LouisianaPurchase

HistoricState Park

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LouisianaPurchase

HistoricState Park

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Louisiana PurchaseHistoric State ParkWelcome to Louisiana Purchase Historic StatePark—a National Historic Landmark. This statepark and natural area protects and interpretsthe point from which land surveys of the Loui-siana Purchase Territory began in 1815.Located at the intersection of Lee, Monroe andPhillips Counties, 22 miles south of Brinkleyoff Highway 49, the park protects 37.5 acres ofheadwater swamp that represents a fast-dis-appearing ecological setting in easternArkansas.

A 950-foot boardwalk leads to the granitemonument in the swamp’s interior, whichmarks the initial point for the survey of theLouisiana Purchase Territory. Along the board-walk you will find panels which illustrate thehistorical and natural features of the park. Thenumbered stations along the boardwalk cor-respond to numbered sections in this booklet,providing insight into the history of the Loui-siana Purchase and the unusual swamp foundhere.

Belted kingfisher

Left: Bald cypress and cypress “knees”Cover: water tupelo, pileated woodpeckers, replica 1815 surveyor’s compass

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Please follow these regulations so that othersmay also have the opportunity to enjoy the park.• For your safety, please stay on the board-

walk.• It is unlawful to collect, deface, or destroy

any plants, wildlife, or public property.• Cans and bottles are not permitted on the

boardwalk.• Preserve the scenic beauty of the area—

don’t litter!• Horses, motorcycles and bicycles are not

allowed.

NOTICE: To preserve scenic beauty and ecol-ogy, fences and warning signs have not beeninstalled in some park locations. Caution andsupervision of your children are requiredwhile visiting these areas.

The largest headwater swamp remaining in

the entire Mississippi River Valley

The small state park and natural area that sur-rounds the Louisiana Purchase marker hasecological significance as well as historical im-portance. The marker is in a wetland in eastArkansas’s delta region. The wetland isformed by Little Cypress Creek. This is an un-usual type of wetland called a headwater

swamp.

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Headwater SwampsHeadwater swamps occur in ancient glacialoutwash channels similar to shallow basins orbowls. These swamps are unusual becausethey are self-contained within these “bowls.”

Below: Bald cypressswamp habitat

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The water level in these swamps remainsfairly consistent; the edges of the bowl may bewet for shorter periods of time, while the cen-ter of the swamp remains fairly deep.

Because these headwater swamps encompassthe watershed of the stream that feeds them,they are easy to drain. Almost none remaintoday. The headwater swamp in Louisiana Pur-chase State Park is the largest remainingheadwater swamp in the entire MississippiRiver Valley.

The DeltaThe region known as the Delta is actually partof the Gulf Coastal Plain that has been exten-

sively modified bythe Mississippi andArkansas Riversand other flowingwaters. It occupiesmost of eastern Ar-kansas. The activestreams runningthrough the Deltainclude flood-plains subject tofrequent over-

flows, as well as broad backwater areas,oxbow lakes and shallow depressions.

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WetlandsWetlands are areas where theperiodic or permanent presenceof water controls the character-istics of the environment andassociated plants and animals.Today wetlands cover only eightpercent of Arkansas’s land sur-face. The vast expanse ofwildlife-filled wetlands at thetime of the 1803 Louisiana Pur-chase and the 1815 survey havebeen dramatically reduced byflood control, drainage projectsand agricultural development.

STOP 1Louisiana Purchase HistoricState Park HistoryFor over 100 years this historic site went un-noticed until rediscovered by Tom Jacks and Eldridge P. Douglass of Helena, Arkansas, who were resurveying the Phillips and Lee County line in 1921. While retracing the baseline, these surveyors discovered the two large trees, which had been blazed as witness trees during the 1815 survey.

