Here on the Grand Prairie you tread on
soil laid down over the centuries as the
mighty Mississippi and Arkansas Rivers
brought down their precious cargoes of
silt from the northern uplands.
The footprints of many were pressed into
this . . . — — Map (db m108486) HM
The Confederate scouts were alarmed. Looking down river to your right, one exclaimed, "One could hardly see anything in the background but smokestacks."
Union soldiers disembarked from their transports. All night, knee deep in mud, they . . . — — Map (db m108509) HM
You wouldn't have got us had it not been for your damned gunboats.
John Dunnington, colonel, chief of ordnance
Fort Hindman's cannon fired at the nine gunboats
bearing down on them. Confederate gunners had . . . — — Map (db m108072) HM
In the early 1800's the land in front of you was an important
center of trade and government on the edge of the Arkansas River
wilderness. Here were the homes, stores, taverns, mills,
docks, and busy streets of the Post of Arkansas. This . . . — — Map (db m108428) HM
The succession of outposts here, remote from centers of New
World empire, symbolized a dream of the imperial age: to
connect the Gulf of Mexico to North America's vast interior
by the great rivers that drained it.
Following British . . . — — Map (db m108485) HM
Spanish Explorer Hernan de Soto passed this way in 1542. Nearly
130 years later Father Marquette, the French missionary and explorer,
reached the nearby mouth of the Arkansas. In 1682 Robert Cavelier,
Sieur de la Salle, claimed this territory for . . . — — Map (db m108407) HM
During the American Revolution, Arkansas Post
belonged to the Spanish, allies of the American
patriots. In 1783, British partisans led by James
Colbert raided the Spanish village and fort here.
It was one of the last engagements of the . . . — — Map (db m108483) HM
Standing here in January 1863, you would have seen
Confederate Fort Hindman. In what is now the water, the
fort stood atop a 25-foot high bluff The fort's cannon could
fire a mile up or down the river to protect the breadbasket
of Arkansas. The . . . — — Map (db m108511) HM
On this site from September 1862 to January 1863 was the encampment of a celebrated Texas cavalry company. Captain Alf Johnson's Spy company was active in conducting reconnaissance and small unit actions near Helena while maintaining vigilance on . . . — — Map (db m107804) HM
Named for Captain Robert Crockett, grandson of the famous David (Davey) Crockett, this community was a flourishing river port during the second half of the 19th century. The Crockett Rifles (Company H, 1st Arkansas Infantry), first Confederate . . . — — Map (db m107807) HM
On January 9, 1863, Gen. John McClernand and Adm. David D. Porter led a 30,000 man army and a flotilla of Union gunboats up the Arkansas River to confront Gen. T.J. Churchill's 5,000 Confederates at Arkansas Post. The gunboats bombarded Fort Hindman . . . — — Map (db m107701) HM
Here on June 17, 1862 a Federal fleet of eight vessels attempted to force its way upstream past Confederate shore defenses commanded by Captain Joseph Fry. The Confederates disabled the Union gunboat Mound City with heavy casualties before . . . — — Map (db m107918) HM
J. Deane and Son was a hardware store that
served this area beginning in 1890. During the
steamboat era, St. Charles was a thriving river
boat community and this was its largest retail
outlet.
Founded by Joe Deane, who arrived here . . . — — Map (db m108563) HM
[Northeast face]
Officers and men killed on
the U.S.S. Mound City
{List of 124 dead}
[Northwest face]
Near this spot, on June 17, 1862,
a decisive engagement was
fought between the Conf-
ederates entrenched and
the . . . — — Map (db m108071) WM
Wolf Family Home
Even after the county seat moved, this house bustled with activity.
Arkansas became a state in 1836, and settlers followed the White River
hundreds of miles into the interior of north Arkansas. Thousands of these
settlers . . . — — Map (db m171528) HM
The Lewis & Clark Expedition was accomplished by Captain Meriwether Lewis, Captain William Clark, and their fellow explorers, and was the visionary journey of President Thomas Jefferson. The journey was to become one of America’s greatest . . . — — Map (db m91477) HM
Founded in 1889 has been entered into the National Registry of Historical Places by the United States Department of the Interior on 7-8-99. — — Map (db m224982) HM
Near this spring, in September
1857, gathered a caravan of 150 men,
women and children, who here began
the ill-fated journey to California.
