Little Rock Central High National Historic Site, Photo courtesy of Little Rock CVB.
Bronze sculptures of the Little Rock Nine are on the Capitol Grounds, Photo courtesy of Little Rock CVB.
The Broadway Bridge Riverfront Skyline Bridge in Little Rock, Photo courtesy of Little Rock CVB.
The Clinton Library in Little Rock at sunset, Photo courtesy of Little Rock CVB.
humorous moments. Clinton’s presidential limousine and his saxophones display are particularly popular. Little Rock’s momentous civil rights battleground was Central High School, where nine terrified but brave African-American students in 1957—with federal troops escorting them—climbed the grand stairwell of the previously all white Central High School under court- ordered desegregation. Day after day, they stood up to harassing mobs hurling threats and spit. Today, the multi-level, earthen brick building is still a working high school and the only one on the grounds of a National Historic Site. A visitor center and museum across the street tell the story that made national headlines. Bronze sculptures of the students, “Testament: The Little Rock Nine Monument,” stands on the grounds of the Arkansas Capitol. “They are purposely facing the governor’s office window so that each time a governor looks out, he will be reminded to do what is morally correct rather than politically expedient,” notes Howell. One local attraction made movie history when North Little Rock’s Old Mill in T.R. Pugh Memorial Park appeared in opening scenes of the Civil War blockbuster Gone with the Wind . Built in 1933, the mill is a replica of a water-powered grist mill from the 1800s. “The landscape
is beautiful no matter the season,” says Howell. “It’s included on all of my public tours — it’s the last stop and the best.” Little Rock’s MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History highlights the state’s military heritage and includes an exhibition on its namesake, Gen. Douglas MacArthur. The World War II hero was born there when the property, an arsenal dating back to the 1840s, served as apartments for military officers. Once the Arkansas State Capitol, the Old Statehouse Museum from 1833 today showcases the 19th century House of Representative chambers and Arkansas First Families and First Ladies’ gowns. Oklahoma museums worth noting include the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, which highlights Western art, cowboys and rodeos, Native American culture, and Victorian firearms. While in Tulsa, stop at the Gilcrease Museum to see the plaster molds of Abraham Lincoln’s life mask and hands taken in 1860, along with artworks and other historic artifacts. “Exploring history offers a chance to learn ethical and moral lessons,” Fort Smith’s Cody Faber concludes. “There are tens of thousands of human stories here—life lessons on how to study the failures and successes of history.”
OKLAHOMA CITY TO LITTLE ROCK
COAST TO COAST SUMMER MAGAZINE 2021
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