Prairie County Museum

Prairie County Museum is a state operated facility located in Des Arc, Arkansas. Its mission is to interpret and preserve the history of Arkansas' navigable rivers from 1831-1931.

The story of Arkansas' navigable rivers is a dramatic and important part of American history. As pioneers and early settlers migrated west, Arkansas rivers served as primary transportation routes. River floodplains contained abundant game, vast stands of virgin timber and rich soil for agriculture. Opportunities in this unspoiled region were boundless.

The Mississippi Alluvial Plain
Contrary to popular notions, towns along the Mississippi River like West Memphis and Helena are not in the Mississippi River Delta. They are, in fact, in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, the river floodplain. The Delta is in Louisiana near New Orleans where the river deposits its sediments in the Gulf of Mexico. Likewise, towns along the White River such as Augusta, Des Arc, and Clarendon are in the White River floodplain.

Settlement
Prehistoric Indians built large towns and ceremonial centers along Arkansas waterways, including the White River, Arkansas River, Red River, and Mississippi River. However, by the time Hernando de Soto explored here in 1542, most of these settlements were overgrown ruins.

Quapaw and Osage Indians witnessed the arrival of Europeans in Arkansas—then considered part of French Louisiana. Henri de Tonti stationed six men at Arkansas Post in 1686, but the settlement was abandoned by 1700. In 1721, John Law and the Western Company brought approximately 250 colonists from New Orleans to a location near de Tonti's Arkansas Post. However, Law went bankrupt and by 1724 only thirty Frenchmen remained.

These first European inhabitants of Arkansas were trappers, traders and explorers who traveled in dugout canoes similar to those used by Native Americans. A rare, centuries-old dugout can be seen at Toltec Mounds Archaeological State Park at Scott, Arkansas.

The Louisiana Purchase was completed in 1804. Batesville (1810), Washington (1812), Davidsonville (1815), and Arkopolis (Little Rock, 1819) were among the earliest settlements in present day Arkansas—each near a river. Settlers arrived by flatboat, keelboat, and barge. These cumbersome craft often carried several families and their possessions.

As more Europeans pushed westward from the east coast, Native Americans were forcibly relocated west of the Mississippi River. The Trail of Tears is a phrase used to describe their tragic journey. In the early 1800s, a Cherokee Reservation was established north of the Arkansas River and many Indians settled there for a short time.

A River-Based Economy

Shelling - Freshwater mussels have long been a source of food and income for persons living on or near the White River. Native Americans used shells for tools and jewelry. The meat was an important food source. Pearls and slugs (imperfect pearls), occasionally found in the shells, were used for jewelry and trade. The earliest European-American shellers sought only pearls. They had little use for the shells until button factories opened in Clarendon, DeValls Bluff, and Des Arc during the late nineteenth century. These factories produced round discs of shell called blanks, which were shipped north to be finished into fashionable pearl buttons. Blanks from the White River in Arkansas were highly favored by the button makers of the east coast and Europe. The mussel shell button industry declined when plastic buttons became mass-produced in the 1930s and 1940s.

Several methods were used to gather shells. One was simple hand collection wherein each mussel was harvested individually. Homemade diving gear was worn to gather shells in deep water. Specially-equipped boats called "shelling rigs" allowed collectors to harvest many shells at once from known mussel beds. Shelling usually provided a supplementary income.

Fishing - Commercial fishing was widespread on Arkansas rivers by the late 1800s. Native fish of the lower White River include buffalo, carp, catfish, drum and gar. Commercial fishing was the primary source of income for many river residents. Buffalo and catfish, caught with hoop nets and trammel nets, were at one time shipped by railroad to markets throughout the country. Changes in shipping regulations and the construction of cool water dams, which affected fish populations, caused a decline in the industry. A hoop net once used on the White River is exhibited at the Prairie County Museum.

Many of the people who depended upon the river for their livelihoods lived in houseboats along its banks. White River folklore relates that prior to the 1930s, houseboats were anchored at every bend in the river. The Prairie County Museum is conducting a lower White River oral history project that will preserve the unwritten history of life on the river. Contact the Museum if you can provide information or the name of a potential interviewee.

Agriculture - Large cotton plantations developed in the deep, rich floodplain soils in southeast Arkansas near the transportation on the Mississippi River. A few were established in the floodplains of other rivers. Cotton bales were transported to market by river. When railroad lines were extended after the Civil War, most agricultural goods were transported by rail.

Decreasing cotton prices and crop destruction caused by the boll weevil prompted farmers to raise alternative cash crops. Rice was grown in Arkansas as early as 1850, but was not commercially important until after the turn of the century. Soybeans were introduced into the Arkansas economy during the 1920s. Rich soils in river floodplains combined with a favorable climate to create an ideal growing environment. Today, soybeans have replaced cotton as the most important row crop.

Timber - As more people moved to and through the region, land was cleared and small-scale farming began. The vast hardwood forests were harvested and rafted downriver to mills such as those in Des Arc.

The timber industry boomed as railroads spread in Arkansas after the Civil War. The need for cross ties and the ability to easily ship finished lumber by rail ensured the success of railroads and lessened the need for river transportation, signaling the decline of many river towns.

Civil War
Arkansas rivers played a strategic role in the Civil War. They served as avenues for troop and supply transport, as well as locations from which to fire on Confederate positions.

An early Union objective was to isolate Texas from other states in the Confederacy. Control of the Arkansas River was essential. After gaining control of northwest Arkansas in the battles of Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove in 1862, Federal troops began their advance toward Little Rock, pausing to leave garrisons at Jacksonport and Batesville on the White River. A Union fleet was sent up the White River to reinforce these garrisons.

In response, the Confederates moved three boats to St. Charles. As the Federal fleet approached, the Confederates elected to sink their vessels and create an obstacle for the advancing Union fleet rather than risk capture by superior Union forces. A large cannon and other artillery were moved ashore before the Confederate boats were scuttled.

As a Union ironclad advanced, the "most destructive single shot" of the Civil War was fired. A shell from the Confederate cannon entered a casement window of the Union ironclad and pierced the ship's boiler. Casualties from the resulting explosion and subsequent gunfire totaled 150. A monument commemorating the battle and listing Confederate and Union casualties is in St. Charles.

Admission
Admission is free.

Programs
The Prairie County Museum offers special tours and programs for groups of adults and children. Please arrange these programs in advance by writing or calling the Museum.

Facilities
There are three restaurants and a city park within one mile of the Museum. The Museum is partially barrier-free; however, the restrooms are not.

Special Rules
Food, gum, drinks and the use of tobacco products are not permitted in the museum.

Hours

Open:
Tuesday through Saturday - 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday - 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

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

Location
From Interstate 40, take the Hazen exit and travel north 13 miles on State Highway 11. The Prairie County Museum is located on Highway 11 as you enter Des Arc.

For further information regarding Museum services, contact:

Prairie County Museum
Rt. 2, Box 154
Des Arc, AR 72040
Telephone: (501) 256-3711

For information on Arkansas' other State Parks and Museums 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.