The entire party, with the exception
of seventeen small children, was
massacred at Mountain Meadows, . . . — — Map (db m225305) HM
It is the former location of Hammerschmidt Lumber Co. and the First National Bank. It is now home of the Harrison flood of May 1961 mural (located inside) hand painted by Louis Fruend. This historic event commanded both national and international . . . — — Map (db m141869) HM
This stone "Beaver Spring" house
was built circa 1912. It replaced
a log house built over the spring
purportedly by Wilson A. Beaver.
Beaver purchased the land in
1857 from John Williams who
homesteaded the land in 1852.
The Indians & . . . — — Map (db m225151) HM
Crescent Spring was revered for its healing waters almost as much as the basin, the legendary Indian Healing Spring. Situated beside the Wagon Road on a hillside with a rocky outcropping described as "crescent" shaped, the spring was soon given . . . — — Map (db m80135) HM
The words "esto perpetua" emblazoned upon a stone above the entrance to Grotto Spring declare the prevailing belief that these healing waters would flow forth forever. Early townspeople discovered the spring under an overhanging rock ledge, a . . . — — Map (db m80121) HM
Named for J. Emmett Harding, a photographer who began the tradition of making photographs of people in front of the spring as souvenirs. He built a small dwelling near the spring in the summer of 1879.
In 1879, the spring was accessed by a . . . — — Map (db m80151) HM
The site of this spring was outside the area included in the 1879 survey. Known as East Mountain, this area was crowded with wood structures by 1885. The spring, which flowed from a small cave lined with projections of onyx stone, was already . . . — — Map (db m80152) HM
Any metal object placed in the spring
water was widely claimed to become
magnetized. It was also claimed that
exclusive use of the water from
Magnetic Spring would cure physical
debility and aid in overcoming drug
addiction. Drug addiction . . . — — Map (db m225223) HM
"It being the first street in town... it was named Main Street. But owing to its low elevation and the law of gravitation, the water would find a level in the street, and as the immense travel created an abundance of mud, the street was nicknamed . . . — — Map (db m80153) HM
This spring derived its name from early townspeople who declared the water to have a pleasant, sweet taste. The spring was originally located in the deep ravine below the present site. A long wooden stairway led from the spring to the narrow . . . — — Map (db m80115) HM
Sweet Spring Hotel
The Sweet Spring Hotel was established about 1887 at the corner of Pine Street and Spring, then known as Rice Street, with A.S. Capps as proprietor. The spacious three-story frame structure was painted white with dark . . . — — Map (db m80112) HM
Basin Bath House was established 1879 adjacent to Basin Spring by Dr. Alvah Jackson's son, Thomas. John S. Tibbs succeeded Jackson about 1880, operated bath house and Eureka Water Shipping Company. Building was destroyed by Great Fire of 1888, . . . — — Map (db m59969) HM
"It is sometimes called The Basin Springs, and is invariably the first resort for visitors. If there is any one in the city you desire to find, if no other way, go to the Basin Springs, seat yourself comfortable, and await his coming."
