- Arkansas Post National Memorial
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Arkansas Post National Memorial IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)
Location Arkansas County, Arkansas, USA Nearest city Pine Bluff, Arkansas Coordinates 34°01′08″N 91°20′56″W / 34.0189903°N 91.3490083°WCoordinates: 34°01′08″N 91°20′56″W / 34.0189903°N 91.3490083°W[1] Area 757.51 acres (306.55 ha)
(663.91 acres (268.67 ha) federal) [2]Established July 6, 1960 Visitors 32,160 (in 2009)[3] Governing body National Park Service Arkansas Post National Memorial, located about 8 miles (13 km) southeast of Gillett, Arkansas, commemorates key events related to European-American history that occurred on site and in the vicinity: the trading post was the first successful French (and European) settlement in the Lower Mississippi River Valley (1686); site of an American Revolutionary War era skirmish (1783); the first territorial capital of Arkansas (1819–1821); and site of the American Civil War Battle of Fort Hindman (1863).
Contents
History
Henri de Tonti
Arkansas Post was founded in 1686 by Henri de Tonti as a trading post at the site of a Quapaw Indian village named Osotouy, near where the Arkansas River enters the Mississippi River. There the French conducted the first documented Christian services in present-day Arkansas. The site became a strategic point for France, Spain, the United States, and the Confederate States at different times during its history. During its time as a trading post there were three known locations and possibly a fourth as the area was prone to flooding.
On 17 April 1783, Indian trader James Colbert conducted a raid against Spanish forces controlling Arkansas Post, as part of a small campaign against the Spanish on the Mississippi River.
In 1803 Arkansas Post became a part of the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase. The post was selected as the first capital of the new Arkansas Territory, and became the center of commercial and political life in Arkansas. When the territorial capital was moved in 1821 to Little Rock, Arkansas Post lost much of its importance.
During the American Civil War, the Post was an important strategic site, as it was at the confluence of two major rivers. In 1862, the Confederate Army constructed a massive defensive earthwork known as Fort Hindman, named after Confederate General Thomas C. Hindman. It was located on a bluff 25 feet above the river on the north bank, with a mile view up and downriver. It was designed to prevent Union forces from going upriver to Little Rock, and to disrupt Union movement on the Mississippi. On January 9–11 of 1863, Union forces conducted an amphibious assault on the fortress backed by ironclad gunboats. They destroyed both the fort and the civilian areas of Arkansas Post.
Administrative history
The former site of Arkansas Post was made into a state park in 1929. It is located on a peninsula in the Arkansas River in Arkansas County. On July 6, 1960 the site was designated a National Memorial, and a National Historic Landmark on October 9, 1960.,,[4][5][6]
As with all National Historic Landmarks, Arkansas Post was administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.[7]
It is located at 1741 Old Post Road, in Gillett, Arkansas.
References
- The National Parks: Index 2001–2003. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior.
- ^ "Arkansas Post National Memorial". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:45923.
- ^ "Listing of acreage as of 12/31/2010". Public Use Statistic Office, National Park Service. http://www.nature.nps.gov/stats/Acreage/acrebypark10cy.pdf.
- ^ "Five Year Annual Recreation Visits Report". Public Use Statistic Office, National Park Service. http://www.nature.nps.gov/stats/viewReport.cfm?selectedReport=SystemComparisonReport.cfm.
- ^ "Arkansas Post". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. 2007-09-25. http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=106&ResourceType=District.
- ^ House, John H. (1998-12-03). "Arkansas Post" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places Registration. National Park Service. http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/66000198.pdf.
- ^ "Arkansas Post—Accompanying 1 photo, exterior, undated." (PDF). National Register of Historic Places Registration. National Park Service. 1998-12-03. http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Photos/66000198.pdf.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
External links
- Arkansas Post Museum, at Arkansas State Parks
- Official NPS website: Arkansas Post National Memorial
U.S. National Register of Historic Places Topics Lists by states Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • WyomingLists by territories Lists by associated states Other Categories:- IUCN Category III
- American Civil War battlefields
- American Revolutionary War sites
- Archaeological sites in Arkansas
- Arkansas in the American Civil War
- National Memorials of the United States
- National Historic Landmarks in Arkansas
- United States colonial and territorial capitals
- Ghost towns in Arkansas
- History museums in Arkansas
- Museums in Arkansas County, Arkansas
- Protected areas established in 1960
- United States National Park Service areas in Arkansas
- Former populated places in Arkansas
- Arkansas state parks
- Protected areas of Arkansas County, Arkansas
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