Early Explorers of AR 2 The Arkansas Post

The Arkansas Post Begins Founded by French explorer, Henri de Tonti, in 1686. Located where the Arkansas and Mississippi Rivers meet. Remained thinly settled for the first 100 years.

Colonizing the New World The French were farmers, but focused on fur trading and making allies of the Native Americans The Spanish concentrated on their colonies in Mexico. They sent soldiers to occupy the land. They also sent farm managers and priests to control Native Americans and African Americans. The British colonies on the east coast were beginning to expand between the Appalachian Mts. and the Mississippi River. They sent families to form permanent settlements. They would kill or remove Native Americans and take their land for farming.

John Law A Scotsman who worked for the king of France as a real estate speculator. He convinced the king to sell land in Louisiana because France was having financial problems. He started the Company of the West hoping Europeans would buy stock in it.

Law Moves to Arkansas Law hopes to sell land and chooses Arkansas Post as his sight to settle. He said it was beautiful, and a person could find gold and silver in AR. Eighty people went to Arkansas Post. They found one log cabin along with the Quapaw, who were friendly.

The Post Reborn The population ranged from 30 to 50 people, who were mainly traders, hunters, and trappers. They had to move the Arkansas Post a few times due to flooding, and eventually settled at Red Bluffs, where the park is today.

Map of the Arkansas Post The Post was located in six places Stars=Post locations

Bernard de La Harpe He was French. He traveled down the Arkansas River hoping to find gold or precious stones. He made note of a Big Rock on his journey, which he called “French Rock”.

Life at Arkansas Post A Saturday night at the Arkansas Post consisted of fires burning, fiddle playing, dancing, eating, drinking, and card playing. There was no school or church. The people usually hunted or fished, but there was some farming. They traded animal furs, skins, bear, buffalo, beaver, mink, muskrat, and bear oil.

The French and Indian War British and colonists vs. French and Indians The war ended with the Treaty of Paris of 1763, in which Great Britain gained Canada, Ohio Valley, and all French lands east of the Mississippi River, except New Orleans. Spain who had fought for the French gave Florida to Great Britain, and the French gave Spain Louisiana because they had lost Florida.

The American Revolution The French and Indian War led up to the American Revolution. The American Revolution began and France and Spain decided to also declare war against Great Britain. There was one battle that happened in AR. James Colbert, a British supporters led an army of Europeans and Chickasaw against a fort across the river. This battle actually took place after peace had been signed in 1783.

The Louisiana Purchase People in Tennessee and Kentucky wanted to use the Mississippi River. Napoleon Bonaparte, had conquered Spain and regained Louisiana. President Thomas Jefferson had sent Robert Livingston to France to try to buy New Orleans, and Bonaparte offered them all of Louisiana. Arkansas had been Indian, French ,Spanish, and was now American