Arkansas Traveler (folklore)

For for all alternative meanings, see Arkansas Traveler.
The Arkansas Traveller on his weary way (an advertisement from 1900 for ham)
The Arkansas Traveller on his weary way (an advertisement from 1900 for ham)
U. S. Air Force's Lockheed P-38 (October 1944) named the 'Arkansas Traveler' at Clastres Airfield, France
U. S. Air Force's Lockheed P-38 (October 1944) named the 'Arkansas Traveler' at Clastres Airfield, France

The Arkansas Traveler, or Arkansas Traveller, is a figure of American folklore and popular culture from the first half of the 19th-century.[1][2][3] The character is said to have originated with Sandford C. Faulkner.[1]

It has had a widespread impact on culture as the namesake of newspapers, radio and television shows, a baseball team, a fruit variety, and an honorary title awarded by the governor of the state of Arkansas.[4] The character has also been perceived as a discriminatory stereotype of 'hillbillies' and has been heavily criticized.

  1. ^ a b Pope, William F. (1895). Early Days in Arkansas: Being for the Most Part the Personal Recollections of an Old Settler. F. W. Allsopp. pp. 230–233. ISBN 978-0-89308-071-6.
  2. ^ "Arkansas History: The Story of the Arkansas Traveler". Arkansas Secretary of State. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  3. ^ "Encyclopedia of Arkansas". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  4. ^ Brown, Sarah (1987). ""The Arkansas Traveller:" Southwest Humor on Canvas". The Arkansas Historical Quarterly. 46 (4): 348–375. doi:10.2307/40025957. ISSN 0004-1823. JSTOR 40025957.