Important Arkansas historical events and significant anniversaries for August 20, with notable births and deaths of people with Arkansas connections for this date. Information is drawn from state archives, historical societies, contemporary newspapers and other media archives, and legal records. Much of this information comes from the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, an online publication. ChatGPH has collected this data.
1822 — One of the earliest newspaper descriptions of the “Little Rock.” The Arkansas Gazette on August 20, 1822, described the rocky outcrop in the Arkansas River from which Little Rock took its name. The formation was also significant in Native American history: the 1818 Quapaw treaty used the Point of Rocks area in defining the Quapaw reservation boundary. The Quapaw connection makes the 1822 newspaper description especially important in the early history of both the city and Arkansas Territory.
1849 — Enslaved man lynched in Benton County. On August 20, 1849, a white mob in Benton County lynched an enslaved African American man identified only as Alph. According to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Alph had killed his enslaver, James Anderson, while Anderson was transporting him south to be sold away from his wife, who remained in Benton County…