who were the early explorers of arkansas

Explorers On June 18, 1541, Hernando de Soto ’s Spanish expeditionary force crossed the Mississippi River and became the first Europeans to enter Arkansas. For the next two years, the Spaniards

explored through Arkansas with a large number of captive Indians.

Full Answer

Who was the first person to find the Arkansas River?

In 1673, French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet reached the Arkansas River on an expedition to map the Mississippi River. After a calumet with friendly Quapaw, the group suspected the Spanish to be nearby and returned north.

Who first settled in Arkansas and Missouri?

They were initially mostly French with the first American settlers probably arriving around 1790 into the area. Arkansas Post was established in 1686 as the first settlement in Arkansas. Saint Genevieve (Sainte-Geneviève with French spelling) was established in 1735 as the first settlement in Missouri. Both were initially settled by the French.

What was the experience of the French settlers in Arkansas like?

The French settlers’ experience in colonial Arkansas was vital to the history of the French presence in the Mississippi River Valley. The French settlers at Arkansas Post forged alliances and cohabited with the “Arkansas” Indians ( Quapaw ), the native inhabitants of what became Arkansas, who were known for their consistent loyalty to the French.

How long did it take to explore Arkansas?

European Exploration and Settlement, 1541 through 1802 The region that became Arkansas was unknown to Europeans until the 1540s. Fifty years after Christopher Columbus landed in the western hemisphere, the European exploration of Arkansas began.

Who are the five main explorers that found discovered Arkansas?

Meeting the Early Arkansas Explorers.Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet. 1670s. ... Henri de Tonti. 1686. ... Rene Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle. 1680s. ... Jean-Baptiste Bernard De la Harpe. 1722. ... William Dunbar and Dr. George Hunter.

Who explored Arkansas in 1722?

In 1722 Bernard de la Harpe, a French explorer, saw on the bank of the Arkansas River two conspicuous rock formations, which he reputedly named La Petite Roche and La Grande Roche. Near the smaller rock was a Quapaw Indian settlement, which La Harpe made his trading…

Who was the first European to come into Arkansas?

de Soto, Hernando Hernando de Sotode Soto, Hernando Hernando de Soto was a Spanish explorer who led an expedition into the southern United States. He and his soldiers were the first Europeans to set foot in what is now Arkansas. Four written accounts of the expedition provide details about his trek through the state.

Which explorers gave the name Arkansas to the area?

In about 1811, Captain Zebulon Pike, a noted explorer, spelled it ARKANSAW.

What are the 3 main Native American tribes indigenous to Arkansas?

History of the Tribes Those most prevalent in Arkansas included the Caddos, Quapaws, Osages and later, Cherokees, as they traveled through Arkansas on the Trail of Tears to present day Oklahoma.

Where did slaves in Arkansas come from?

The first people enslaved by Europeans entered what was to become Arkansas in about 1720, when settlers moved into the John Law colony on land given to them on the lower Arkansas River by the king of France.

How many slaves were in Arkansas in 1860?

110,000 slavesThe growth of slavery in the state was directly linked to this expansion. By 1860, Arkansas was home to more than 110,000 slaves, and one in five white citizens was a slave owner. The majority of these held only a few slaves. Only twelve percent owned twenty or more slaves, the benchmark of “planter” status.

Who was the first European white man to explore Arkansas?

1541 Hernando de Soto was the first European known to have visited the territory which is now the state of Arkansas.

Who found Arkansas?

Early inhabitants, exploration, and European settlement Spanish and French expeditions traveled the Mississippi regions in the 16th and 17th centuries, and the Italian-born French explorer Henri de Tonty founded the Arkansas Post on the lower Arkansas River in 1686.

What happened in Arkansas in the 1800s?

1836 - Arkansas becomes the twenty-fifth state of the Union on June 15; James Conway is elected its first governor. 1838 - Little Rock: A steam-powered ferry begins operation at Little Rock. 1840 - Little Rock: The Federal government begins construction of its Arsenal in Little Rock.

Who is the father of Arkansas?

de TontiAs a result, de Tonti is often called the “father of Arkansas.” Although Italian by birth, de Tonti is associated with French exploration.

Who was the first European to visit Arkansas?

The first European contact with Arkansas was the Spanish expedition led by Hernando de Soto in 1541. De Soto wandered among settlements, inquiring about gold and other valuable natural resources. He encountered the Casqui in northeast Arkansas, who sent him north around Devil's Elbow to the Pacaha, the traditional enemies of the Casqui. Upon arrival in the Pacaha village, the Casqui who had followed behind de Soto attacked and raided the village. De Soto ultimately engaged the two tribes' chiefs in a peace treaty before continuing on across central Arkansas and into the Ozark Mountains in his search for riches. After finding nothing he considered of value and encountering native resistance the entire way; he and his men returned to the Mississippi River where de Soto fell ill. From his deathbed he ordered his men to massacre all of the men of the nearby village of Anilco, who he feared had been plotting an attack with a powerful polity down the Mississippi River, Quigualtam. His men obeyed and did not stop with killing the men, but were said to have massacred women and children as well. [Need Citation or reference] He died the following day in what is believed to be the vicinity of modern-day McArthur in May 1542. His body was weighted down with sand and he was consigned to a watery grave in the Mississippi River under cover of darkness by his men.

