The Louisiana Purchase Historic State Park, located in eastern
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
, commemorates the initial point from which the lands acquired through the
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase (french: Vente de la Louisiane, translation=Sale of Louisiana) was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or app ...
were subsequently surveyed. The
park
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...
encompasses of forested
wetlands
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...
, a landform which is regionally in decline due to agricultural development practices that include draining such areas. On the survey point is a marker erected in 1926 by the L'Anguille Chapter of the
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence.
A non-profit group, they promote ...
It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
and designated as a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
.
Description
The historic state park is located at the eastern end of
Highway 362, southeast of
Blackton, Arkansas
Blackton is an unincorporated community in Monroe County, Arkansas, United States. According to The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture, "little remains of the town." Two nationally registered historic sites are located in or near Blackt ...
, at the
tripoint
A tripoint, trijunction, triple point, or tri-border area is a geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or subnational entities meet. There are 175 international tripoints as of 2020. Nearly half are situated in rivers, l ...
junction of
Lee
Lee may refer to:
Name
Given name
* Lee (given name), a given name in English
Surname
* Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee:
** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname
** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese ...
,
Monroe, and
Phillips
Phillips may refer to:
Businesses Energy
* Chevron Phillips Chemical, American petrochemical firm jointly owned by Chevron Corporation and Phillips 66.
* ConocoPhillips, American energy company
* Phillips 66, American energy company
* Phil ...
counties. It is a parcel of
swamp
A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
, or forested wetlands, which is remarkably unchanged from the time when surveyors came here in 1815. This type of wetlands is becoming increasingly rare because of the practice of draining and clearing such land for agricultural use. The boardwalk, long, leads to the site of the marker, with occasional interpretive signs describing the ecology of the area and the significance of the
landmark
A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances.
In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...
.
The Louisiana Purchase Survey Marker is in height and is about wide at the base. It typically stands in about of swamp water. The inscription reads:
''"This stone marks the base established November 10, 1815, from which the lands of the Louisiana Purchase were surveyed by United States engineers. The first survey from this point was made to satisfy the claims of the soldiers of the War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
with land bounties"''.
History
On April 30, 1803, negotiators for the United States and the
First French Empire
The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Eu ...
, signed the Louisiana Purchase agreement, by which the United States acquired of land west of the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
, doubling its size. President Thomas Jefferson commissioned the
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gro ...
, which traveled west along the Missouri and associated rivers, eventually reaching the Pacific Coast, from 1804 to 1806.
President
James Monroe ordered a survey of the territory in 1815, in order to permit the orderly award of land in the territory to military veterans of the War of 1812.
Prospect K. Robbins and
Joseph C. Brown were commissioned to identify a starting point for the survey work in what is now eastern Arkansas. The team led by Robbins traveled north from the mouth of the
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United Stat ...
, while that of Brown traveled west from the mouth of the
St. Francis River
The St. Francis River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, about long, in southeastern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas in the United States. The river drains a mostly rural area and forms part of the Missouri-Arkansas state line along the ...
. On October 27, 1815, Robbins' party crossed the east–west line laid down by Brown's party at this point, formally establishing the
Fifth Principal Meridian. The of land Robbins traversed is even today some of the most difficult terrain in the state to negotiate. Brown's party traversed of land alternately described as "good for farming" and containing "briers and thickets in abundance". Brown's party eventually surveyed as far west as present-day
Little Rock
( The "Little Rock")
, government_type = Council-manager
, leader_title = Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_party = D
, leader_title2 = Council
, leader_name2 ...
, while Robbins continued north to the
Missouri River. Two trees near the site were blazed to mark the meeting point of the two survey lines.
Although survey work based on this point continued in subsequent years, covering most of Arkansas,
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
,
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
,
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
, and
North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography.
Etymology
T ...
and
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...
, the initial point was forgotten. It was rediscovered in 1921 by surveyors working the line between Phillips and Lee counties, who found the blazed trees. The
Marianna, Arkansas
Marianna is a town in and the county seat of Lee County, Arkansas, Lee County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census it had a population of 4,115, but by 2018 the population had dropped to an estimated 3,477.
Lo ...
chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution began a campaign to memorialize the spot, culminating in the placement of the stone marker and a dedication ceremony on October 27, 1926, the 111th anniversary of the point's establishment.
One forgotten feature of the dedication ceremony was that four local landowners each gave deeds for of land surrounding the point, which would have created an eight-acre park. Arkansas designated the area as a state park in 1961, but appropriated no funds for land purchases or development. The Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, recognizing the swamp's natural significance, provided funds to purchase the 37.5 acres which now make up the park. The Commission holds a conservation easement on the property to limit development.
Gallery
See also
*
List of Arkansas state parks
*
List of National Historic Landmarks in Arkansas
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Lee County, Arkansas
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Monroe County, Arkansas
*
References
External links
*
Louisiana Purchase State Parkat ''
Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture
The Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) ''Encyclopedia of Arkansas'' is a World Wide Web, web-based encyclopedia of the U.S. state of Arkansas, described by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as "a free, authoritative source of ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Louisiana Purchase Historic State Park
1961 establishments in Arkansas
Aftermath of the War of 1812 in the United States
Daughters of the American Revolution
Historic surveying landmarks in the United States
Landmarks of the War of 1812
Louisiana Purchase
Monuments and memorials on the National Register of Historic Places in Arkansas
National Historic Landmarks in Arkansas
National Register of Historic Places in Lee County, Arkansas
National Register of Historic Places in Monroe County, Arkansas
National Register of Historic Places in Phillips County, Arkansas
Protected areas established in 1961
Protected areas of Lee County, Arkansas
Protected areas of Monroe County, Arkansas
Protected areas of Phillips County, Arkansas
State parks of Arkansas