Arkansas Posts was not a single fort but beginning in 1683 located here at this current location on the Arkansas river and as far away as the Mississippi river, which is about 15 miles from here, there has been no fewer than seven posts. Of these many posts, there were five separate nations who flew there flags here over one or more of the posts.

The reason it is called a post is that it was the first trading post in the US, established by the French in the late 1600′s and was maintained off and on until its decline after the civil war. All of the original structures were badly damages during the battle at Arkansas Post during the civil war in the year of 1863, and not restored thereafter. Neither were there any drawings or plans of the post, so all knowledge of the shape and size of the structures were lost. Therefore, the national park service maintains the park as a memorial to the long time effort that was put there to keep the post in existence for the nearly two hundred years that it did exist.

In 1686, a Frenchman named Henri de Tonti began the initial Arkansas Post and in doing so, created the first European settlement in the lower Mississippi valley, which predated the settlement at New Orleans by 32 years.

Succeeding military and trading posts under the flags of the French and Spanish operated here thought to 1804, the United States flag flew for the first time over the Post of Arkansas.

Then, in 1819, Arkansas Post became the capital of Arkansas Territory. After Little Rock was founded in 1921, the capital moved to Little Rock and after that, Arkansas Post began to decline in political and economic importance.

Union forces captured the Confederate fort here in January 1863 and destroyed most of the then existing town.

The flags are in order of their being flown are: 1686-1763 France (Bourbon), 1763-1800 Spain, 1800-1803 France (Napoleonic), 1803-1861 United States, 1861-1863 Confederate States, 1863-date United States.

In the early 1800′s, Arkansas Post was an important center of trade and government on the edge of the Arkansas wilderness. Homes, stores, taverns, mills, docks, and busy streets were all built and part of the Post of Arkansas. At the height of the Post′s importance in the 1830′s, the population was over 1000 people. Other buildings included a law office, church, jail, blacksmith, billiard parlor, and a girl′s academy.

When the Civil War caused the river traffic to cease, the economy of the Post collapsed and most residents abandoned the town. Bombardment by Union gunboats in 1863 destroyed most all structures in the village and it never recovered after the war, especially when the railroads and highway by-passed the Post.

Although none of the village buildings remain today, much of the remains of the colonial settlement have been discovered with archaeological excavations by the National Parks service.

Awake and set up my GPS to take me to the high school in Little Rock, arrive at eight-thirty and wait for the visitors center to open at nine am. Once inside, I watch the video and then look through the museum which shows all the turmoil that Little Rock Central High School had to go through in the late 1950′s. This visitors center has done a great job displaying the recordings of the many voices that had a role in that national conflict.

By noon, I am back on the road, only to stop at a w-mart just before crossing the Arkansas River to get out of the midday heat. I also use a free drink coupon for a pumpkin latte.

At two pm, I resume the hot travel on US 165 to Arkansas Posts National Memorial which previously I had not even heard about. The reason it is called a post is because it began as the first trading post in the US, established by the French in the late 1600s and maintained off and on until its decline after the civil war.