Prof. . . . — — Map (db m63300) HM
“… After his cure was an established fact, the news soon spread, passing from tongue to tongue, and other afflicted mortals, hearing this good news in the wilderness, at once turned their eyes and footsteps in the direction of the . . . — — Map (db m225170) HM
From the close of
the Civil War to
the beginning of the twentieth century, Cariola
Landing at Grand Lake was one of the largest
shipping points on the Mississippi River south
of Helena, Arkansas. Cotton from a large area
west and south of . . . — — Map (db m159402) HM
Site of the Eudora settlement's first business district. After a ferry across Bayou Macon was established in 1846, Cariola Landing was accessible to Arkansas Communities to the west and Louisiana towns to the south. Merchants built stores along the . . . — — Map (db m158053) HM
In April 1923 Lindbergh, then an unknown 21-year-old mail pilot, experienced engine trouble and landed his airplane on the now-abandoned golf course behind this site of the old Lake Village County Club. He remained in Lake Village overnight. During . . . — — Map (db m89779) HM
The town of Columbia was located on the Mississippi River about two miles east of this point. In 1833 the Chicot County seat was moved to Columbia from Villemont due to river bank erosion. Columbia became a thriving port and the location of a . . . — — Map (db m167545) HM
When Arkansas went to war in 1861, Lycurgus and Lydia Johnson and their family stayed with their home at Lakeport. By 1862, U.S. gunboats were common on the Mississippi River, and on Sept. 6, 1862, Confederate troops burned 158 bales of cotton at . . . — — Map (db m89797) HM
It is the morning of June 6, 1864. Rain has created a muddy mess. To your left are four cannon. To your right are 600 cavalrymen and two more cannon. These men served under Confederate Colonel Colten Greene. To your front is Ditch Bayou, and 700 . . . — — Map (db m90432) HM
The battle at Ditch Bayou was a Federal effort to drive Confederates away from the Mississippi River, where the Confederates had been harassing Union shipping. Even though the Confederates were outnumbered here, they were able to inflict heavy . . . — — Map (db m90418) HM
Approaching Marks Mills from the south General Joe Shelby's Missouri Division was ordered to move to the right in order to block the Marks Mills to Mt Elba Road preventing The Union forces from escaping across the Saline River.
Guided by . . . — — Map (db m121660) HM
So many horses and soldiers were killed that Salty Branch ran red with blood.
In 1864, Camden was a large town on the Ouachita River, as was Pine Bluff on the Arkansas River. Moro Bay, to the south, was the largest cotton shipping point . . . — — Map (db m121330) HM
Lewisburg A trading post and steamboat landing was founded near here in 1825 by Major William Lewis, his son Stephen D. Lewis and Dr. Nimrod Manifee. The location gave them land and river access. A town grew up around the trading post and . . . — — Map (db m237068) HM
The Arkansas River below you has a long history and continues to flow through time.
Bernard de La Harpe, the first European known
to explore the Arkansas River, arrived here in
1722. His expedition was commissioned by France
to establish . . . — — Map (db m233664) HM
This is the 16,000 pound anchor off the bow of the nuclear powered guided missile cruiser USS Arkansas, CGN-41. This anchor was placed here in grateful memory of those who served aboard her. Four ships of the United States Navy and one of the . . . — — Map (db m116687) HM
Camp Jesse Turner, located on Pickett Hill on the east side
of Van Buren (Crawford County), was a small, specialized
railroad training camp for soldiers to learn to operate
railroads captured in enemy territory, worldwide, during
World War II. . . . — — Map (db m244063) HM
The residents of Log Town were witness to the retreat of the Rebel army through Van Buren and onward through their settlement. High on Log Town Hill the community watched as masses of Southern soldiers crowded the hill trying desperately to reach . . . — — Map (db m96614) HM
From the front of his home, John Drennen could overlook the bustling port town of Van Buren, including the wharf originally known as Phillips Landing.
Until after the Civil War, the Arkansas River and the steamboats that plied its . . . — — Map (db m120427) HM
The Butterfield stage route
between Saint Louis and San
Francisco passed through the
main street of Van Buren,
Arkansas and crossed the
river at this point.
— — Map (db m96457) HM
After the Dec. 7, 1862, Battle of Prairie Grove, the Union Frontier Division set out to strike Confederate forces on the Arkansas River. On Dec. 27, 8,000 Union troops headed south through the Boston Mountains. They hit Van Buren on Dec. 28 and . . . — — Map (db m119954) HM
On April 27, 1865, the steamboat Sultana exploded on the Mississippi River. She was heading north, dangerously overloaded with some 2,200 passengers, most of them freed Union prisoners of war from the Andersonville and Cahaba camps. A . . . — — Map (db m116352) HM
Early on April 27, 1865, the overcrowded steamboat Sultana exploded on the Mississippi River near Marion, Arkansas. The vast majority of the Sultana's passengers, believed to number over 2000, were Federal soldiers, recently released . . . — — Map (db m116356) HM
News of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865 overshadowed the tragedy of the Sultana, which happened two weeks later.
