Arkansas Post National Memorial

In southeastern Arkansas among the sparsely populated farmlands and wet lowlands of the Arkansas River lies the Arkansas Post National Memorial. As has been the case at several other sites I have visited, my first question to the park ranger at the information desk is “Why?”. Why is this unit here?

Okay, I have actually read over the NPS.gov webpage for this site (sometimes it is more like “skimmed”), so I had some vague idea why it was there, but I enjoy the chance to talk with the ranger and here his (or her) explanation. Often I have found that the rangers have very in depth knowledge of the site and can impart not only high-level information, but give me anecdotes or tidbits not found in the brochures and web pages. This is especially true at smaller sites such as this, where I was the only visitor for a while until a mother and daughter arrived.

With nearly 90 parks visited to date, I am amazed at the depth of knowledge that most of the rangers have about their sites. From what I understanad, being a Park Service employee is somewhat akin to being in the military – you go the the park assigned and you may be moved frequently. Even if they may not be in their desired park (I’m sure most want a Yellowstone or Yosimite), these rangers take the time to become experts in their assigned park, only to find themselves transfered and learning a new park. I for one, appreciate the efforts the majority of the rangers put into “knowing their stuff” and willingly passing it along to curious visitors, like me.

Back to Arkansas Post! It seems the “why” for this park was its location. Located on the Arkansas River (which by the way is much larger than I had expected) and close to the Mississippi River, it became a natural meeting place. Originally used by the original inhabitants – the Quapaws – as a settlement and meeting place, Hernando de Soto (remember him from my January trip?) passed through here but did not stay. Over 100 years later, French missionaries and traders appeared. The Quapaw were a peaceful tribe and relations with the French were very agreeable. Other tribes in the area were not so “agreeable”, though.

The actual location of “the Post” varied as over the many decades several settlements were built here as earlier ones were abandon. Eventually, following the Louisiana Purchase, the land went to the United States. By that time, a small village had grown here and it was named the state capital of the new state of Arkansas. For two years! Until Little Rock was built, then they got the heck out of there!

Today, all that remains of the town is a large field with markers showing the streets and various buildings. It reminded me Fort Frederica in Georgia. Some other sites are no longer accessible, as the Arkansas River, like many large rivers, tends to change its course. A Civil War battle took place at a fort that was located in what is today the middle of the river!

Six flags fly over the entrance to the visitor center. They are: the French (Bourbon) flag, the Spanish (Cross of Burgundy) flag, French (post-revolution) flag (tricolore), The US 15-star. 15-stripe flag, the Confederate 7-star Stars and Bars flag, and the current US 50-star flag.

Inside, a small but nice theater has a video on the Post’s history. There is a display organized in historic timeline order and a very small gift shop area. This is one of these sites where one seems to drive forever past little signs of civilization until it appears before you. Again, a small unit that provided a history that I had no idea even existed before visiting.