 1958 – All three public high schools in Little Rock are closed for one year by Governor Faubus.
• 1960 - Arkansas Arts Center founded.
• 1964 - Dillard's headquartered in Little Rock.^[37]
• 1967 - University Mall in business.
• 1968 – Construction booms downtown, Worthen Bank Building at 375 feet (114 m) and Union National Bank at 330 feet (100 m) are under construction and replace The Tower Building as the city's tallest buildings. Union National Bank subsequently merged into Worthen, which eventually would become part of Bank of America.
• 1971
  • Children's Theater founded.^[32]
  • Heifer International headquartered in city.^[37]
• 1974 – First National Bank building is under construction and becomes the city's tallest building at 454 feet (138 m) and 30 stories. The building currently is Arkansas headquarters for Regions Bank.
• 1975 - Central Arkansas Library System headquartered in city.^[39]
• 1976 - Arkansas Repertory Theatre founded.
• 1979 - Webster Hubbell becomes mayor.
• 1980 – Population: 158,461.^[23]
• 1983 - KLRT-TV begins broadcasting.
• 1985
  • Decorative Arts Museum opens.^[32]
  • Pavilion in the Park (shopping centre) in business.
• 1986 – The Capitol Tower is completed, and at 40 stories and 547 feet (167 m) tall, is the tallest building in Arkansas. The skyscraper's name changed to the TCBY Tower later, and became the Metropolitan Tower as of October 2004. The Stephens Building is also completed, and is 25 stories and 365 feet (111 m) tall when finished. It was named the First South building, and then the Rogers building.
• 1987 - Lottie Shackelford becomes mayor.
• 1990 – Population: 175,795.^[23]
• 1991
  • KLVV radio begins broadcasting.
  • Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in publication.
• 1992
  • Bill Clinton presidential campaign, 1992 headquartered in city.
  • November 3: Bill Clinton is elected President of the United States. He delivers an election night acceptance speech from the front steps of the historic Old State House in downtown Little Rock. He is the first person from the State of Arkansas to be elected President. He was elected to a second term in 1996.
• 1995 - Jim Dailey becomes mayor.^[40]
• 1997 – The 40th anniversary of the Crisis at Central High is marked by the opening of a new National Park Service visitor center.
• 1999
  • June 1: Airplane crash.
  • Acxiom Corporation headquartered in city.^[37]

21st century

• 2000
  • Little Rock population: 610,518 (core metropolitan area), 785,024 (primary metropolitan area) in 2000 census.
• 2003
  • First Little Rock Marathon is held. Counting the relays, 1,615 runners participate in the 42.195-kilometre (26.219 mi) race, making it one of the top 25 races in the nation for 2003.
  • Little Rock resident Wesley Kanne Clark, a retired four-star general in the U.S. Army and former Supreme Allied Commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), announces his intention to run in the presidential primary election for the Democratic Party nomination.
• 2004
  • William J. Clinton Presidential Center opens with a host of dignitaries and celebrities, such as Governor Mike Huckabee, President George W. Bush, and former presidents George H. W. Bush and Jimmy Carter.
  • Arkansas Literary Festival begins.^[41]
  • River Rail Streetcar begins operating.
• 2005 - Jack Stephens Center (arena) opens.
• 2006
  • The international charitable organization Heifer International dedicates a $17.5 million world headquarters in downtown Little Rock. The organization announces plans to further develop the 33-acre (130,000 m²) location into the Heifer International Center campus.
  • The Pulaski County Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge, nicknamed the Big Dam Bridge, opens to the public. It extends 3,463 feet (1,056 m) across the Arkansas River, and is the world’s longest bridge specifically built for pedestrians/bicycles.^[42]
  • A five-year construction boom of mixed-use, high-rise buildings in downtown's historic River Market district began with over 60 stories of residential and retail property and 240 additional hotel rooms developed. Many residential projects were completed during this period such as the Capital Commerce Center (2002), First Security Center (2004), 300 Third Tower (2006), and River Market Tower (2009).
• 2007
  • Dickey-Stephens Park, home to the Arkansas Travelers minor league baseball team, opens. The ballpark has a capacity of 7,000, and is situated on the Arkansas River in North Little Rock, Arkansas, opposite downtown Little Rock.
  • January: Mark Stodola becomes mayor.^[43]
• 2008
  • Mosaic Templars Cultural Center opens.
  • Wilson History and Research Center of military headgear founded.
• 2010 - Little Rock population: 193,524 (city), 699,757 (core metropolitan area), 877,091 (primary metropolitan area) in 2010 census.
• 2011 – Little Rock's record high temperature of 114 degrees Fahrenheit is recorded by the National Weather Service in August.
• 2014 - Little Rock's primary metropolitan population is 902,443.
• 2015 - French Hill becomes U.S. representative for Arkansas's 2nd congressional district.^[44]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Little Rock, Arkansas
• List of tallest buildings in Little Rock
• Timeline of Arkansas^[45]

References

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Little Rock, Arkansas.

• "Map of Little Rock". Automobile Blue Book. 1920. 
• Materials related to Little Rock, Arkansas, various dates (via US Library of Congress, Prints & Photos Division)
• Items related to Little Rock, Arkansas, various dates (via Digital Public Library of America).

Coordinates: 34°44′10″N 92°19′52″W / 34.736111°N 92.331111°W / 34.736111; -92.331111

Years in Arkansas (1836–present)
19th century	1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900
20th century	1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
21st century	2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021