The historical significance of this discovery was recognized by the L’Anguille Chapter of

Opposite page: Granitemonument marking thebase from which theLouisiana Purchase landswere surveyed

This page: Closeup ofgranite monument

Drawings: Swampcottonwood leaves andfruit

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the Daughters of the American Revo-lution of Marianna, Arkansas. OnOctober 27, 1926, the D.A.R. dedicatedthe granite monument you see today

in commemoration of the UnitedStates’ acquisition of the Loui-

siana Territory. The GeneralAssembly passed legislation

in 1961 designating the area a state park;however, no funds were appropriated for

acquisition or development untilthe 1970s.

Initial development of the parkwas made possible with the aid

of local citizenry groupsthrough the Green ThumbProgram. Then in April, 1977,

the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission,recognizing the swamp’s special naturalquality, added it to the Arkansas Registry of

Natural Areas and supplied funds forpurchasing the 37.5 acres. ArkansasState Parks, in turn, granted the

Natural Heritage Commission aconservation easement thatprovided additional legal pro-tection for the natural and

historical features of the site. Developmentof the present park facilities began in 1977and was completed in 1980.

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One hundred seventy-five years earlier, his-torical events leading to what is probably themost incredible real estate deal of all time in-volved diplomacy, intrigue and highwayman-ship on an international scale which pitted theUnited States, a fledgling nation, against OldWorld powers France and Spain. The pur-chase of the Louisiana Province from Francewas more than an incident in world history. Itwas a major event that shaped the destiny ofa new nation, ended Napoleon’s dreams of aFrench empire in the New World and con-firmed Spain’s greatest fears concerning thepossibility of America’s westward expansion.

The Spanish: ExplorersSpain was the first of the European powers tosend explorers into the vast region west of theMississippi River. Hernando De Soto led thefirst expedition in 1541. The conquistadorscame as treasure seekers rather thancolonizers.

The French: ColonizersIn 1682, one hundred forty-one years after DeSoto crossed the Mississippi River, the Frenchexplorer La Salle discovered the mouth of theriver in the Gulf of Mexico. This territory washeld and colonized by France until ceded toSpain in 1762 as a result of the SevenYears’ War.

Opposite page: Flags ofSpain (top), France(middle), and the UnitedStates (bottom), as theyappeared at the timeeach country tookpossession of theLouisiana Territory

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In 1800 King Charles IV of Spain agreed un-der pressure from Napoleon Bonaparte, FirstConsul of France, to return this territory toFrance. Before the agreements of this treatyhad been fully honored by France, and muchto the dismay of Spain, Napoleon decided tosell New Orleans and the entire territory to theUnited States. The Spanish flag was loweredat New Orleans for the final time on Novem-ber 30, 1803. France governed the provinceuntil the Americans arrived in December ofthat year.

STOP 2Louisiana Purchase Historic State Park is situ-ated in a headwater, or high, swamp whichseldom floods deeply yet rarely dries up. Theunique plant and animal communities foundin the swamp form an unusual environment.

Swamp areas such as this one often posedhardships for early explorers, surveyors andsettlers but today are fast becoming rare. In-tensive land reclamation practices are causingthese swamps to be drained and cleared foragricultural purposes. Herein lies one signifi-cant reason why the Natural HeritageCommission preserved this tract for the edu-cational and aesthetic benefit of present andfuture generations.

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STOP 3The Louisiana Territory:1682–1800On April 9, 1682, La Salle placed a column andcross painted with the Arms of France at theconfluence of the Arkansas River and the Mis-sissippi, claiming the vast territory drained bythese rivers for France in the name of KingLouis XIV. With a handful of travel-wornFrench Canadians and Indiansas witnesses, La Salle read thisproclamation:

“In the name of the most high,

mighty, invincible and victorious

Prince, Louis the Great, this ninth

day of April, One Thousand Six

Hundred and Eighty Two, in vir-

tue of my commission of His

Majesty, have taken and do now

take, in the name of His Majesty

and of his successors to the

crown, possession of this coun-

try of Louisiana, the seas,

harbours, ports, bays, adjacent

straits and all the nations,

peoples, provinces, cities,

towns, villages, mines, minerals,

fisheries, streams and rivers,

within the extent of the said Louisiana, thereby

protesting against all who may thereafter un-

Opposite page: Swampchestnut oak leaves and fruit

This page: top, beaver lodge;bottom, raccoons climbingbald cypress

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dertake to invade any or all of

these aforesaid countries,

peoples, or lands, to the preju-

dice of the rights of His Majesty,

acquired by the consent of the

nations dwelling there. Of which

and all else that is needful, I

hereby take to witness those who

hear me.”

