The EOA at 15: Staff Picks for 15 Must-See Photos

For 15 years since its launch in May 2006, the CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas has amassed more than 11,000 pieces of media to accompany its more than 6,000 entries: photos, documents, maps, audio clips, and more. In no particular order, here are 15 EOA staff favorites (with links to accompanying entries in the titles).

Jimmy Driftwood and Friends

white man in hat leans on low wall next to dark haired woman in sunglasses and blond woman
Jimmy Driftwood, Jane Fonda, and Dolly Parton at the Driftwood Barn in Mountain View (Stone County); May 21, 1980. Driftwood arranged for Fonda to stay with local couple Lucy and Waco Johnson so she could study the characteristics of a “mountain woman” for her upcoming movie The Doll Maker.

Henry Thruston, Tallest Confederate Soldier

two men in suits standing with a very tall man with a suit and hat between them
Henry Clay Thruston, reportedly the tallest Confederate soldier in the Civil War.

Little Rock Nine Member Elizabeth Eckford, Past and Present

(we’re counting these companion photos as making up one media experience)
White crowd surrounding young African-American woman sitting on bench
Grace Lonegran Lorch (in checked dress) comforting Elizabeth Eckford, who is surrounded by an angry crowd at a bus stop after attempting to enter Central High School; September 4, 1957.
Older African American woman in yellow top sitting on bench
Elizabeth Eckford of the Little Rock Nine sitting on a commemorative bench, September 4, 2018. The bench is a replica of the bench where she took refuge from a mob of protesters outside Central High School on September 4, 1957.

Zerbe Air Sedan

men in field standing next to aircraft with multiple panels
The Zerbe Air Sedan in Fayetteville (Washington County); circa 1919.

The “Petticoat Government” of Yellville

eight white women posing in two rows for a photo, all but one wearing a hat
All-female city council of Yellville (Marion County); circa 1930. (Front row; left to right): Treasurer O’Beta Carson, Mayor Virginia (Virge) Walton, Recorder Lena Nowlin; (Back row; left to right): Alderwomen Elnora Record, Doll Thompson, Mag Hutchinson, Abbie Cowdrey, and Alma Berry.

The Williford Flood of 1962

smiling white girl with light hair and bangs and dress stading next to building up to her knees in flood water
Flood at Williford (Sharp County); 1962.

Slime Mold

yellow goo next to green plants
Myxomycete slime mold Fuligo septica.

Popeye Statue in Alma, “Spinach Capital of the World”

popeye statue with water coming out underneath with gazebo in background
Statue of Popeye in Alma (Crawford County) commemorating the city’s claim of being the “Spinach Capital of the World.” The bronze statue replaced a twenty-year-old statue made from fiberglass and papier-mâché.

Destruction of Bootleg Liquor in Russellville during Prohibition

drug store storefront on corner with men in light shirts and dark pants standing and watching men on wagon platform
Destruction of bootleg liquor in Russellville (Pope County); 1909.

Titan II Missile Silo Construction

large hole in ground with metal scaffolding
Construction of Titan II missile silo in central Arkansas, early 1960s.

Post Office at Norfork

two white women in dresses standing on porch with stairs with sign "post office norfolk ark"
Post office at Norfork (Baxter County); circa 1920s.

Arkansas/Arkansaw Travelers

three white women and one white man in wagon behind large mammal in front of small hut
Posing as “Arkansas Travelers” was a popular tourist pastime.

White Lightning Car

brown car on flatbed trailer with its hood up
Gator McKlusky Galaxie 500, Burt Reynolds’s car from the film White Lightning, featured in a Burt Reynolds celebration parade in Benton (Saline County); December 2, 2019.

Julie Adams

brownhaired woman in white one piece white swimsuit on ground with large monster above her
Publicity still of Betty May “Julie” Adams of Little Rock (Pulaski County), from the 1954 3-D thriller, Creature from the Black Lagoon.

All American Red Heads Women’s Basketball Team

seven white women in striped uniforms with white woman coach in pantsuit
The 1976 All American Red Heads team. (Left to right): “Spanky” Losier, Cheryl Clark, Lynnette Sjoquist, Charlotte Adams (coach), Susan Callahan, Marsha Tate, Wanda England, and Barbara Hostert.
These are just a small sample of what is on the site. We could have picked hundreds more! See for yourself by browsing the CALS EOA’s media library.
To celebrate 15 years of the EOA, consider making a one-time or recurring donation that will help us grow and maintain the EOA into the future.

Ali Welky is the associate editor of the CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas

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Ali Welky

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Encyclopedia of AR

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