What did the first people in Arkansas do?

The first people in modern-day Arkansas likely hunted woolly mammoths by running them off cliffs or using Clovis points, and began to fish as major rivers began to thaw towards the end of the last great ice age. Forests also began to grow around 9500 BCE, allowing for more gathering by native peoples. Crude containers became a necessity for storing gathered items. Since mammoths had become extinct, hunting bison and deer became more common. These early peoples of Arkansas likely lived in base camps and departed on hunting trips for months at a time.

How did Arkansas become a prosperous state?

The growing need for cotton gave many Arkansans an avenue to become involved in market economy for the first time, a transition that made the state significantly more prosperous. At the time, the most efficient way to grow cotton was a plantation-style system, and this quickly became the norm in the southeast part of Arkansas. During the late antebellum period, most Arkansans were identified with farming and ranching. Fewer worked as carpenters, blacksmiths, gunsmiths, and wagon builders and fewer still as lawyers, doctors, and teachers. This economic shift also allowed some Arkansans to work outside the factory or field as artisans, including James Black who is credited with creating the first Bowie Knife in Arkansas during the period. Improving transportation also helped the state's economy grow. The Southwest Trail and Butterfield Overland Mail were major roads in the state, and steamboats began using the state's rivers for commerce. Arkansas increased its cotton production from 6,000,000 pounds (2,700,000 kg) in 1840 to 26,000,000 pounds (12,000,000 kg) in 1850. Arkansas and the southeast grew rapidly due to cotton, but its use of the plantation system would ultimately set the state and region behind the rest of the nation for decades. Southeast Arkansas became significantly more prosperous than the northwestern highlands, causing a rift to form between the two regions.

What is the name of the tribe that settled in Arkansas?

Many tribes used Arkansas as their hunting lands but the main tribe was the Quapaw, who settled in the Arkansas delta upon moving south from Illinois. Early French explorers gave the territory its name, a corruption of Akansea, which is a phonetic spelling of the Illinois word for the Quapaw . This phonetic heritage explains why "Arkansas" is pronounced so differently than "Kansas" even though they share the same spelling.

How did Arkansas help Texas?

Arkansas played a key role in aiding Texas in its war for independence with Mexico, sending troops and materials to Texas to help fight the war. The proximity of the city of Washington to the Texas border involved the town in the Texas Revolution of 1835–36. Some evidence suggests Sam Houston and his compatriots planned the revolt in a tavern at Washington in 1834. When the fighting began a stream of volunteers from Arkansas and the eastern states flowed through the town toward the Texas battlefields.

Why did Arkansas have a three fifth rule?

The issue of representation again brought up the topic of slavery when southeast Arkansas proposed a three-fifths rule in order to count the numerous slaves held in the region. Northwest Arkansas wanted to proportion the congressional districts based on only free white men, which would give them a political advantage. Eventually a geographic compromise was struck, with eight representatives from the northwest, eight representatives from the southeast, and one from a central district. After this compromise was approved, the Arkansas Constitution was sent to Washington for approval. After a 25-hour session in the House over the slavery issue, the Arkansas Constitution was approved. President Andrew Jackson approved the bill creating the State of Arkansas on June 15, 1836.

How did slaves get to Arkansas?

Many slaves were brought to Arkansas by planters looking to cash in on the Arkansas delta's fertile lands. The most capable male slaves were often separated from their families and relocated to the swamps of southeast Arkansas. These swamplands were poorly drained, and many planters required their slaves to work long hours clearing trees from the swamps by hand. Slaves were forced to live in cramped slave quarters in the densely forested swamps, surrounded by disease-carrying mosquitoes. Conditions were brutal; slaves often received only one pair of clothes per year, given on Christmas by the planter family. Diets consisted of only fatback and cornmeal, usually lacking in vegetables and other necessities to stave off deficiencies.

What was Arkansas known for?

The region that became Arkansas was unknown to Europeans until the 1540s. Fifty years after Christopher Columbus landed in the western hemisphere, the European exploration of Arkansas began. The first settlement was not founded for another 140 years, and the first permanent settlement forty years after that. Throughout the colonial era, Arkansas underwent dramatic demographic changes. At the time of the first Spanish explorers in the 1540s, Arkansas was a land of heavily populated villages and extensive farm fields. By the time of the first French expeditions in the 1670s, Arkansas was sparsely populated with isolated villages and tribes but with an abundance of wild game and other resources. The focus of the colonial era was not on the promotion of substantial immigration but on the exploitation of wild game for trade. By the end of the colonial era, Arkansas had attracted individuals and families of diverse races and ethnicities. People of French, Spanish, German, Dutch, Anglo-American, and African descent joined the Indian peoples of Arkansas and a myriad of tribes from across the continent.

