First settlement in Arkansas

Today it's a beautiful natural area, much as it was before it became the first permanent settlement in Arkansas and the first capital of the Arkansas Territory. It was also one of the first European settlements west of the Mississippi. It's Arkansas Post, located in Arkansas County near Gillett.

The Arkansas River running just below, Arkansas' original permanent settlement is now devoid of life save for the scampering squirrels and other wildlife, and the people who come to see this site. Now the Arkansas Post National Memorial, this place was once bustling with commerce and life. There was even a newspaper there, the "Arkansas Gazette." It was printed by William Woodruff, who took his publication to Little Rock when that city became the new capital.

Here is a photograph I took of a water cistern that is the only remains of the estate of Frederic Notrebe, the town's most prosperous entrepreneur. His residence, store, and warehouse occupied this spot.

Take a few minutes to read the piece I wrote about the Arkansas Post National Memorial for the Stuttgart newspaper a few years ago. It is located at http://www.geocities.com/smbwallace2003/natmem.html.