Dardanelle in Yell County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)

Council Oak

Photographed By Darren Jefferson Clay, June 24, 2023

1. Council Oak Marker

Inscription. Upon this spot, under the Council Oak, acting Governor Robert Crittenden and Chief Black Fox, tribe spokesman, met in council April, 1820 and made the treaty, which gave to Arkansas all the Cherokee land south of the Arkansas River.

Erected 1930 by Daughters of the American Revolution of Arkansas.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Native Americans • Notable Events. In addition, it is included in the Daughters of the American Revolution series list. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1820.

Location. 35° 13.848′ N, 93° 9.531′ W. Marker is in Dardanelle, Arkansas, in Yell County. Marker can be reached from North Front Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1110 N Front Street, Dardanelle AR 72834, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Old Brearley Cemetery (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Dardanelle Confederate Monument (approx. half a mile away); Jefferson Davis Highway (approx. half a mile away); Yell County Council Oaks (approx. half a mile away); Yell County First Court House (approx. half a mile away); Action at Dardenelle (approx. half a mile away);

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Historic Downtown Dardanelle (approx. ¾ mile away); Brearley Cemetery (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Dardanelle.

More about this marker. The marker is located in Council Oaks Park.

Also see . . . Treaty of Council Oaks (Encyclopedia of Arkansas).

Excerpt: On June 24, 1823, Acting Governor Robert Crittenden of Arkansas Territory met with a group of Arkansas Cherokee; the place of their meeting been described in many sources on the south side of the Arkansas River in the vicinity of modern Dardanelle (Yell County), though this is debatable, as the agent for the Cherokee, Edward W. DuVal, was likely headquartered north of the river, the land south of the river having been reserved for the Choctaw. The leaders present included John Jolly (who was likely the most influential member of the group and would soon be elected principal chief of the Arkansas Cherokee), Black Fox, Wat Webber, Waterminnow, Young Glass, Thomas Graves, and George Morris. Each group came to the meeting with a different agenda, and neither group left the meeting satisfied. Both parties subsequently pressed their cases in
Photographed By Darren Jefferson Clay, June 24, 2023

2. Council Oak Marker
writing to Secretary of War John C. Calhoun, who at the time had supervisory authority over Indian affairs throughout the country.

Although this meeting is referred to as the “Treaty of Council Oaks,” it was actually not a treaty-making event. Crittenden, who did not in any event have the authority to initiate treaties with Indian tribes on behalf of the U.S. government without direction from Washington DC, supported the popular desire among non-Indians in the territory to see all Indian lands opened for white settlement and all tribes removed from the territory as soon as possible...

(Submitted on October 4, 2023.)

Credits. This page was last revised on October 4, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 29, 2023, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 68 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 4, 2023, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.