I’ve scoured the internet just for you, dear readers. This time, I was hunting for the oldest photos of Arkansas, and oh my stars, did I find a treasure trove. Below you’re going to find 13 of the oldest photos taken in the Natural State, the date range of these gems runs from just after the Civil War to 1915. From a youthful Cy Young training in Little Rock to poultry farming as you’ve never seen before, these historic Arkansas photos offer unique glimpses into the past. Let’s check them out.

1. The steamboat Sultana, loaded with Civil War veterans on their way home, just days before its massive explosion. This image was captured on April 27, 1865, on the Mississippi River at Helena. Days later, the sinking of the Sultana would go down as the biggest naval disaster in U.S. history.

2. The outlaw Belle Starr and Deputy U.S. Marshal Benjamin Tyner Hughes mounted on horseback in the mean streets of Fort Smith in 1886. This was when the fort was still an infamous border town tasked with doling out justice to the wilds of Oklahoma.

3. A game on the tennis courts of the 1886 Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs. This photo was taken between 1896 and 1900. It is no wonder the hotel is now considered to be the most haunted hotel in America.

4. The aftermath of a tornado in Fort Smith. This photograph was taken in 1898, long before the early warning systems that could have saved lives were in place.

5. The Ozark Queen is seen here unloading at Calico Rock, ca. 1900.

6. McLeod’s Cabin, which was called Happy Hollow. This image was captured in Hot Springs, circa 1901. This is a good reminder of a time when Arkansas truly was a frontier.

7. The J.K. Hughes Family, taken three years after they came to Arkansas from Georgia. Murfreeboro, 1903.

8. The Boston Red Sox at spring training in Little Rock, 1907. Can you spot Cy Young?

9. University of Arkansas football team, circa 1908. Though it is not known when "Calling the Hogs" became a tradition, if you hollered "woo pig sooie" at these fellows, they'd be mightily confused.

10. Unidentified family in a Ford in Dumas, ca. 1910. The adults appear to be a bit skeptical about the new technology.

11. A flock of goats being raised in the Ozarks. This was captured near Waldron in 1912 by workers on the Kansas City Southern Railway.

12. These men are preparing poultry for shipment near Gravette in 1912. This is another photo from a series by the Kansas City Southern Railway. It certainly is a far cry from Arkansas's poultry industry today.

13. These unidentified men are standing in front of an ice wagon pulled by mules. This image was captured in Hot Springs, ca. 1915.

What did you think of the oldest photos of Arkansas? Have you seen any of them before? It's always wild to take a look back through old photos and see how far we've come. Let us know if you'd like to see more of these types of articles in the comments below!

Still want to keep scrolling for more historic photos? Check out our previous article where we take a look at some of the mind-blowing photos of Arkansas's agricultural heritage.  And to learn some Arkansas history you may not have heard about in school, check out this article featuring terrifying stories about Arkansas.

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/arkansas/horrifying-historic-ar-stories/