About The Pulaskian. (Pulaski Heights [Little Rock], Ark.) 1915-1929
Pulaski Heights [Little Rock], Ark. (1915-1929)

The Pulaskian

Little Rock, Arkansas is the Pulaski County seat and home to the state capital. Little Rock is in central Arkansas and adjoins the foothills leading to the Ozark Plateau in the northwest, the Delta extending east to the Mississippi River, and plains stretching southwest into Texas. The city was part of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase and the first permanent European settlement began in 1820. In 1821, Little Rock became the territorial capital, and over the next century, it developed into an urban center.

In the late 1800s, Pulaski Heights was an affluent suburban neighborhood on the outskirts of Little Rock. It was incorporated as a town in 1905 and was originally restricted to all-white residence. Pulaski Heights was the beginning of Little Rock's westward growth, and in 1916, Little Rock voted to make it part of the city. Henry Franklin Auten developed Pulaski Heights and promoted it as a healthy place to live away from the dirty conditions of cities. After being incorporated into Little Rock, the area was further urbanized with sidewalks and paving. Churches and schools began to build in Pulaski Heights, along with businesses and a newspaper.

John C. Small started The Pulaskian in 1915 in Pulaski Heights, but he sold the paper the next year to Parke & Harper publishers. This publishing group was run by Augustus Winfred Parke and Clio Armitage Harper. Harper was a prominent Little Rock citizen who worked at several newspapers. He served as president of the Authors' and Composers' Society of Arkansas as well as the Little Rock Press Club, and he was poet laureate of the Arkansas Press Association. While working as owner and editor of The Pulaskian, Harper was doing the same for the Little Rock Trade Record (1916-19???) and the Arkansas Writer (1920-1922), a literary magazine. In addition, he was an active Democrat involved in city and state activities, such as the police committee and Arkansas State Council of Defense.

William F. Beck wrote one of the most popular columns in The Pulaskian, titled the "Pea Ridge Pod Man," a humorous column about "rambling around" Arkansas. Beck had previously published his own newspaper, The Pea Ridge Pod (1913-1916), in Pea Ridge and then in Siloam Springs. It was well known for its odd and humorous nature, and The New York Times (1857-current) wrote articles praising The Pea Ridge Pod. Despite its popularity, the paper did not have enough financial backing to continue. His paper folded, and Beck began writing his column for The Pulaskian and other newspapers.

The Pulaskian was published once a week, first on Fridays, then changing to Thursdays in 1920. It was one of the longer papers, typically publishing eight pages per issue. Harper brought his Democratic leanings to the pages of The Pulaskian. The paper focused on local news, but it included updates and pictures about World War I.

Provided by: Arkansas State Archives