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Arkansas Post Travel Planner In 1686, Henri de Tonti established a trading
post known as "Poste de Arkansea" at the Quapaw village of Osotouy.
It was the first semi-permanent French settlement in the lower Mississippi
River Valley. The establishment of the Post was the first step in a long
struggle between France, Spain, and England over the interior of the North
American continent. Over the years, the Post relocated as necessary due
to flooding from the Arkansas River, but its position always served of strategic
importance for the French, Spanish, American, and Confederate military.
The 1783 "Colbert Incident," the only Revolutionary War action
in Arkansas, brought the first organized combat to the region.Arkansas Post
became part of the United States during the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.
By 1819, the post was a thriving river port and the largest city in the
region and selected the capital of the Arkansas Territory.
During the Civil War, Confederate troops tried to maintain tactical control
of the confluence of the two rivers, and in 1862 they constructed a massive
earthen fortification known as Fort Hindman at the Post. In January 1863
Union troops destroyed the fort, ensuring control of the Arkansas River.Today,
the memorial and museum commemorate the multi-layered and complex history
of the site. Located on a peninsula bordered by the Arkansas River and
two backwaters, the site offers excellent fishing and wildlife watching
opportunities.
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