What was Arkansas like during the colonial era?

At the time of the first Spanish explorers in the 1540s, Arkansas was a land of heavily populated villages and extensive farm fields.

Why did Tonti leave Arkansas Post?

Tonti left six men at Arkansas Post to watch for La Salle’s return from his expedition of colonization. Tonti also wanted to begin trade with the Quapaw, who he assumed would be his principal hunters. Arkansas Post was the only European settlement west of the Mississippi at the time.

How many slaves were there at the Arkansas Post?

The Spanish, however, outlawed the enslavement of Indians. In 1798, there were fifty-six slaves at Arkansas Post, some of whom worked in the farm fields. By the late eighteenth century, most Arkansas Post farmers owned a few slaves for field work. Slaves, as well as free blacks and mulattoes, also worked as domestics, artisans, and workers in the fur and skin trade—dressing and packing hides and loading carts and boats.

Where did the Europeans go in 1543?

They turned around and traveled back across southern Arkansas. Returning to the Mississippi River, they built new boats and, in the spring of 1543, floated downriver to the Gulf of Mexico and then to New Spain. Moscoso and his men were the last Europeans to see Arkansas for 130 years.

Where did the Frenchmen find the Quapaw?

Near the mouth of the Arkansas River, the Frenchmen encountered the Quapaw, whom they called the Arkansas, and named the river and the region after the tribe. The expedition stayed several days among the Quapaw and learned that the mouth of the Mississippi River was not far to the south.

How many bison were shipped to New Orleans in 1726?

On one occasion in 1726, two Canadians supplied 480 tongues of bison to New Orleans. Throughout the eighteenth century, there were few farmers or planters. In the last two decades of the century, a few farming families—French from the Illinois country, Anglo-Americans, and German Protestants—arrived.

When did the first Europeans arrive in Arkansas?

Tens of thousands of people were living in the area now known as Arkansas when the first Europeans arrived in the late sixteenth century.

What is the history of Arkansas?

First Early Inhabitants of Arkansas. Early history examines the archaeological record that tells the story of the first inhabitants of Arkansas. Learn about the prehistory and culture of the first early inhabitants, and what lessons it might teach us about the early history of Arkansas.

When did the Plum Bayou people live?

650 to 1050 AD - The Plum Bayou people continued to live at the site until around 1050 AD, when it was abandoned for unknown reasons. 1541 - Hernando de Soto of Spain explores Arkansas. 1673 - Louis Jolliet and Father Jacques Marquette explore Arkansas River.

What was the name of the exodus of Native Americans in 1830?

In the late 1830s, members of eastern tribes crossed Arkansas as part of the forced exodus known as the Trail of Tears.

How long have people lived in Arkansas?

From evidence left in mounds and bluffs, including pottery and stone implements, we know that people have been living in the region that is now Arkansas for thousands of years. The ancestors of the Indians were first to inhabit the region.

When did Arkansas first live?

Arkansas First Early Inhabitants Timeline. 10,000 BC - The first indigenous people were of the Paleo-Indian culture who lived in caves or were Nomadic Hunters. The Clovis people populated the area of Arizon. 9500 BC - Archaeologists have found evidence that people were living in the area of the Mississippi River as early as 9500 BC.

Where did the Spanish and French explorers come from?

Long before frontiersmen from the newly formed United States crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains and attempted settlement along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, Spanish and French explorers came upon the native peoples living in what is now Arkansas.

Why is Arkansas called Arkansas?

The name Arkansas was used by the early French explorers to refer to the Quapaw people—a prominent indigenous group in the area—and to the river along which they settled. The term was likely a corruption of akansea, the word applied to the Quapaw by another local indigenous community, the Illinois.

What are the natural resources of Arkansas?

Arkansas is home to a wide array of natural resources including petroleum, natural gas, bromine and silica stone. Throughout the 20th century, the state was responsible for providing roughly 90 percent of all domestic Bauxite, from which aluminum is made.

What is the capital of Little Rock?

Little Rock, the state capital, is located in the central part of the state. In 1957, Little Rock Central High School became the focus of national attention when federal troops were deployed to the campus to enforce integration. Date of Statehood: June 15, 1836. Capital: Little Rock. Population: 2,915,918 (2010)

How many acres are there in the Ozark National Forest?

The Ozark National Forest covers 1.2 million acres and includes more than 500 species of trees and woody plants. Arkansas is the nation’s leading producer of rice and poultry and grows nearly every crop produced in the United States with the exception of citrus fruits.

