��Vlog��ý Little Rock digitizes historic railroad maps

Janea Snyder — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 20:24:03 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Center for Arkansas History and Culture has completed the digitization of more than 100 historic railroad maps that are now available��online. The maps, created in 1917 and 1918, document the St. Louis, Iron Mountain, and Southern Railroad (SLIMS) and the Missouri Pacific Railroad (MoPac) in Arkansas. They trace the railroad from MoArk, Arkansas, to Texarkana, Arkansas. The maps not only depict train tracks mile by mile but also note land, bridges, and buildings owned by the railroad companies. Researchers can find existing and long-gone structures, including the Malvern Roundhouse, the North Little Rock Iron Mountain Shops, the Little Rock Oil and Compress plant, and the Newport Van Noy Hotel. “These large, unique maps include details that give us insight into Arkansas’s economic and cultural networks,” said Deborah J. Baldwin, associate provost of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Collections and Archives. “This level of detail provides a rich portrait of where and how Arkansas towns developed in the early 20th century.” The Center for Arkansas History and Culture received the maps as a gift from Union Pacific in 2017. Union Pacific had inherited the drawings from its predecessor, the Missouri Pacific Railroad. The Cairo and Fulton Railroad Company built the original mapped railroad lines in 1871. In 1917, the Cairo and Fulton Railroad Company merged with the Missouri Pacific Railroad and the St. Louis, Iron Mountain, and Southern Railroad. The maps were originally created for the federal government’s Interstate Commerce Commission as a means to determine the value of each railroad company. This value statement was used to determine what companies could charge for passenger and freight rates. The fragile maps were brittle from age, and their sheer size – 4.5 feet by 2 feet – made them easy to tear, so the Center for Arkansas History and Culture made immediate plans to digitize them. With funding from the and the , the CAHC sent the drawings to a vendor equipped with large-format scanners. The digitization project, now complete, gives researchers online access to the maps anytime. Researchers can even zoom-in to view fine details that are not easily seen on the physical maps. The original maps will remain at the Center for Arkansas History and Culture. Photo above right: This North Little Rock map is one of several historic railroad maps available online through University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Center for Arkansas History and Culture.

Virtual exhibit launched to commemorate history of women’s suffrage in Arkansas

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 18:47:41 +0000

A virtual exhibit by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture showcases the history of the women’s suffrage movement in Arkansas. The exhibit debuted during an event at the state Capitol during which Gov. Asa Hutchinson proclaimed Feb. 7 “Women’s Primary Suffrage Centennial Day.” The day marked 100 years since Arkansas gave women the right to vote in primary elections — three years before the United States passed the 19th Amendment, which established that right throughout the country. Arkansas was the first southern state to ratify the amendment. Representatives Charlotte Douglas (R-Alma), Vivian Flowers (D-Pine Bluff), and Deborah Ferguson (D-West Memphis) also gave remarks during the event, which kicked off three years of activities celebrating women’s suffrage. �� Participants wore suffragist-style clothing and gathered on the steps of the Capitol building to recreate a photo taken on Feb. 7, 1917, with then-Gov. Charles Brough to celebrate women’s primary suffrage rights in Arkansas. The virtual exhibit, “Arkansas Women’s Suffrage Centennial,” features historic documents and photographs as well as essays and critiques on various aspects of women’s suffrage. Additionally, the virtual exhibit includes lesson plans and educational materials for teachers.��

AJ Walker completed a service learning appointment with the Center for Arkansas History and Culture and conducted research on Florence Cotnam, an Arkansas suffragist. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III/��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communications.

“Creating this virtual exhibit will give the world access to important resources and scholarly perspective on this critical leap in Arkansas’s long history of civil rights struggles,” said Chad Garret, director of technology and digital initiatives for ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Collections and Archives. “The fact that it’s online means that anyone can access valuable information on the struggle Arkansas’s women endured to access their right to vote and be full participants in our democracy.” The virtual exhibit is supported by a grant from the and the Department of Arkansas Heritage. The project steering committee includes representatives from the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office, the Arkansas State Archives, the Arkansas Women’s History Institute, the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, the Center for Arkansas History and Culture, the Old State House Museum, and the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History. For more information and to view the exhibit, visit the. In the upper right photo, attendees celebrate��“Women’s Primary Suffrage Centennial Day” Feb. 7 at the state Capitol. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III/��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communications.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

����Vlog��ý Little Rock digitizes historic railroad maps

Virtual exhibit launched to commemorate history of women’s suffrage in Arkansas

- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

��Vlog��ý Little Rock digitizes historic railroad maps