Northeast Arkansas Discovery Tour

Northeast Arkansas Discovery Tour. . , Welcome to Northeast Arkansas Pick up your Discovery our guide in the part visitor for center., From pre-history to today, people have come here for a variety of reasons. Settlers found a state rich in wildlife and wilderness. Ancient peoples, and native people here, explorers, planters, builders and visionaries who would shape the frontier of America all called this region home. Enjoy discovering their stories., Parkin Archeological State Park , Parkin, Arkansas , 870-755-2500 . [email protected] , The Parkin site, in the heart of Arkansas's Delta, is a natural beginning to the Discovery Tour, as it is where "history" began in Arkansas. Although evidence exists of early habitation around what is now known as the state of Arkansas, it is at the Parkin site where written evidence provides documentation of the events and native people here., This 17-acre site on the St. Francis river was occupied during the Mississippian period, approximately A. D. 1000 to 1600. The height of the Mississippian culture is exemplified through pottery, earthworks, and other clues held silently in the soil, and dis played in award winning exhibits., Parkin is home to one of ten Arkansas Archeological Survey Research Stations, and archeologists are continuously learning about the people who left their stories behind. Artifacts and the first-person accounts of de Soto's expedition, the only description of the native population in what became Arkansas, tell of this powerful culture. , The Parkin site's importance is emphasized by National Historic Landmark designation, and National Register of Historic Places listing is also home to one of ten Arkansas Archaeological Survey Research Station., Allow about 2.5 hours to see the exhibits and archeological lab, and enjoy a walk on the paved 3/4-mile trail through the village site, or spend a day during one of many special events.