Arkansas Post National Memorial!

What Is Arkansas Post National Memorial?

Arkansas Post National Memorial commemorates the first European settlement in modern Arkansas and the doom that befell it during the Civil War!

What Makes It Historical?

In 1686, French trapper, Henri de Tonti, made a deal with the local Quapaw tribe to set up a trading post called “Poste de Arkansea” next to their village of Osotouy! It was staffed by six folks until about 1700 when it was abandoned. The French government then stepped in to make it a permanent agricultural, then civil settlement and teamed up with the Quapaws to put down the Natchez Revolt in 1729!

At the end of the French and Indian War in 1763, France had to give up its land west of the Mississippi, and Spain took control of Arkansas Post until 1803. During that time, Spain brought slaves to the post and had a series of squabbles with British settlers on the other side of the Mississippi. This contributed to the Spanish taking the American side during the Revolutionary War, then changing gears and closing off the Mississippi River to American commerce. In the end, the Spanish had too much conflict on their hands, with the USA and with the Osage and Caddo tribes, and ultimately, France took possession of Arkansas Post once again.

Following the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Arkansas Post saw some big changes. Arkansas Post was briefly the capital of Arkansas Territory, establishing a state bank and a newspaper, until it moved to Little Rock. The Quapaw were kicked out of their ancestral homeland and relocated to Oklahoma. Nevertheless, Arkansas Post was double doomed, first losing the capital position, then the county seat spot, and by 1862, the Post was pretty much just a Confederate Fort called Fort Hindeman. The Union Army attacked in January of 1863, annihilated the last remnants of the Post, and took 5,000 prisoners. What little was left was eventually eroded away into the Arkansas River.

How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?

Pay the entrance fee to help maintain trails, signs, structures, and other visitor services!
Donate to Arkansas Post National Memorial!
Be a responsible visitor! Remember the old adages: Pack out what you pack in! Take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints!