National Arkansas Day Date in the current year: January 11, 2025

Arkansas is a state in the Southern United States, bordered by Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma. Its name was originally given to the Arkansas River and is derived from the word akansa, an Algonquian term for the Quapaw people. Arkansas’s current nickname is The Natural State, referring to its many natural attractions, and its former nickname was the Land of Opportunity.

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the area of present-day Arkansas was inhabited by Native American tribes. The first European to set foot in the area was the Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto in 1541. Later explorers included the Frenchmen Jacques Marquette, Louis Jolliet, Robert La Salle, and Henri de Tonti in the late 17th century.

In 1686, Tonti established the first European settlement in Arkansas, Arkansas Post, near present-day Gilett. Fur trappers and other settlers began moving into Arkansas in the early 18th century, using Arkansas Post as a home base and trading post. During the colonial period, Arkansas was part of French Louisiana and changed hands between France and Spain in 1762. The French maintained the post because of its strategic location along the Mississippi River, but the Spanish showed little interest in the remote settlement.

Control of French Louisiana returned to France de jure in 1801 and de facto in 1803. Shortly after regaining control, Napoleon Bonaparte sold French Louisiana to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase. The first official use of the name Arkansas was recorded in 1806, and the Arkansas Territory (spelled Arkansaw Territory) was created in 1819 from a part of the Missouri Territory. The new territory included all of present-day Arkansas and much of present-day Oklahoma. In 1828, the territory of present-day Oklahoma became part of Indian Territory.

The question of Arkansas’s statehood was first raised by the National Republican Party in 1831. When Arkansas applied for statehood, its initial application was rejected due to the issue of slavery. Nevertheless, the territory began drafting its state constitution. Eventually an agreement was reached, and Arkansas was admitted to the Union as the 25th state (and 13th slave state) on June 15, 1836.

National Day Calendar launched the National State Days project in 2017 to celebrate the unique history, heritage, culture, and spirit of each U.S. state. Rather than commemorate the anniversary of each state’s admission to the Union, it was decided to honor one state each week in the order in which they joined the Union.

The cycle of celebrations begins with Delaware on July 13 (the week after Independence Day) and continues throughout the year, with breaks for Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks. National Arkansas Day is therefore celebrated on January 11.