The actual number of casualties from the SS Sultana is unknown, but some estimates are as high as 1,800. . . . — — Map (db m242015) HM
Front
Gen. Frederick Steele’s Union army left Camden on April 26, 1864, starting a retreat to Little Rock. Confederate pursuers caught up with them on April 29 on the Jenkins’ Ferry Road and began skirmishing. Union gunners of the 2nd . . . — — Map (db m121168) HM
The Arkansas Indians (the down stream people), a branch of the Quapaw tribe, lived in Desha County. Their presence was first recorded by Marquette and Joliet, French explorers, in 1673. They were known as les Beaux Hommes. La Salle while . . . — — Map (db m107809) HM
This important river port, county seat of Desha County from 1838 to 1874, was located 24 miles east at the junction of the Arkansas River with the Mississippi. The town was finally abandoned after most of it washed into the Mississippi River. — — Map (db m107758) HM
In mid-February 1863, Confederate troops at Cypress Bend fired on Union transports on the Mississippi River. On Feb. 19, a force of Union cavalry and mule-mounted infantry set out in pursuit. The Union troops drove off enemy pickets before . . . — — Map (db m107693) HM
Watson became the county seat of Desha County after Napoleon was abandoned to the Mississippi River. Lewis W. Watson donated the land and built the courthouse near this site. The county seat was moved to Arkansas City in 1880. Watson remained the . . . — — Map (db m107757) HM
The Hernando De Soto expedition is believed to have passed near Cadron en route to points west. Some researchers think the expedition crossed the Arkansas River
(River of Cayas) near what is now Dardanelle. — — Map (db m96641) HM
Joseph W. Harris of New Hampshire, received appointment to the Military Academy at West Point at the age of 17 and graduated in 1825. He was assigned to accompany a group of 750 Cherokees aboard the steamboat Yeatman. They were forced to land at . . . — — Map (db m97914) HM
[Stone monument]
Trail of Tears
1832-1840
Arkansas River valley
routes
Choctaw – Chickasaw
Muscogee Creek
Seminole – Cherokee
[Panel]
Trail of Tears Routes through Franklin County
1. Northern Route through . . . — — Map (db m236869) HM
This building was constructed by the Arkansas-Missouri Power Company in 1927. The generator and equipment inside are all original, with the exception of the oil circuit breaker which was replaced in 1956. At a cost of $11,000, the generator was . . . — — Map (db m192092) HM
The dam seen here was constructed in 1887 & 1888 for the Mammoth Spring Milling Company. Each stone was hand-quarried and fit into place using no mechanical equipment. The concrete structure, to your left on the far side of the dam, is all that . . . — — Map (db m192074) HM
Mammoth Spring has been designated a National Natural Landmark This site possesses exceptional value as an illustration of the Nation's natural heritage and contributes to a better understanding of man’s environment 1990 National Park . . . — — Map (db m192000) HM
How has the spring helped the development of Mammoth Spring? The constant flow of water provided a reliable source of power as early as 1835, when a grist mill was located on the banks of the river. As the city flourished, the dam was . . . — — Map (db m192165) HM
You are standing on the support for a bridge across Spring Lake. The bridge provided an important link between the train station and the city of Mammoth Spring. The first bridge, made of wood, was replaced by a steel bridge. The steel bridge was . . . — — Map (db m192168) HM
The buildings along Bathhouse Row are the latest stage in a succession of bathhouses. In the 1830s Hot Springs’ earliest facilities were makeshift shelters perched over individual springs. Later, elaborate Victorian bathhouses flourished along . . . — — Map (db m61774) HM
Spas thrive on pleasant diversions. In contrast to sedate Bathhouse Row, Happy Hollow developed a a free-wheeling carnival atmosphere.
At the turn of the century, Norman Mcleod opened an amusement park in the vicinity of this cold spring and . . . — — Map (db m145652) HM
Asa Thompson's bathhouse, built
in 1830, is credited with being
the spa's first public bathhouse.
