In 1686 what is currently Arkansas was a wilderness that hadn’t been thoroughly explored by the Europeans slowly making their way across a vast new continent. Henri de Tonti set up a French trading post along the lower Arkansas River, one that he called Arkansas Post. It was the first European settlement in what would become Arkansas, and it became a place where the Quapaw could peaceably trade with new European neighbors. You probably remember learning about Arkansas Post if you went to school in Arkansas, but did you know that the site of this historic settlement is now home to a state park called Arkansas Post Museum State Park? Did you know there’s also a portion of Arkansas Post that is called Arkansas Post National Memorial? You can find both of those things by driving to Arkansas Post, and you need to go there and check out all that important history.
Both the state park and the national memorial are located near the Delta town of Gillett. For directions to Arkansas Post Museum State Park, click here. To find the Arkansas Post National Memorial, click here.
Arkansas Post Museum State Park is a fantastic place to learn about life on the Grand Prairie during the 1800s and early 1900s.
Facebook/State Parks of Arkansas
At the state park you’ll find five buildings that interpret the history of the area, including the Refeld-Hinman Loghouse, which was built in 1877.
Flickr/mlhradio
The Arkansas Post Museum State Park shows life as it was in the Delta and the Grand Prairie.
Flickr/mlhradio
Flickr/mlhradio
A few miles away from the museum you’ll find the Arkansas Post National Memorial. Helpful signs lead you around the national memorial, allowing you to take in some history while you admire the scenic location.
Flickr/mlhradio
In addition to being a trading post, Arkansas Post was also the site of battles during both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.
Wikipedia/Currier & Ives
Today the national memorial is a great place to learn about those battles.
Flickr/mlhradio
The interiors of the buildings at the national memorial are also full of cool history.
Flickr/mlhradio
Both the national memorial and state park are glorious places to explore the early history of Arkansas’s European settlement.
Flickr/mlhradio
Flickr/mlhradio
Since the museum and the national memorial are only seven minutes apart by car, you can easily explore both in the same afternoon.
Flickr/mlhradio
Flickr/mlhradio
Important pieces of Arkansas’s history are preserved at both Arkansas Post Museum State Park and Arkansas Post National Memorial, and a trip out there makes for a delightful afternoon you won’t want to miss.
Flickr/mlhradio
Flickr/mlhradio
To find more hidden historic gems in the Natural State, click here. For horrifying history you didn’t learn about in school, read this article.
Facebook/State Parks of Arkansas
Flickr/mlhradio
Wikipedia/Currier & Ives
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