Parkin Archeological State Park

The Arkansas legislature recognized the importance of the Parkin site, and authorized its development as a State Park in 1967. With funding from the legislature and help from the Archeological Conservancy, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving significant archeological sites, the state purchased this site and some surrounding land.

The Visitor Center includes an exhibit area, gift shop, and archeological laboratory. Interpretive staff offer audiovisual programs, site tours, workshops, events, education programs, and other activities for visitors, school groups, and the community.

Volunteers have the opportunity to participate in site excavations and research. The Parkin Site—a 17-acre Native American village on the St. Francis River was occupied from 1000 AD to 1550. It was surrounded by a moat and a log palisade wall for protection. Agricultural fields (for growing corn, beans, and other crops) were located outside the moat. A large ceremonial mound, on the bank of the river, remains.

The site is important for understanding the history and prehistory of northeast Arkansas. There were once many archeological sites similar to Parkin throughout this region, but careless digging and modern agricultural practices have destroyed almost all of these. The Parkin site is unique because it has been protected from destruction. While there has been some careless digging by looters in the past, the site is the best-preserved village site of this time period in the region.

The Parkin site was designated as a National Historic Landmark by the US National Park Service, one of only five such sites in Arkansas. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These designations emphasize the site's importance.

The de Soto Expedition
The Parkin site is also important because many scholars believe it is the Native American village of Casqui, visited by the expedition of Hernando de Soto in the summer of 1541. The four written accounts of this expedition are important sources of information about the Native American groups living in the southeastern United States when the first Europeans arrived.

The de Soto expedition, which traveled around what is now Arkansas for two years (1541-1543), had a profound effect on the natives. Diseases, such as smallpox and influenza, accidentally introduced by the Spaniards resulted in numerous deaths, wiping out entire villages in some cases. Spanish demands for food, language interpreters, and equipment bearers led to clashes between the explorers and natives in many parts of the Southeast. Many of these clashes are described in the expedition accounts.

The encounter at Casqui was one of the few friendly contacts recorded between the de Soto expedition and American Indians. When the expedition arrived in the area, the chief and many residents of Casqui walked over a mile from the village at Parkin to greet de Soto. They invited the Spaniards to stay in the town, but the explorers chose to make camp outside of the village. After listening to a religious speech by de Soto, the chief and a number of villagers were baptized as Christians, and helped the Spaniards erect a large wooden cross on top of the mound.

The Sawdust Hill Community
In the early 1900s, a sawmill was established at the Parkin site by the Northern Ohio Cooperage and Lumber Company. Some of the mill workers built houses and lived next to the factory. Sawdust from the mill was dumped into the moat around the Native American village site. The area became known as Sawdust Hill. The sawmill operated at the site until the Great Depression.

Parkin Archeological Research Station
In conjunction with the founding of the State Park, a Research Station has been established at Parkin by the Arkansas Archeological Survey. Station archeologists are conducting long-term excavations and research at the site, providing visitors with a unique opportunity to see how we learn about the past.

Visitors can watch research in progress, and see firsthand the results of careful excavation and laboratory analysis. Archeology can tell us much about the site and its inhabitants that we could not know otherwise. As research continues, we will learn more about the original residents of Parkin and their encounter with Spanish explorers.

We invite you to join us in this process of discovery. Other Archeological State Parks you may wish to visit include Toltec Mounds east of Little Rock at Scott, and Hampson Museum off l-55 at Wilson. Toltec features exhibits, programs and site tours of the 18-mound ceremonial center, including the tallest mound in Arkansas. Hampson Museum exhibits an impressive collection of late Mississippian artifacts from the famed Nodena site.

Hours of Operation

Open:
Tuesday - Saturday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday: 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Closed:
Mondays (except Monday holidays), Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day

Location
Parkin Archeological State Park is on the north edge of the city of Parkin at the junction of Highway 64 and 184. Parkin is 12 miles north of Interstate 40 on Highway 75.

For further information on park hours, fees, contact:

Parkin Archeological State Park
P.O. Box 1110
Parkin, AR 72373-1110
Telephone: (501) 755-2500

For information on this and Arkansas' other fine state parks, contact:

Arkansas State Parks
One Capitol Mall, 4A-900
Little Rock, AR 72201
Telephone: (501) 682-1191

All park services are provided on a nondiscriminatory basis. Arkansas State Parks is an Equal Opportunity Employer.