At that time, almost all visitors
came in the summer. The open
baths, open log cabins and
sweathouses made warm weather
the only practical time . . . — — Map (db m211094) HM
The first White man to settle
near the hot springs was
Emmanuel Prudhomme of
Louisiana, who came in 1807
for reasons of his health. He
bathed in the springs and lived
in the temporary primitive
cabins that had been built
prior to his arrival. — — Map (db m211097) HM
Hot Springs' population reached
201 by 1860. At this time, there
were two hotels and a number
of smaller boarding houses that
took care of visitors. There were
seven bathhouses and some
smaller pavilions on the east
side of Hot Springs Creek. — — Map (db m211087) HM
In 1911 the Maurice Bathhouse Company replaced an elegant but wooden Victorian building with the bathhouse you see today. The Mediterranean style masonry structure set the standard for all other bathhouses on Bathhouse Row.
The building is awash . . . — — Map (db m211012) HM
The mission style of the Ozark Bathhouse may relate to the claim that Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto visited the hot springs. The building’s twin towers are strictly decorative. On Bathhouse Row, the Quapaw, the Fordyce, and Hale Bathhouses, . . . — — Map (db m61794) HM
The Caddo, Quapaw, and Choctaw tribes lived in or visited the area during the 1700s and 1800s. This edifice pays homage to their lasting influence. The owners named the bathhouse for the Quapaw Indians, and incorporated an Indian head design over . . . — — Map (db m61795) HM
This spring remained open long after others were enclosed and diverted to bathhouses. It was common for the water of each hot spring to have a reputation for curing particular ailments, and the shallow water in this pool led naturally to foot . . . — — Map (db m145651) HM
Jenkins Ferry
In 1846, Thomas Jenkins paid the Saline County clerk $1 to register to “keep a ferry” and charge travelers to cross the Saline near the mouth of Cox’s Creek when the river was at flood stage. Gen. Frederick . . . — — Map (db m121204) HM
Tablet #1 Jenkins' Ferry State Park Act 10 of 1961 authorized this 37-acre state park as a commemorative site and recreation area. The park includes the ferry site where you are standing. The ferry was operated by the Jenkins' family . . . — — Map (db m37304) HM
Front
Both Union and Confederate cavalry moved north of Jenkins’ Ferry on April 29, 1864. Lt. Col. Benjamin Elliott’s 1st Missouri Cavalry Battalion had been sent to Princeton on the 28th to seek Gen. Frederick Steele’s army as it . . . — — Map (db m121182) HM
Gen. Frederick Steele led a Union army from Little Rock on March 23, 1864, to join an invasion of Texas. Confederate skirmishers harassed the army as it reached Rockport March 27. An inflatable pontoon bridge, in 34 wagons and served by men of the . . . — — Map (db m121148) HM
The first steamboat to navigate the White River to Batesville was the Waverly which arrived in 1831 with Capt. Phillip Pennywitt as master and Capt. Thomas Todd Tunstall as pilot. The steamboat provided major transportation for both freight and . . . — — Map (db m153565) HM
In spring 1862, Confederate Gen. Thomas Hindman sent the C.S.S. Maurepas under Capt. Joseph Fry up the White River to destroy Union supplies at Jacksonport and Grand Glaize. Fry arrived on June 2, 1862, and began shelling Jacksonport. Union . . . — — Map (db m116187) HM
Here on June 5, 1865 Confederate General Jeff Thompson formally surrendered the army of Northern Arkansas to Union military authorities. More than five thousand officers and enlisted men who served under Thompson were paroled here, as were . . . — — Map (db m116199) HM
In the late 1700s this area became a trade center due to its location on the White River near the mouth of the Black River. In 1833, Thomas Todd Tunstall, piloted one of the first steamboats to venture up the White River. Shortly thereafter he . . . — — Map (db m221246) HM
Jacksonport's unique location at the meeting of the Black and White Rivers shaped its history and natural resources. Founded as a river port town in the mid-19th century, it thrived on the steamboat trade. This traffic made the town a center of . . . — — Map (db m221244) HM
Wabbaseka Memorial Committee
Post Office Box 11
Wabbaseka, AR 72176
Attention: Jason Irby, Chairman
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Congratulations to you and all the citizens of the State of Arkansas as you commemorate the 100th . . . — — Map (db m167483) HM
Clarksville in the Civil War
Clarksville was a key point in the defense of the Arkansas River Valley during the Civil War. Confederate troops occupied the town several times before Union forces took Little Rock and Ft. Smith, gaining . . . — — Map (db m96447) HM
The first anthracite coal was mined near here on the land of E.B. Alston by a Mr. Walker in 1840. Sample of coal were taken to Little Rock and examined by William E. Woodruff, who pronounced it superior to that found in Pennsylvania. Mr. Walker went . . . — — Map (db m96638) HM
In 1815 Lawrence County was formed from the Territory of Missouri. It became part of the Arkansas Territory in 1819 when Missouri became a state. Thirty-one other counties were formed from Lawrence County, giving it the name, "Mother of Counties." . . . — — Map (db m155965) HM
For early Powhatan, this river was the source of life and connection to the outside world.
