The confluence of the Arkansas and the Mississippi Rivers in eastern Arkansas was a gathering place for native Americans for generations. In the early 1700’s, Spain laid claim to this area and established a small fort. There was a brief battle here between the Spanish and the English during the Revolution. After the sale to the US in the Louisiana Purchase, settlers begin to move into the area. The Arkansas Post became the capital of the territory, and the town grew to nearly 1000 people. No buildings remain but you can walk a staked path that shows where structures would have been. The Confederates built an extensive earthen works fort here but it was surrendered to the Union troops. Few people lived here after the war, and a change in the river’s course hastened the end when steamships could no longer dock.
The Arkansas Post has a VC (closed for Covid), three miles of trails, lots of wetlands, and a few remnants of the Confederate earthen works.
There is also a state historic park of the same name with a few reconstructed buildings and a log cabin built for a caretaker in the National Park in 1931 that has been moved to the state site.
We stayed near here at Pemberton Park Corps of Engineers campground right on the Arkansas River.
Cadillac’s Viewpoint: Nice, placid wetlands and lovely plants to enjoy for a snack. Zero coffee, zero ice cream and zero food for miles in any direction. Cadillac’s Elevation 1 Antler
