"First Place Landscape - Youth" by Austin Freeman , public domain
Arkansas PostNational Memorial - Arkansas |
The Arkansas Post (French: Poste de Arkansea) was the first European settlement in the lower Mississippi River Valley and present-day Arkansas when Henri de Tonti established it in 1686 as a French trading post on the banks of the lower Arkansas River.
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Official Visitor Map of Arkansas Post National Memorial (NMEM) in Arkansas. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Official Visitor Map of Trail of Tears National Historic Trail (NHT) in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Map of the U.S. National Park System. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Map of the U.S. National Park System with DOI's Unified Regions. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Map of the U.S. National Heritage Areas. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
brochures
Official Brochure of Arkansas Post National Memorial (NMEM) in Arkansas. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
https://www.nps.gov/arpo/index.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkansas_Post
The Arkansas Post (French: Poste de Arkansea) was the first European settlement in the lower Mississippi River Valley and present-day Arkansas when Henri de Tonti established it in 1686 as a French trading post on the banks of the lower Arkansas River.
Located at the confluence of two rivers, Arkansas Post has served as a gathering place for many cultures throughout human history - it represents cultural cooperation, conflict, synthesis, and diversity.
Arkansas Post National Memorial is located in southeastern Arkansas. The entrance to the park is on Arkansas Hwy 169, seven miles south of Gillett, via US Hwy 165 (The Great River Road), and about 20 miles northeast of Dumas, via US 165.
Arkansas Post Visitor Center
View the park movie, "Arkansas Post: Echoes of the Past" and explore museum exhibits reflecting over three hundred years of human history at Arkansas Post.
From DeWitt, Arkansas: Follow State Hwy. 165 south for 18 miles and turn left onto State Hwy. 169. Proceed 2 miles and turn right onto Old Post Road at the dead end. Continue for .8 miles to the Visitor Center. From Dumas, Arkansas: Follow State Hwy. 165 north for 15 miles and turn right onto State Hwy. 169. Proceed 2 miles and turn right onto Old Post Road at the dead end. Continue for .8 miles to the Visitor Center.
Arkansas Post National Monument
confluence of two rivers
Located at the confluence of two rivers, Arkansas Post has served as a gathering place for many cultures.
Arkansas Post National Monument
the Alligator Slough footbridge
The Alligator Slough footbridge
Arkansas Post National Monument
Arkansas Post National Memorial is in the Lower Mississippi Riverine Forest ecoregion.
Located at the confluence of two rivers, Arkansas Post has served as a gathering place for many cultures throughout human history - it represents cultural cooperation, conflict, synthesis, and diversity.
Arkansas Post National Monument
Over the three centuries of history at Arkansas Post, the area has been greatly changed by both natu
Located at the northern edge of the Gulf coastal plain, the Arkansas Post's native growth ranges from prairie grasses and lowland hardwood forests to wetland marshes near the bayous and river.
Living History
Arkansas Post National Monument cannon firing
During the Civil War, Confederate troops tried to maintain tactical control of the confluence of the Arkansas and White Rivers, and in 1862 they constructed a massive earthen fortification known as Fort Hindman at the Post. In January 1863 Union troops d
Wildland Fire in Arkansas' National Parks
Wildland fire impacts each of the national parks in Arkansas in one way or another. The National Park Service manages wildland fire to protect the public; park communities and infrastructure; conserve natural and cultural resources; and maintain and restore natural ecosystem processes.
A prescribed fire is monitored by a firefighter on an all-terrain vehicle.
The Border States
The existence of divided populations in Border States had a profound impact on Union and Confederate strategy-both political and military. Each side undertook military and political measures--including brutal guerilla warfare-- in their attempts to control areas of divided loyalty and hostile moral and political views held by local civilians.
Painting showing removal of Missouri civilians from their homes by Union troops
The War and Westward Expansion
With Federal resources focused on waging the war farther east, both native tribes and the Confederacy attempted to claim or reclaim lands west of the Mississippi. The Federal government responded with measures (Homestead Act, transcontinental railroad) and military campaigns designed to encourage settlement, solidify Union control of the trans-Mississippi West, and further marginalize the physical and cultural presence of tribes native to the West.
Painting Westward the Course of Empire Takes its Way showing settlers moving into the American west
NPS Geodiversity Atlas—Arkansas Post National Memorial, Arkansas
Each park-specific page in the NPS Geodiversity Atlas provides basic information on the significant geologic features and processes occurring in the park. Links to products from Baseline Geologic and Soil Resources Inventories provide access to maps and reports.
pond and shoreline trees
The Civilian Experience in the Civil War
After being mere spectators at the war's early battles, civilians both near and far from the battlefields became unwilling participants and victims of the war as its toll of blood and treasure grew year after year. In response to the hardships imposed upon their fellow citizens by the war, civilians on both sides mobilized to provide comfort, encouragement, and material, and began to expect that their government should do the same.
