By Joe David Rice Not many Arkansas convicts have been featured in four-page spreads in Life magazine. Nor have many been the subject of a song, much less half a dozen tunes. But Joseph Lytle Hilderbrand was not your usual Arkansas criminal. Sixty years ago, Hilderbrand was transported to the Tucker State Prison Farm in…
By Joe David Rice In early 1932, Arkansas’ voters did something no other state had ever done: elected a woman to serve in the U.S. Senate. A week after Sen. Thaddeus Caraway of Jonesboro died in office on November 6, 1931, Gov. Harvey Parnell appointed Hattie Caraway, his widow, to temporarily fill the vacancy. In…
By Joe David Rice I suspect we’ve all had at least one of those “Gosh, why didn’t I think of that” moments when a clever invention transforms ordinary people into multi-millionaires. That was my reaction when I first heard about Aromatique, the business birthed in the kitchen of Patti Upton’s lake house that has generated…
By Joe David Rice Let’s face it: Not many of us will be traveling to Paris, France, for Christmas. The holiday lighting along the Avenue des Champs-Elysées is simply stunning, I’m told, and the view from the spectacularly illuminated Eiffel Tower is nothing short of amazing. But it’s 4,650 long and expensive miles from The…
I’m a bit puzzled whether to write this piece in the present or past tense. But being an inherent optimist, I will make a leap of faith and assume – and fervently hope – this iconic bird still exists in the wilds of Arkansas. Called “the great chieftain of the Woodpecker tribe” by John James…
By Joe David Rice On average, some 60,000 vehicles pass through Conway every day on Interstate 40. If you’re one of those drivers and haven’t taken a local exit in recent years, it’s time to do so. You’ll find that this centrally-located town isn’t the sleepy little burg it was a couple of decades ago,…
By Joe David Rice About 250 miles northeast of the stomping grounds of the Fouke Monster lies another favorite haunt of cryptozoologists. It’s a stretch of the White River near Newport – and the quarry is an elusive beast aptly named the White River Monster. Although Native American lore is said to have passed down…
By Joe David Rice | Photos by Jamison Mosley & Camille Brewington Tippitt As AY’s travel editor, I’m charged with producing pieces that are objective – or something close to it. But that’s not going to happen with an article on Jonesboro. This fine Craighead County community, you see, is my hometown, the place where…
By Joe David Rice No way could I write this book without a mention of razorbacks. First, the fiercely beloved wild hog is the mascot of my alma mater, the University of Arkansas. But more importantly, the background story on this unique symbol presents a fascinating tale. Following its establishment in 1871, the University of…
By Joe David Rice | Photographs courtesy of the Harrison Chamber of Commerce Nicely situated about 35 miles south of Branson, Missouri, and 45 miles east of Eureka Springs, Harrison is often given short shrift by travelers on their way to these more established tourist destinations. And that’s a shame, because this Boone County community…