The river originates in Missouri, north of Johnson's Shut-Ins and flows south into the White River at Jacksonport. Powhatan is the northern
most . . . — — Map (db m242391) HM
Star City was laid off in 1871 as the County Seat of the newly created Lincoln County which was named in honor of President Abraham Lincoln. It was the center of many Indian trails and early roads which ran from Mississippi River landings back into . . . — — Map (db m229496) HM
Anderson Ferry, on Little River 2 miles north of this point, was in operation during the early 1800's. It served the pioneers traveling to southwest Arkansas and Texas on the Old Southwest Trail. Anderson Ferry provided a passage from Old Paraclifta . . . — — Map (db m121276) HM
Used to power the Hollinsworth Grist Mill on Little North Fork River in North Fork Township of Marion County.
Mill was built by Robert and Lemuel Hollinsworth in 1885 and operated until 1933.
This Leppel or double turbine water wheel and the . . . — — Map (db m93812) HM
The Spring Bank Ferry operated on the Red River connection Miller and Lafayette counties via state Highway 160. This ferry is recorded in history as being the oldest operating ferry in southwest Arkansas.
According to records from Mrs. Kelly . . . — — Map (db m181760) HM
This plaque placed in honor of
William Richardson Blanton •
James Deas Blanton •
William "Kelley" Blanton, Sr. •
William "Kelley" Blanton, Jr.
Owners/Operators of the Spring Bank Ferry — — Map (db m181621) HM
Mark Twain referred to Osceola as "the famous and formidable Plum Point" in his book, Life on the Mississippi, as well as other writings. First established in 1837 as Plum Point, Osceola was incorporated in 1853. From this vantage point, one could . . . — — Map (db m36301) HM
Floods of 1927 and 1937 overwhelmed eastern Arkansas, destroying cotton crops and countless homes. To prevent future loss of life and economic devastation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the St. Francis Levee District built an extensive levee . . . — — Map (db m36330) HM
This park preserves and protects two of Arkansas's greatest heritages: The "initial point" of the 1815 Louisiana Territory land survey and one of the state's few "headwater" swamps. The elevated boardwalk allows for safe viewing of the park's . . . — — Map (db m155180) HM
Development In 1682, one hundred and forty years after Hernando de Soto and his conquistadors searched for treasure in the vast regions west of the Mississippi River, the French explorer, LaSalle, claimed all the land, resources and peoples of . . . — — Map (db m155192) HM
Louisiana Purchase Historic State Park is situated in an unusual habitat — a "headwater" swamp. This swamp differs greatly from the more common "backwater" swamps. Found within the floodplain zones of large streams and rivers, backwater swamps . . . — — Map (db m155188) HM
In the fall of 1864, much of the Confederate infantry in Arkansas was ordered to move to Camden to protect the approaches to Texas during General Sterling Price’s absences in being transferred to the Missouri Campaign.
In September 1864, . . . — — Map (db m106889) HM WM
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