At its headwaters, the Arkansas River runs as a steep mountain torrent through the Rockies in its narrow valley, dropping about 4,600 feet, creating The Numbers and Brown’s Canyon near Buena Vista, Colorado and the Royal Gorge at Canon City, Colorado, which see extensive whitewater rafting in the spring and summer. Mount Magazine, Mount Nebo, and Petit Jean Mountain compose the Tri-Peaks Region, a further subdivision of the River Valley popular with hikers and outdoors enthusiasts. Bluegrass festival. Dangerous and demanding, the industry attracted Swiss and German immigrants who were unable to establish productive farms. Joiner, Gary. At 1,469 miles long, it is the sixth longest river in the United States and the second-longest tributary in the Mississippi-Missouri system. Gantt abandoned his fort that winter, as the Bents did their stockade, building Bent's Fort … Ulibarri was in command of a force comprising 20 soldiers, 12 settlers, and 100 Indian allies, all marching from Santa Fe to rescue a band of enslaved Picuris from the Cuartelejo Apaches of present-day eastern Colorado. 16: Enrly Discoveries of Gold . Temperatures are generally warmer than in the Ozarks and cooler than Central Arkansas, although the wide variance in elevation in the River Valley can create locally different climactic conditions. [21], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}35°22′N 93°22′W / 35.36°N 93.37°W / 35.36; -93.37, The River Valley as seen from atop Petit Jean Mountain in, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, Johnson County Historical Society Heritage Center, Logan County Coal Miners Memorial and Museum, Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture, "Osages participate in Carden Bottoms excavation in western Arkansas", "Google Maps (Search for Russellville, AR and Fort Smith, AR)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arkansas_River_Valley&oldid=992954641, Pages using infobox settlement with no map, Pages using infobox settlement with no coordinates, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Arkansas Valley Hills - North and east of the Arkansas River, sometimes associated with the Ozarks, Bottomlands - Low swamps and prairies along the Arkansas River itself, 10 miles (16 km) wide in some places, Tri-peaks Region - Region punctuated by three steep mountains: Mount Magazine, Mount Nebo and Petit Jean Mountain, Valley - south of the Arkansas River, level plains and gently rolling hills, Adona Bluegrass Festival in Adona, second weekend in July. The two counties cover approximately 1,400 square miles and have only 26,000 residents. Mount Bethel Winery has been in operation for over 100 years, and offers a tasting, tour and gift shop for visitors. In the past, numerous bands of Native Americans lived and traveled along the Arkansas River long before it was ever discovered by Europeans. However, competition introduced into the market by the railroads allowed farmers in Texas and other states to undercut the prices offered by River Valley farmers. We haven't found any reviews in the usual places. View all subjects; More like this: Similar Items; Find a copy online. Well water could … Flores, Dan L., ed. In 1819 the Adams-Onís Treaty established the Arkansas River as part of the frontier between the United States and Spanish Mexico, which it remained until the annexation of Texas and Mexican-American War in 1846. Many events are held at the state parks and on town squares throughout the River Valley. In the Pre-Colonial era, the River Valley was inhabited by Native American tribes, including Caddo, Cherokee, Choctaw, Osage, Tunica, and Quapaw tribes. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Our cookies are delicious. The Alma Spinach Festival held on the third weekend in April pays homage to Alma's reputation as "Spinach Capital of the World". The area gets its name from the Arkansas river that traverses the region. HathiTrust Digital Library, Full view. Mount Magazine hosts an annual International Butterfly Festival in June, Frontier Days in October, and is the final destination on the Peak to Peak Poker Run, which begins at Queen Wilhelmina State Park in May. Two major yard-sale events, Bargains Galore on Highway 64 and Big To Do on Highway 22, happen annually in the River Valley. The history of the Arkansas River and McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, regional benefits of the waterway, steamboat lore, cargo shipped on the waterway, and archeology. Held annually in July, the festival offers peach pit spitting contest and a terrapin derby in addition to a parade and traditional food and craft vendors. Jammers Reunion in Adona, April. The expedition traveled to Tanico, an important city somewhere in the River Valley, in September 1542. 