Important Arkansas historical events and significant anniversaries for August 31, 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.
1864 — Federal expedition in the White River valley. Brig. Gen. Joseph R. West’s Union cavalry reached Grand Glaise in Jackson County on August 31, 1864, while infantry aboard the steamer Kate Hart struggled through unusually low water on the White River. Union troops observed Confederate detachments under Col. Archibald Dobbins, but navigation problems prevented the planned rendezvous.
1888 — Altus incorporated. The Franklin County town of Altus was incorporated August 31, 1888. Its name, from the Latin word for “high,” came from its position as the highest point on the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad. Altus later became the center of Arkansas’s wine-producing region. The area’s earlier history included Cherokee occupation under federal treaty arrangements before the Cherokee removal west in 1828…