Photo of Polk Bookout tending his flock by Howard Clark. From the Caroline Price Clark Collection. Housed at Shiloh Museum, Springdale, AR. 

As a part of the ongoing Smithsonian Habitat exhibition at Historic Cane Hill and with the support of the Arkansas Humanities Council, we are excited to present our first Habitat Humanities Series event, Farming in the Ozarks, which will be held on Saturday, June 18, 2022, beginning at 10 AM!

Life in the Ozarks has evolved in many ways over the centuries for those who have lived here, but one theme has always been constant–the human relationship with the land. Nature here has always provided for ample resources to live, yet technology has created growth for industry and large-scale agriculture in the region.

This program will highlight one of the most significant periods of this development in the Ozarks. University of Arkansas professor, historian, and Ozarks farmer, Jared Phillips, will bring to life the historic agricultural practices employed in this region during the early part of the 20th century. His talk will illuminate topics ranging from tools and crops to the impact of changing technology on Ozarks communities. After the discussion, Phillips will demonstrate the use of a horse-drawn hay cutter and explain the process of growing and harvesting hay and other crops in the era before tractors were common in the Arkansas uplands.

The program is free to attend, but registration is requested. Please register below. If you have any questions regarding this event, contact David Collins at david@historiccanehillar.org or call our offices at 479-824-4455.

This project is supported in part by a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.