Territory of Arkansas | |||||
Organized incorporated territory of the United States | |||||
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Capital |
Arkansas Post (1819–21) Little Rock (1821–36) |
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Government | Organized incorporated territory | ||||
Governor | |||||
• | 1819–1824 | James Miller | |||
• | 1825–1828 | George Izard | |||
• | 1829–1835 | John Pope | |||
• | 1835–1836 | William Savin Fulton | |||
History | |||||
• | Established | March 2, 1819 1819 | |||
• | Statehood | June 15, 1836 1836 |
The Territory of Arkansas, initially organized as the Territory of Arkansaw, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1819 until June 15, 1836, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Arkansas.
Arkansaw Territory (later Arkansas Territory) was created from the portion of the Missouri Territory lying south of a point on the Mississippi River at 36 degrees north latitude running west to the St. Francis River, then followed the river to 36 degrees 30 minutes north latitude, then west to the territorial boundary. This included all of the present state of Oklahoma south of the parallel 36°30' north. The westernmost portion of the territory was removed on November 15, 1824, a second westernmost portion was removed on May 6, 1828, reducing the territory to the extent of the present state of Arkansas.
Originally the western border of Missouri was intended to go due south to the Red River. During negotiations with the Choctaw in 1820, however, Andrew Jackson unknowingly ceded more of Arkansas territory. Then in 1824, after further negotiations, the Choctaw agreed to move farther west, but only by "100 paces" of the garrison on Belle Point. This resulted in the bend in the common border at Fort Smith, Arkansas.