As the years passed, the cities ofMobile, Natchez, New Orleansand Arkansas Post were colo-nized and the Mississippi River

became an outlet for a booming trade in skins,pelts, bear oil and other frontier products. By1721 there were 8,000 people in the Frenchcolonies, and rivalry between France and En-gland intensified as Anglo-Saxon tradersinfiltrated the Mississippi Valley. Both coun-tries established military alliances with theIndians during the French and Indian War. By1760 this bloody frontier war had ended, andin 1762 France ceded New Orleans and theLouisiana Territory to Spain in return for ser-vices rendered against England during the war.In the following years, Spain feared the ad-vancing American frontier and attempted toprotect her territory by controlling commerceon the Mississippi River. This created hostilitybetween the two countries. Despite the con-

Above: BeaverBelow: Mink

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trol measures, American commerce on theriver increased and Spain’s hold on the Terri-tory weakened. In July of 1800, Napoleonopened negotiations with Spain for the returnof Louisiana to France. A provisional treaty wassigned in October of that year. This treaty,stipulating that France would never sell or oth-erwise dispose of the Territory to any thirdparty, provided Spain with a false assurance

Flatboats used in frontiertrade on the Mississippi

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that the UnitedStates would notgain possession ofthe Louisiana Terri-tory.

Though much of theterrain along the Mississippi River has provedunsuitable for settlement, it has produced andis still producing, abundant wildlife includingseveral valuable furbearers. France was quickto recognize this potential and established afur trade with the Indians along the MississippiRiver and its tributaries immediately after LaSalle’s visit to the region.

The fur market in Europe provided financialincentive. The first Anglo-Americans to enterthe area which later became Arkansas cameafter furs rather than land. The beaver furtrade is often credited for opening the West.

Some of the mammals which fed the early ex-plorers and clothed the Europeans of thatperiod are still thriving in the remaining wet-lands of eastern Arkansas. Several of thesespecies live in the swamplands of this park.Beaver, mink, raccoon, swamp rabbits, opos-sum, gray squirrels and occasional deer haveadapted to the wet conditions and tend to in-habit the area year round.

Photo: Persimmon fruit andleaves

Drawing: Opossum

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STOP 4An International Crisis:1801–1803Soon after taking office as the third presidentof the United States, Thomas Jefferson was in-formed that Spain had signed a secrettreaty retroceding New Orleans and theLouisiana Territory to France.

The United States did not fearnormally docile Spain as aneighbor, but had great reser-vations about the occupationof the Mississippi Valley by amajor world power withstrong imperialistic ten-dencies. President Jeffer-son sent AmbassadorRobert Livingston to Parisin September, 1801, withinstructions to warn theFrench that the United Statesexpected to have an outlet to thesea and that it was unwilling tosee Spanish land in America trans-ferred to any government otherthan the United States.

In 1802, as Napoleon was planning to sendtroops to New Orleans, President Jeffersonsent his friend, Pierre du Pont de Nemours, to

Persimmon: can reachheights of 20–50 feet

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Montana North Dakota

WyomingSouth Dakota

Nebraska

Colorado

Kansas

Oklaho

The Louisiana Purchase

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Minnesota

Iowa

Missouri

oma Arkansas

Louisiana

Mississippi

Alabam

a

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France. Du Pont was to inform France that if itannexed Louisiana the United States wouldform an immediate military alliance with En-gland. Jefferson’s feelings concerning theimportance of New Orleans to the security ofthe United States were expressed further in aletter to Ambassador Livingston in April, 1802.

