The single school district of Little Rock is a corporation distinct from the city, its territory including only that portion of the city which is south of the river. Here there are 20 schools, with 24 buildings, of which five schools with five buildings are for the colored children, 325 teachers and an en rollment of 11,425, of whom 1,607 are colored. The school census shows a total of 15,000, of which about 3,500 are colored. The North Little Rock school district, including so much of the city as lies north of the river,. has in all six school buildings, two of which are for col ored children, 15 teachers and an attendance of 885. The school census shows that 2,600 are entitled to attend the public school in that district. Besides the public schools there are private and parochial For higher edu cation the Little Rock College for boys and Saint Mary's Academy for girls, both Catholic institutions, are the largest; the University of Arkansas, the main departments of building of which are located at Fayetteville, has branch schools of •law and medicine located here. Be sides these are the Arkansas Military Academy, a military training school, and the Philander Smith College for colored youths.
. When the territory now known as Arkansas passed to the United States in 1803, the site of the future capital was an un broken wilderness. By the act of Congress of 2 March 1819, the seat of government of the newly created territory was fixed at the Post of Arkansas on the Arkansas River some 30 miles above its confluence with the Missis sippi. On 24 Oct. 1820, an act was passed re
moving the capital to Little Rock. It has been aptly said that so manifest was the destiny of the future city that it was made the seat of government before it had become a town. A post office was established on 10 April 1820. It was incorporated as a town 27 Oct. 1825. It is said that the inhabitants numbered only 450 in 1830. On 2 Nov. 1835 it was, by special act, incorporated as a city. When the momen tous question of secession arose in 1861, a con vention was called by the legislature to meet at Little Rock, which adopted an ordinance dis solving the union existing between the State of Arkansas and those united with her under the compact entitled, uThe Constitution of the United States of America?' On 10 Sept. 1863, Little Rock was captured by the Northern army under General Steele and remained in posses sion of the Federal forces during the remain der of the war. The unexpected increase in the population between the years 1860 and 1870, covering the period of the Civil War, may perhaps he attributed to the fact that during that period of disintegration society was form ing new associations. The growth of the city since 1880 has been constant and rapid. Pop. (1850) 2,167; (1870) 12,380; (1890) 25,874; (1900) 38,307; (1910) 45,941.