Painting of civilians under fire during the Siege of Vicksburg
Volunteer Bird Monitoring at Arkansas Post National Memorial
Heartland Network staff and volunteers monitor birds within the park during the Spring-breeding season. Volunteers are key to the success of this monitoring effort as they are able to survey birds in years when the Heartland Network is not scheduled to do so. This allows Heartland staff to establish continuous records on bird population trends for the park.
Northern Cardinal
Bird Community Monitoring at Arkansas Post National Memorial, 2019
Birds are an important part of the world we live in. Arkansas Post National Memorial is located in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley Bird Conservation Region. About 42% of the birds that breed at the park are in decline in the region. The Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network measures changes in birds and their habitat to determine the health of bird communities and park ecosystems. This information can help managers take effective steps to protect park habitat.
Many black waterbirds (coots) lifting in flight from the surface of a lake.
Deer Monitoring at Arkansas Post National Memorial
Deer are one of the more charismatic creatures you can find at Arkansas Post National Memorial. NPS scientists monitor deer at the memorial using nighttime spotlight surveys. We track deer populations to understand how they may be changing over time. Too many deer can causes increases in disease, damage to park landscapes, and collisions with cars.
Group of deer at Arkansas Post National Memorial.
Problematic Plant Monitoring at Arkansas Post National Memorial
Problematic plants include invasive plants, nonnative plants, and what we sometimes refer to as weeds. These plants can cause harm to ecosystems and even to people. We have identified 28 problematic plants at Arkansas Post National Memorial since 2006. Control efforts have focused on four species. Plant surveys help determine which management actions are appropriate and track the success of our control efforts.
A person holding a chainsaw next to small cut trees
An Account of 'Colbert's Raid'
Early in the morning of April 17, 1783, British partisans commanded by James Colbert attacked the settlement at Arkansas Post, and laid siege to the Spanish fort. Ultimately a Spanish victory, Colbert’s Raid is significant as one of the last engagements of the Revolutionary War, and as a battle far removed from the American colonies between European powers.
Painting of a dozen men with guns running out from a wooden fort toward soldiers in a forest.
Things to Do in Arkansas
Find things to do and trip ideas in Arkansas.
Front of a high school made of brown brick that rises to a high point in the middle with stairways.
Series: Things to Do in the Midwest
There is something for everyone in the Midwest. See what makes the Great Plains great. Dip your toes in the continent's inland seas. Learn about Native American heritage and history. Paddle miles of scenic rivers and waterways. Explore the homes of former presidents. From the Civil War to Civil Rights, discover the stories that shape our journey as a nation.
Steep bluff with pink sky above and yellow leaves below.
Updated Species Database Will Help Boost Amphibian Conservation Across the National Park Service
To steward amphibians effectively, managers need basic information about which species live in parks. But species lists need constant maintenance to remain accurate. Due to recent efforts, the National Park Service now has an up-to-date amphibian species checklist for almost 300 parks. This information can serve as the basis for innumerable conservation efforts across the nation.
A toad sits on red sand, looking into the camera.
Deer Monitoring at Arkansas Post National Memorial in Arkansas, 2024
Heartland Network scientists monitor deer at Arkansas Post National Memorial using nighttime spotlight surveys. We track deer populations to understand how these charismatic animals may be changing over time. Too many deer can cause increases in disease, damage to park landscapes, and collisions with cars. Our monitoring information helps park managers protect deer, other animals, park habitats, and people.
Four deer browsing in a grassy area on the edge of a forest.
Transformative land management at NPS’ Arkansas Park Zone
In 2024, the Arkansas Park Fire Management Zone achieved significant milestones through initiatives funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). With BIL funding, the Arkansas Park Zone treated over 1,400 acres of high-risk land.
Flames consume dead and down wood and limbs in a forest near structures.
Heartland Network Junior Scientist
You can be a Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network Junior Scientist! Explore what it is like to be a scientist that monitors plants, animals, and their habitats national parks. You will explore the 15 parks of the Heartland Network, make observations, identify animals and plants, and learn why scientists use scientific names for organisms. Visit a Heartland Network Park to complete the activities in the booklet or download the booklet here.
A flowering prairie on the cover of a junior scientist booklet.
