Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Little Rock

LITTLE ROCK, capital of the State of Arkansas, United States, as well as of Pulaski county, is situated on the south bank of the Arkansas river, about 250 miles from its mouth, and near the centre of the State. It derives its name from occupying the top of a rocky cliff about 50 feet in height, which is much less conspicuous than the precipitous cliffs that line the river just above the city. The river, which is navigable by large steamers to this point during two-thirds of the year, is crossed here by an iron drawbridge on the St Louis, Iron Mountain, and Southern Railway. Little Rock, founded in 1820, contains the State house, the State asylums for the blind and for deaf mutes, the State prison, the State library, St John's Military College, and other schools. It is also the seat of the United States court of the eastern district of Arkansas, and a United States arsenal and land office. Flour-mills, carriage-works, and foundries are among the chief industrial establishments. Population in 1880, 13,138.