Arkansas Post National Memorial

This national historic site commemorates the first permanent French settlement in the Lower Mississippi Valley, founded in 1686. Often called the "Birthplace of Arkansas," the post was the site of French and Spanish forts and trading stations, the scene of a skirmish in the wake of the Revolutionary War, a territorial capital, a thriving river port, and a battleground during the Civil War. Located on AR 169, 7 miles south of Gillett via US 165, and 20 miles northeast of Dumas via US 165.  An official Interpretive Center for the Great River Road National Scenic Byway.