“There is on the globe, one single spot, the pos-

sessor of which is our natural and habitual

enemy…Every eye in the United States is now

fixed on the affairs of the Louisiana…The day

that France takes possession of the New Or-

leans fixes the sentence which is to restrain her

forever within her low-water mark, from that

moment we must marry ourselves to the Brit-

ish fleet and nation.”

Due to the growing threat of French occupa-tion, President Jefferson sent James Monroeas Ambassador Extraordinary to Paris with$2,000,000 and authorization to purchase theport of New Orleans and West Florida for$9,375,000. Ambassadors Monroe and Living-ston were instructed to negotiate for a peace-ful settlement of this issue; but they were toleave immediately for England to cement amilitary alliance if serious resistance was metin Paris. Considering Napoleon’s views onworld conquest and the strategic importanceof New Orleans, there seemed to be littleSwamp chestnut oak

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chance that he would relent. However, onApril 11, 1803, Napoleon announced to his fi-nance minister his plans to cede the LouisianaTerritory to the United States.

The French positionwas blunt: take allor nothing. Duringthe next 21 daysMonroe and Living-ston concludedtreaty negotiationsthat committed theUnited States to thepurchase of the en-tire Louisiana Terri-tory for $15,000,000.On April 30, 1803,they initiated atreaty that doubledthe holdings of theUnited States.

Historians havepondered the reasons for Napoleon’s suddendecision to sell the Louisiana Territory. Somehave proposed that he needed money to fi-nance the war with England or that he had cer-tain sentimental feelings for the United States.Actually, his logic was based on a calculatedunderstanding of international affairs.

Monroe and Livingston sign theLouisiana Purchase treaty.

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Napoleon’s occupation of NewOrleans, originally scheduledfor 1801 or 1802, was delayeddue to the hesitancy of KingCharles IV of Spain to sign thefinal retrocession treaty. By thetime this treaty had been legal-ized, ice and the British fleetblockaded Napoleon’s occupa-tion army, garrisoned inHolland, whom he had hoped tosend to New Orleans. Napoleonreceived word in 1802 thatFrance had lost 50,000 troops inan unsuccessful effort tosquelch an uprising in Santo

Domingo, thereby forcing him to give up theidea of using this island as a strategic point foroccupying New Orleans.

Napoleon knew that hostilities with Englandwould commence in the near future and hesi-tated to force a military alliance between theUnited States and his traditional foe. In addition,President Thomas Jefferson made it clear to Na-poleon that anti-French feelings were so high onthe American frontier that an attack on New Or-leans could not be forestalled if it became knownthat French troops were on the way. Finally, it issaid that Napoleon reasoned it would be betterto sell the Louisiana Territory for whatever he

Black willow leaves

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could get, rather than lose it in a hopeless warwith the United States and England.

STOP 5Before Lewis and Clark and Hunter andDunbar explored the Louisiana Purchase Ter-ritory in 1804, little was known about the landor the animals of this vast region. PresidentThomas Jefferson was interested in the natu-ral resources of this land and instructed hisexpedition leaders to collect specimens andto record their observations. Reports filed bythese explorers did much to stimulate inter-est in this new land and its wildlife.

Now, 200 years later, we are still making ob-servations and are becomingmore aware of the com-plex relationshipswhich exist be-tween the plantsand animals of awildlife commu-nity. For example,every animal thatlives within a com-munity has a role toplay in that community’secology. Each species has devel-oped physical and behavioral characteristicswhich enable it to fulfill this role.

Black willow: can reachheights of 30–40 feet

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Bird-voiced treefrogHyla avivocaThe bird-voiced treefrog is a species of spe-cial concern in Arkansas. Threats to its survivalinclude the clearing and draining of cypress-tupelo swamps.

Description• Their average size is 1 3/4 inches long.• Females are larger than males.• Gray-brown or green, they have a dark “X”

or star-shaped mark in middle of theirbacks.

• They live in cypress-tupelo swamps suchas that at Louisiana Purchase State Park.

