Native Americans lived in great numbers along the White River (Eau Blanche) when the first French traders ascended the river to the area later noted on early maps as McNulty's Bluff, Pigeon Roost Township, Pulaski County. Disease, insects, and dense . . . — — Map (db m172148) HM
First Presbyterian Church
Des Arc, Arkansas
has been place on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior — — Map (db m172139) HM
The first court house in Prairie County erected in 1846, was located in the town of Brownsville, where it remained until 1873, when it was removed to Devalls Bluff, in 1875 the seat of justice was moved to Des Arc, where it has since remained. — — Map (db m172136) HM
With the possible exception of Helena, it is unlikely that any place in Arkansas had as many Union troops pass through it as did DeValls Bluff. Some saw the town when it was first occupied in September 1863, others stood garrison duty there, while . . . — — Map (db m96671) HM
DeValls Bluff was strategically important to both the Union and Confederate armies as a major White River port and as head of the Memphis and Little Rock Railroad. It became a key Union supply depot after its fall 1863 occupation, as well as a . . . — — Map (db m96455) HM
DeValls Bluff’s status as an excellent riverport and the head of the Memphis and Little Rock Railroad made it an important base for both Confederate and Union forces. Hoping to block Federal ships from moving up the White River, Major Gen. Thomas . . . — — Map (db m96666) HM
DEVALL’S BLUFF, ARKANSAS
August 23, 1863.
GENERAL: Having reconnoitered the different routes, I have decided to commence my line of operations at this point, and have moved the depot and hospital here to-day. The site chosen is a . . . — — Map (db m96672) HM
Rising from the Boston Mountains, the White River meanders 720 miles to its junction with the Arkansas River in the southeastern part of the state. The fast-moving water kept the White River from suffering the build-up of silt that made such rivers . . . — — Map (db m96674) HM
The Memphis and Little Rock Railroad was the first railroad to run in Arkansas. It was chartered in 1853, but when the Civil War began, only two sections were complete. One, running from DeValls Bluff to north of Little Rock, was finished in . . . — — Map (db m96454) HM
On the eve of the Civil War, the Memphis to Little Rock Railroad had completed a line between Hopefield across the Mississippi River from Memphis and Madison in eastern Arkansas. A second section between DeValls Bluff and the north side of the . . . — — Map (db m96673) HM
With a swift current and deep channel that allowed deeper-draft vessels to use it reliably as far north as Batesville, the White River was the most important river in Civil War Arkansas and was used extensively by both sides.
The Confederate . . . — — Map (db m96669) HM
DeValls Bluff was ideally situated to be an important location in the Civil War. The riverport was located at a point on the White River that was navigable at all seasons, a distinct advantage over Arkansas River sites that were frequently isolated . . . — — Map (db m96667) HM