Who were the French settlers in Arkansas?

The French settlers at Arkansas Post forged alliances and cohabited with the “Arkansas” Indians ( Quapaw ), the native inhabitants of what became Arkansas, who were known for their consistent loyalty to the French. Father Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit, and Louis Joliet, a trader, were the first Frenchmen to set foot in the Arkansas land, in 1673.

How many people lived in Arkansas in 1791?

By 1791, the census reveals that the European population at Arkansas Post was 151 persons living in twenty-seven households. Among them, there were twenty-one French, five German, and one Spanish household, besides the American refugees of the American Revolution, who were not mentioned in the census.

Why did the French move the Arkansas Post to Ecores Rouges?

Because Arkansas’s climate did not allow agricultural prosperity, hunting became necessary for the survival of the French settlers at Arkansas Post.

What happened in 1768?

As a result, the French rioted in New Orleans, and a general revolt spread throughout the colony, including in Arkansas. In 1770, Francois Desmazellieres, commandant of the post, reported that “the habitants and Quapaws speak ...

How many people were in the French colony in 1721?

By 1721, the French settlement counted forty-seven people. Despite the French government’s propaganda, few people ventured to the newly established colony, with the exception of “public girls,” coureurs des bois (“runners of the woods,” who engaged in the fur trade without French permission), and soldiers.

Who attacked the Arkansas Post?

On May 10, 1749, Arkansas Post was attacked by a group of about 150 Chickasaw warriors. They burned the settlement, killed men, and captured women and children.

Who was the Quapaw chief?

Sarasin, a Quapaw chief, was of mixed blood, born of a French father, Francois Sarazin, and a Quapaw mother. According to Governor Louis de Kerlerec: “The Arkansas [Quapaw] nation, without doubt the bravest of all those nations, they commenced to be attached to the French as soon as they knew them, and never varied in their attachment.”.

Who explored the Ozarks?

Spanish Exploration of the Ozarks. Hernando de Soto was a Spanish explorer and governor of Cuba. He had a contract with the King of Spain to explore the region and establish settlements and forts. This led him to cross the Mississippi River into what is now Arkansas in June of 1541.

What were the early travel routes of the Ozarks?

Early Travel Routes of the Ozarks. Osage Indians and other tribes traveled among a variety of routes later called Osage Trails or Osage Trace by white settlers. The Osage moved south during summer months for hunting, then north during the winter.

Why did the Ozarks settle in the 1830s?

In the 1830s a lot of settlers came from the Appalachians because the Ozarks were a lot like the area of their former homes. Many of those who settled early sent word back to the Appalachians, and entire family clans frequently made the move to the Ozarks. The town of Ozark, Arkansas was founded in 1836.

Why did the Cherokee come to the Ozarks?

It was the period from 1810 to 1819 that the Cherokee started coming into the Ozarks to escape white advancement. In 1828 treaties moved most of them to the Oklahoma Ozarks, where the Cherokee Nation still is located today. They came to the area at three different times and civil war between the groups occurred until 1840s.

How many tribes passed through the Ozarks?

All five tribes passed through Ozarks and Arkansas River Valley. Several different routes were used over the nine years that would pass before the last tribes of the Cherokee Nation arrived in 1839. Hundreds of members of each of the tribes died on the long trek to Indian Territory.

How much did the Ozarks pay for land?

They paid as much as $2.50 an acre for this choice land. In 1854 Congress passed the Graduation Act which gave a reduction in the price of unsold public lands. In the interior Ozarks, the more rugged land with thin cherty soils sold for as little as 12 1/2 cents an acre.

What factors influenced the settlements in the Ozarks?

Continued Expansion of Settlements in the Ozarks. An important factor that influenced many as to where in the Ozarks they settled was the price of land . The wealthier settlers, such as the slaveholders, settled along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers and obtained the best land.

Jean Bernard Bossu

Jean Bernard Bossu was a French captain while Louisiana was a French colony.During his voyage he wrote letters about his adventures with the indians

Bernard De La Harp

French thought there emerald rock and other treasures in Arkansas.So they sent Bernard De La Harp to go get it and to see how fr a boat could travel up the Arkansas River.After a week they finally found it but were disappointed.Because it was just a large slab of limestone with a funny green coler.Bernard De La Harp called it "la grande roche" stand for the big rock,across the river there were smaller rocks and he called them "la petit roche"that stands for the small rock.Even though.

Dunbar and Hunter Expedition

Hoping to find new plants explored parts of the Arkansas River Valley and the Red River.He wrote about settlements at the Arkansas Post, Cadron, and Fort Smith

Overview

Early Arkansas

European colonization

Road to statehood

Early years of the state

Civil War and Reconstruction

Growth and industrialization

Early through mid-20th century