Besides the literal meaning, Arkansas earned its nickname also for the wild lifestyles of the citizens at the time. Men often participated in bear fights, in attempts to demonstrate their masculinity by taking down a bear. Like it would be in today’s society, this activity was known as crazy and wild, and the citizens of Arkansas became depicted as such individuals. In a letter written to his wife, former Arkansas governor James Miller describes the society as “very uncultivated” and gives an account of the citizens staying up all night gambling and dancing, with women nursing their children “as unconcerned as at home in their nursery” (Governor Miller Letter). Bears were known to be a wild animal, so when stories of the wild Arkansas nights reached around the country, individuals saw a double meaning in calling Arkansas ‘the Bear State’. While the
Besides the literal meaning, Arkansas earned its nickname also for the wild lifestyles of the citizens at the time. Men often participated in bear fights, in attempts to demonstrate their masculinity by taking down a bear. Like it would be in today’s society, this activity was known as crazy and wild, and the citizens of Arkansas became depicted as such individuals. In a letter written to his wife, former Arkansas governor James Miller describes the society as “very uncultivated” and gives an account of the citizens staying up all night gambling and dancing, with women nursing their children “as unconcerned as at home in their nursery” (Governor Miller Letter). Bears were known to be a wild animal, so when stories of the wild Arkansas nights reached around the country, individuals saw a double meaning in calling Arkansas ‘the Bear State’. While the