McArthur is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Clayton Township, Desha County,

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 O ...

. It is located on

Arkansas Highway 1 Highway 1 (AR 1, Ark. 1, and Hwy. 1) is a north–south state highway in east Arkansas. The route of runs from US Route 278 (US 278) in McGehee north to Supplemental Route BB at the Missouri state line. One of the origina ...

northeast of McGehee. McArthur is one of two possible sites of the death of

Hernando de Soto Hernando de Soto (; ; 1500 – 21 May, 1542) was a Spanish explorer and ''conquistador'' who was involved in expeditions in Nicaragua and the Yucatan Peninsula. He played an important role in Francisco Pizarro's conquest of the Inca Empire ...

. The Natives of the region called the Mississippi River "Tamaliseu", while De Soto called it "Río del Espíritu Santo". Afraid of revealing to the Native Americans that he was a mortal and not a deity, he opted for a watery burial under the Mississippi.Davidson, James West. ''After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection'' Volume 1. Mc Graw Hill, New York 2010, Chapter 1, p. 1

References

Unincorporated communities in Desha County, Arkansas Unincorporated communities in Arkansas {{DeshaCountyAR-geo-stub