Arkansas Post
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
National Memorial
Arkansas
By the late 1600s European powers were racing to carve up the new
world. In 1686 the French moved southfrom the St. Lawrence Valley
to plant thefirst European settlement in the lower Mississippi Valley.
Arkansas Post was to be a staging point for Mississippi River trade
between New France and the Gulf of Mexico. Over the two centuries
of the settlement's life the events surrounding it typified the conflicts
and changes that transformed precarious European trading posts
PHOTOGRAPH ABOVE: NPS/KEN LAFFAL. REPRODUCTION Of QUAPAW ROBE MADE BY ARDINA MOORE.
Exploration and Settlement
Nineteenth-Century Town
Civil War and Decline
1682 French explorer Robert Cavelier, sieur de
La Salle, grants land along the Arkansas River
to Henri de Tonti. Four years later Tonti establishes a trading post there near the Quapaw
Indian village of Osotouy. Quapaw and French
become allies; Quapaw protect the French from
other Indian tribes. In 1687 survivors of La
Salle's 1684 expedition reach Arkansas Post:
"Looking over to the further side [of the river]
we discovered a great cross... and a house
built after the French fashion."
1803 France, having regained Louisiana from
Spain in 1800, sells the territory to the U.S.
1861 In May Arkansas joins the Confederacy.
1699 By this date the post is abandoned due
to a glut in beaver pelts and British competition. In 1721 the post is reestablished with a
French military garrison. Nearby settlers grow
some crops, but most continue semi-nomadic
hunting and trapping life. Flooding and Chickasaw raids in 1749 force the post to move upriver. After war with England begins the post
moves downriver, nine miles from the Mississippi, to protect French river convoys.
1819 Arkansas Post is named capital of the
new Arkansas Territory. Arkansas Gazette begins publishing. Log houses join existing French
dwellings with high pointed roofs. Naturalist
Thomas Nuttall notes: "Blankets . .. moccasins,
and overalls of the same materials, are . . . the
prevailing dress." Tensions build between the
French and growing numbers of American
farmers, with Washington Irving noting that
the more insular French thought Americans
"trouble themselves with cares beyond their
horizon and import sorrow thro the newspapers from every point of the compass."
1763 France cedes west Louisiana (most of
present-day central United States) and New
Orleans to Spain after French and Indian War
(1756 to 1763). Spain develops fur trade along
river routes (see image above) and an alliance
with the Quapaw.
1779 Because of flooding, Spain moves the
fort back near the site of the old French settlement, renaming the post Fort Carlos III.
1783 During the American Revolution (in
which Spain aids the colonies) James Colbert
and a band of British partisans and Chickasaw
Indians attack the fort but are driven back by
a Spanish and Quapaw counterattack.
1803-1819 Arkansas Post is part of Louisiana.
The U.S. Government opens a trading post in
1805 but cannot compete with private traders.
The 1810 population is about 500, mostly
French, with some African-American slaves
and free people of color. By 1817 hunting and
trapping culture is giving way to a farming
economy.
1821 Little Rock becomes the capital, dampening Arkansas Post's economy. The area population falls to 114 by 1830. A visitor notes the
town's "forlorn and desolate appearance."
1824 U.S. forces the Quapaw to relocate.
1830s With the availability of prime land, slave
labor, and transportation, Arkansas Post thrives
as a center of cotton production and a major
river port (see image above). By the 1840s the
boom subsides, and in 1855 the county seat
moves to another site; the town declines.
1862 As Union forces get uncomfortably close
to Little Rock, the Confederate government
builds earthwork forts along the Arkansas River
to defend the capital. Fort Hindman at Arkansas Post is 190 feet square, armed with 11 rifled
guns and smoothbores. Some 5,000 soldiers are
housed at the fort and in nearby huts. They dig
rifle pits from the fort to Post Bayou. (See map
on other side of this brochure.)
1863 With the fort a threat to Union supply
lines, Gen. John McClernand brings 30,000
infantry upriver, supported by Rear Adm. David
Porter's gunboat fleet. On January 10 they attack, the gunboats (see image above) keeping
up heavy fire on the fort as the infantry pushes
back the Confederate front line troops. The
next day the gunboats put the fort's big guns
out of commission, then loft exploding shells
over the fort. The shrapnel raining down on
the trenches takes its toll: late in the afternoon
white flags begin going up. The Confederates—60 killed and 80 wounded, with 4,971
taken prisoner. The Federals—134 killed, 898
wounded, and 29 missing.
Post-Civil War The town never recovers from
the shelling, and declining river traffic and railroads undermine its importance as a port.
Erosion claims parts o