This small frog changes color from dark grayto light green depending on temperature,

moisture and background. Theadult eats small insects and spi-ders that live high in hardwoodtrees in southern floodplainswamps.

Males call with a rapid succes-sion of short, birdlike whistlesfrom high up in trees or vinesover the water.

A female will lay as many as 500 eggs in sub-merged packets. These hatch in a few daysinto dark brown tadpoles with 3 to 7 red

Bird-voiced treefrog

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saddles and thin bronze head stripes.The tadpoles transform in about a month.

Birds and Trees of theUpland SwampBirds are usually the most conspicuousresidents of this swamp. It is often possibleto see them from the boardwalk. Take a mo-ment and quietly observe the swamp areaaround you. Do you see or hear any of thebirds pictured here?

Trees and shrubs are also prominent featuresof the swamp. They provide food and shelterfor other swamp residents. Note those aroundyou. Look around; can you identify the threespecies pictured on page 31?

Reptiles of the Upland SwampIt is ironic that some of the most interestinganimals of the swamp are also the mostfeared by man, the least understood andthe most vulnerable to man’s predatory be-havior. A study of these swamp inhabitantsreveals their purpose and place in theswamp ecosystem.

American alligatorAn endangered species for many years, thealligator is returning to areas of former abun-dance. It is the largest predator in most

Top: Pileated woodpecker,Middle: Barred owl,Bottom: Prothonotary warbler

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swamps and feeds on snakes,turtles, beaver and muskrat. Al-though far from common, thealligator occurs in eastern Ar-kansas and they have beenseen here.

CottonmouthThe cottonmouth, a poisonoussnake, can occasionally be seenbasking on logs and in lowbranches. It feeds primarily onfrogs and fish and, contrary topopular opinion, is shy and un-obtrusive unless molested.

Diamondback watersnakeOne of several harmless snakes in the swamp,the watersnake is very similar to the cotton-mouth in size, shape and habit. It also feedson frogs and fish and can be distinguishedfrom the cottonmouth by comparing the dif-ferences in its head shape and color pattern.

Common snapping turtleThough capable of catching fish, ducklings

and other aquatic animals, this turtle pri-marily plays the role of

scavenger, feeding on deadanimals. It can be identified

by its long neck, large head,

Photographs—Above: Turtle,Below: Diamondback watersnake

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ridged shell and tong tail. As the name implies,the snapping turtle bites viciously whenhandled.

STOP 6Hollow TreeThe interesting thing about the tree picturedon the next page is that the heartwood—thecentral support of the original tree—has rot-ted away, but the tree has continued to grow,producing two new trees. We don’t knowwhether this was due to disease, lightning, in-sects or man; but when the protective covering(bark) was damaged, the non-living heart-wood was exposed to the elements and beganto rot away. However, a section of the livingtree—the outer few inches—continued togrow.

Drawings—Oppositepage: Snapping turtle,

This page: Americanalligator

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CROSS-SECTIONOF A NEW TRUNK

HeartwoodSapwoodCambium LayerPhloemBark

CROSS-SECTIONOF ORIGINAL TRUNK

STOP 6Hollow Tree

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STOP 7The Movement West: 1815The movement of settlers to the MississippiRiver and points farther west increased afterthe War of 1812. The official survey of the Loui-siana Purchase, which began in 1815, was toaid in the orderly distribution of land to vet-erans of the war. The surveyor’s job was vitalto the opening of the American West.

Surveyors Prospect K. Robbins and Joseph C.Brown were commissioned by the United Statesto begin this survey by establishing an initialpoint in eastern Arkansas from which other sur-veys would originate. To establish an initial pointit was necessary to survey a permanent north-south line, called a meridian and cross it with aneast-west line, a baseline, the junction becom-

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ing the initial pointfor all future sur-veys of LouisianaPurchase Territorylands.