22: H rPliIR I arly Politics and Organization of the Terri . The following month, the expedition fought with a tribe referred to as the Tula somewhere near Fort Smith. [10] These settlements received support from existing immigrant populations in Little Rock and Fort Smith, and groups of Protestant settlers also establishing settlements in the area. Major and record river flooding occurred primarily in northeastern Oklahoma, and the elevated flows continued downstream into Arkansas where the caused additional inundation. The Jack Creek Recreation Area and Knopper's Ford Recreation Area offer well-known Arkansas swimming holes as well as hiking, camping and fishing. Many parts of Arkansas had descended into lawlessness and violence between whitecapping groups (including the Ku Klux Klan), freedmen, Republicans, and unaffiliated bandits taking advantage of the chaos. Peter’s and St. Paul’s River.” Father Jacques Marquette names it on his map of 1673. The Klan had limited support, and much of the area was viewed steadily Re (Last Privacy Policy Update July 2020), Byways & Historic Trails – Great Drives in America, Soldiers and Officers in American History. The future, however, lay in manufacturing plants, not fruit-bearing ones. Its origin is in the Rocky Mountains near Leadville, Colorado and its mouth is at Napoleon, Arkansas. 0 Reviews . An exploration period for a new regional crop tested beans, legumes, and tomatoes before settling on mustard greens and spinach. Emerson.--History of Fremont County, by B.F. Arkansas River Valley -- Biography. Vineyards and wineries around Altus have been in the same family for generations. The River Valley's first wineries date to the postbellum era, when they were founded to produce wine for the Swiss and German immigrants relocating to the area to work in coal mines. Through the Howling Wilderness: The 1864 Red River Campaign and Union Failure in the West. Once it exits the mountains and … Explore the colorful history of Arkansas and the upper Ouachita River Valley featuring the historic communities of Buckville, Cedar Glades, Hot Springs, Rockport, Malvern, Midway, and Arkadelphia: Visit “River Currents” to read blog posts about the area’s past and its people; see “Old News” for articles published in newspapers from yesteryear; view names of those in Arkansas as of the all-important … The river here is narrow and fast as it transverses mountain scenery. Arkansas River Camp on the Santa Fe Trail. Cities such as Booneville, Clarksville, Morrilton, Paris, and Perryville serve as cultural and economic centers within the rural counties of the River Valley.[17]. Page 346. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Wintering waterfowl and other migrating species use the area as a safe haven during their journey. In 1854 a writer in the New York Tribune, in describing the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, gave Fort Mann (near Dodge City) as the “head of navigation” on the stream. No need to register, buy now! In 1987, Alma claimed the title of "Spinach Capital of the World" and erected a Popeye statue in front of the Chamber of Commerce building. [5], Hernando de Soto became the first European explorer to enter Arkansas in 1541. Arkansas River near the Royal Gorge in Colorado. The Arkansas River, the longest tributary of the Mississippi-Missoury River system, is both a centerpiece and a starting point for any historical perspective of the River Valley region. Generally defined as the area between the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains, the River Valley is characterized by flat lowlands covered in fertile farmland and lakes periodically interrupted by high peaks. Most first encounters describe scattered villages and individual farmsteads in the River Valley, unlike the organized "towns" and groves and orchards encountered in eastern Arkansas. Residents and businesses along the highways offer items for sale to visitors and residents traveling two of the main east-west highways in the River Valley. After your whitewater rafting or kayaking trip enjoy excellent fishing, hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, zip lining, camping, backpacking and much more. Near Clarksville, the Spadra Waterfront Marina offers RV camping, boat rentals, and guided trips along Spadra Creek. It parallels the Arkansas River between the flat plains of western Oklahoma and the Arkansas Delta, dividing the Ozarks and the Ouachita Mountains with the broad valleys created by the river's floodplain, occasionally interrupted by low hills, scattered ridges, and mountains. Both rich and poor came for the baths, and a town built up around the Hot Springs Reservation to accommodate them. His fort was soon attacked by a competing trader, William Bent, manager of a nearby stockade built by Bent, St. Vrain & Company, who attacked Shoshone Indians trading at Gantt's Fort, killing a few and driving them away. Through Oklahoma and Arkansas, dams have artificially deepened and widened the Arkansas River to build it into a commercially navigable body of water. Populations of Austrian Catholics, German Catholics, and German Catholics and Lutherans were relocating to the River Valley. Contents. Elsewhere in the county, cotton and timber had given way to strawberry, hay, and cattle. The Chateau Aux Arc Vineyards and Winery is the largest US Chardonnay producer outside of California, and the largest Zinfandel producer in Arkansas. Its origin is in the Rocky Mountains near Leadville, Colorado and its mouth is at Napoleon, Arkansas. It begins near Leadville and makes its way to the south to Salida before turning east and its eventual meeting with the Mississippi. Between May and June 2019, an extended sequence of heavy rainfall events over the South Central United States caused historic flooding along the Arkansas River and its tributaries. Eventually, a preference for mixed farming emerged, including potatoes and other garden vegetables, to protect against a poor cotton crop sending a farm into economic ruin.[13]. The Arkansas River below Granite, Colorado. From 1900-1910, irrigation wells began to be constructed in the Arkansas valley. Due to its relatively strong position following the Civil War, the River Valley attracted new settlement throughout Reconstruction. The earliest account of this river is to be found in the narratives of the Coronado Expedition of 1540-1541, in which the river was given the name “St. Arkansas River Valley -- Biography. 20,818 acres of land in Kansas are irrigated by Arkansas River water. Over the years, the water flow in the Arkansas River has gradually diminished as farmers in eastern Colorado and western Kansas have diverted the flow for irrigation purposes. The earliest account of this river is to be found in the narratives of the Coronado Expedition of 1540-1541, in which the river was given the name “St. It was built in May, 1834 on the north side of the Arkansas River about 6 miles below Fountain Creek. The NWR offers a driving tour with interpretative signs. The German community thrived with coal mining and railroad work driving the local economy. This expansion in Colorado caused the flow in the Arkansas River to cease during July and August when water was so sorely needed by Kansas irrigators. Fourche River Days in Perryville, April. This is "Arkansas Tech "River Valley History"" by Sells Agency on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. O.L. A major tributary of the Mississippi River, the Arkansas River generally flows to the east and southeast, through the states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. [11] Several of the River Valley's small towns were founded by these groups, beginning as small clusters of immigrants and evolving into cohesive communities. [15] In Russellville, the Arkansas River Valley Arts Center offers visual arts as well as art classes and infrequent performances. The Museum of Automobiles atop Petit Jean Mountain hosts annual Antique Auto Show and Swap Meet events in June and September. Links to this item. Ozark Lake, formed on the Arkansas River southwest of Mulberry, is surrounded by a WMA, The United States Forest Service operates both the Ouachita National Forest and the Ozark National Forest within the region, offering trails, camping, and fishing over thousands of acres of public land. [7] Since settlement, the River Valley had been a largely cashless society with significantly less reliance on slave labor compared to plantation agriculture areas like the Arkansas Delta and elsewhere in the Deep South. In the Pre-Colonial era, the River Valley was inhabited by Native American tribes, including Caddo, Cherokee, Choctaw, Osage, Tunica, and Quapaw tribes. The state operates four parks within the region: Lake Dardanelle State Park, Mount Magazine State Park, Mount Nebo State Park, and Petit Jean State Park. Near Ozark, the Aux Arc Park offers boating access to the Arkansas River and RV sites. Compiled and edited by Kathy Weiser/Legends of Kansas, updated May 2018. The Arkansas River originates high in the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains near Leadville, Colorado, and it ends in eastern Arkansas at the confluence with the Mississippi River where the town of Napoleon (Desha County) once stood. