Great River Road
Arkansas Post National Memorial, AR

This is where Arkansas history literally began. On a bluff near the Arkansas River, the birthplace of Arkansas and the first permanent European settlement in the lower Mississippi River Valley is marked with 20-foot crosses similar to those planted by French explorers in 1686. It was at this spot that Henri de Tonti and his party built a small settlement and claimed the land for God and king. The French were traders with the local Quapaws (Arkancas to the French) and named their encampment Pose de Arkansea -- Arkansas Post.

The site today includes a visitor center, museum, marked driving route, and picnic facilities. It also contains the January 11, 1863 battlefield where Union troops defeated Confederate defenders at Fort Hindman on the Arkansas River. Remnants of the Confederate trenches can still be seen. The battle is interpreted at the park museum.