Prospect Robbins’task was to estab-lish the north-

south line, the meridian. The surveyor’s jobwas not only to mark the exact line, but also totake notes on the land they surveyed. The firstentry in his notebook was on October 27, 1815:“Set a post at the extremity point of landformed by the junction of the Arkansas andMississippi Rivers, at which point commencedthe Fifth Principal Meridian.”

On the same day Prospect Robbins set the postat the mouth of the Arkansas River, JosephBrown’s survey party started west from themouth of the St. Francis River to establish thebaseline. The two survey parties met on No-vember 10, 1815. They set a marker andmarked witness trees establishing the ‘point-of-beginning,’ or ‘initial point’ for surveys ofthe Louisiana Purchase Territory.

Prospect Robbins surveyed a straight north-south line 55 miles, 60 chains and 50 linkslong, crossing Brown’s baseline 26 miles west

Barred owl

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of the Mississippi River. The site was describedas “…low and contained cypress and briersand thickets in abundance.”

The baseline was continued west in 1818,eventually extending to the western border ofArkansas by 1841. The Fifth Principal Merid-ian was continued north to provide anorientation for the survey of most of Arkansas,Missouri, Iowa, the Dakotas and Minnesota.

The Louisiana Purchase added 830,000 squaremiles of uncharted wilderness to the UnitedStates. President Jefferson called it: “A trans-action replete with blessings to unbornmillions of men.”

Henry Adams later wrote that the LouisianaPurchase was: “…an event so portentous asto defy measurement.”

At less than three cents per acre,the Louisiana Purchase must beconsidered the greatest real es-tate deal of all time. By standingquietly at this site for a momentone can imagine the vastnessand solitude of this area and thestrengths of thosepeople who explored,surveyed and settled it.

Wood duck

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STOP 8As you look around, you can see three of themost common trees and shrubs found in theinterior of the upland swamp. Where the wa-ter remains the longest each year are the baldcypress, the water tupelo and the buttonbush.

The bald cypress has a graceful taperingtrunk, cinnamon red bark and needle-likeleaves. Its fruit is ball-shaped, hard and scaly.Bald cypress are often surrounded by conicalextensions of their roots above the water.These are called cypress knees. Water tupelo

can be identified by the fissured brown bark,toothed leaves and deep purple, olive-shapedfruit. Both trees have flared, buttressed trunksto provide more stability in wet soil.

The buttonbush plays a major role in swampecology. When buttonbush blooms it triggersa chain of events that affects most of the ani-mals around it. During blooming periods,thousands of insects are attracted to button-bush flowers and other animals come aspredators. This abundant food source resultsin higher insect populations, which in turn,provide food for other animals farther up thefood chain, including frogs, snakes and alliga-tors. The livelihood of many other swampresidents can be traced back to the button-

Opposite page, top: Button-bush leaves and fuit;

middle: Bald cypress foliageand fruit;

bottom: Water tupelo leavesand fuit

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bush, illustrating the interrelationships thatexist between the plants and animals in aswamp community. Many of these events, in-cluding bees gathering nectar and dragonfliespreying on insects near the flowers, can beobserved from the boardwalk.

Louisiana Purchase Historic State Park is jointlymanaged by Arkansas State Parks, a divisionof the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tour-ism, and by the Arkansas Natural HeritageCommission, an agency of the Departmentof Arkansas Heritage.

For further information on Louisiana Purchase Historic State Park or any of Arkansas’s otherfine state parks and museums, contact:Arkansas State ParksOne Capitol MallLittle Rock, AR 72201(501) 682-7777Website: www.ArkansasStateParks.comorFor more information about the state’s natural areas, contact:Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission1100 North Street,Little Rock, AR 72201(501) 324-9619Website: www.ArkansasHeritage.com

Photos: Carl Hunter, Don Simons, A.C. Haralson, Mike Redmer and Jay Miller

Illustrations and booklet design: Melissa Smith

Printed with soy ink on recycled paper

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Swampcottonwood

(up to 90')

Swamp chestnut oak(up to 100')

Bald cypress(up to 120')

Persimmon(up to 50')

Black willow(up to 50')

Water tupelo(up to 100')