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2002. From that day until now, the Arkansas River carved stone and shaped the landscape all the way from the mountains of Colorado to where it joins the Mississippi River in Arkansas. The Arkansas Valley encompasses two counties in central Colorado – Lake and Chaffee. Along the plains, the channel is very shallow, in some places the banks being less than five feet above the low water and the channel as much as 3/4 of a mile wide. The prehistoric Mound Builders and the historic Caddo, Wichita, and Osage settled or camped along the Arkansas River. Other cities in the River Valley are mostly of county-level significance, gateways to nearby recreational sites or small rural settlements. Page 391. [16] The city is an important economic, education and population center in the state. Arkansas River, large tributary of the Mississippi River, rising in the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains near Leadville in central Colorado, U.S., and flowing generally east-southeastward for 1,460 miles (2,350 km) through Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas before entering the Mississippi 40 miles (64 km) northeast of Arkansas City, Ark. The river has been a source of life and transportation for the region for as long as humans have inhabited the area. The Wiederkehr Weinfest in Wiederkehr Village, a winery founded by Johann Andreas Wiederkehr, is a free harvest festival held annually in October, including wine tasting, vineyard tours, music, polka dancing, traditional German cuisine and other festival entertainment. The Red River Valley in Arkansas. Visitors can buy wines, tour the winery and watch the production process. The river is 1,460 miles long and flows across three states before making its way into Arkansas. Links to this item. The Arkansas Valley, one of the six natural divisions of Arkansas, lies between the Ozark Mountains to the north and theOuachita Mountains to the south. The Arkansas Valley boasted one of Colorado's finest orchards, planted near here in 1859. [12] River Valley soil and climate are much less conducive to cotton cultivation than the Arkansas Delta, and many settlers struggled. The River Valley is home to several annual cultural events, including art, history, music, and traditional heritage festivals. This culture lives on today in the five vineyards still in operation. Today, the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System begins at the Port of Catoosa near Tulsa on the Verdigris River, which runs via an extensive Lock and Dam system to the Mississippi River. Show all links Find a copy in the library. The River Valley contains a large quantity of protected areas, with broad diversity across the region and several different managing agencies. May 28, 2019, 4:09 PM EDT Above: Homes are flooded on the Arkansas River in Tulsa, Okla., on Friday, May 24, 2019. [8] Some immigrated directly from Europe, but most came from early settlements in the Ohio River Valley. The Swiss and German immigrants found the rolling hills similar to the topography of their homeland. Near Booneville, Blue Mountain Lake offers a variety of recreational opportunities. The Central Collegiate Institute was established in Altus in 1876 (now known as Hendrix College in Conway) and Hiram and Lydia College in 1890 (which went defunct in 1906). [15], The most populous city within the River Valley is Fort Smith, the principal city of the Fort Smith metropolitan area that also includes Van Buren and Alma. ... History of Colorado, by W.B. Arkansas River Valley -- History. Huge collection, amazing choice, 100+ million high quality, affordable RF and RM images. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. At around 29 million years ago, the Arkansas River valley formed. Many immigrants came to the River Valley searching for agricultural prosperity, particularly by farming cotton, which could fetch high prices at market and quickly turn a farm into a profitable enterprise. Petit Jean State Park hosts an annual Wildflower Weekend in April and a Rendezvous the weekend after Thanksgiving. The Arkansas River is one of the most historically and economically important rivers in the United States. The river's source basin lies in the western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas River Valley, where the headwaters derive from the snowpack in the Sawatch and Mosquito mountain ranges. Originating in the Boston Mountains of northwest Arkansas, it arcs northwards through southern Missouri before turning back into Arkansas, flowing … North of Clarksville, Lake Ludwig offers swimming, boating and fishing to visitors. [14] Today, the Altus Area Coal Miner's Memorial is a series of five sculptures paying homage to area coal miners, with the names of over 2,500 local miners engraved at the site. In Clarksville, the Johnson County Peach Festival is the longest-running festival in Arkansas. The White River is a 722-mile (1,162 km) river that flows through the U.S. states of Arkansas and Missouri. Colorado -- History. Southern Counterpart to Lewis and Clark: The Freeman and Custis Expedition of 1806.