NW Arkansas battlefields

In Arkansas, the vote to secede from the Union was up to each county. All of the counties ended up siding with the South, but there was some debate in the northern end of the state. The Ozarks is not very fertile ground, and slavery was not a large presence. Still, there were a couple of battles fought in the area, notably at Prairie Grove (west of Fayetteville) and Pea Ridge (NE of Springdale). Today, Arkansans identify themselves as firmly below the Mason-Dixon line. (And until Bill Clinton became president and the sign was changed to reflect that, there used to be a sign on the Missouri-Arkansas border that said, "Welcome to Dixie!")

Prairie Grove battlefield:



The trees were interesting here as well. You can find some otherwise-normal-looking trees with some seriously evil thorns on them! And the other trees look somehow like a Klimt painting to me.



Pea Ridge battlefield:

NW Arkansas

Northwest Arkansas has two religions: Walmart, and the Razorback Hogs. It's also home to a couple of Civil War battlefields (Prairie Grove and Pea Ridge). It's a nice family place to live, where the people are friendly, the landscape is beautiful, and the weather is always changing.

The University of Arkansas is the main event in Fayetteville. The castle-like building in the distance is Old Main, the original building of the college. The stadium would be one of two home stadiums for the Hogs. They play four games here and the rest of the home games in War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. No, the towns are not remotely close together. But football is big in Arkansas.





Fayetteville has the unofficial motto of "Keep Fayetteville Funky." It has a huge and beautiful library, an active farmers' market scene, and an annual biker festival. Note the rock building--this is a typical architectural pattern of the Ozarks.







There are a few historic houses in town. Large sections of the TV miniseries The Blue and the Gray were filmed in the area, and I think at least one interior scene was shot in one of these historic houses (although I don't know if it was this one in particular. Still, it's historically significant.)



There is also a park with some 60s/Tolkein-inspired sculpture.

Arkansas Ozarks

The Ozarks is a beautiful little region that covers northern Arkansas, southern Missouri, and a tiny bit of Oklahoma. Hills, rivers, and limestone caves cover the area. It's a great place for fishing and, unfortunately, tornadoes.






Blanchard Springs Caverns has three levels of cave exploration, depending on your agility. Also very nice surroundings outside.



Devil's Den State Park also offers caves, plus interesting formations.



Besides tornadoes, the region is prone to occasional flooding, and also horrendous ice storms.



The strange, non-edible citrus fruit called the Osage orange also grows in the Ozarks. It's said to repel insects and deodorize your refrigerator. Here are some from the Fayetteville/Prairie Grove area.