Native Americans, Discovery, Exploration and Settlement 12,000 BC to 1803

Paleo-Indians 12,000 BC-9,500 BC 25,000 years ago Following herds of wild animals the first settlers in North America came over the land bridge that connected what is now Alaska and Russia Earliest dated Indian remains in Arkansas are from around 10,000 BC Lived by hunting wild animals and gathering wild plants Lived in groups of 20-30 men and women frequently moved to follow the animals Climate of Arkansas was cooler and drier, had less plant life Most of our knowledge comes from archeologists

Archaic Indians 9500 BC-1000BC Major climate changes mark this period Climate became warmer and drier Large mammals die out replaced by deer, bears, elk, wolves, racoons Native American populations grew Tools and weapons became more efficient Atlatl (throwing stick that made spears go further) Adze (made cutting wood easier) People began to settle down for parts of the year Lived along river banks and other high ground Different groups met and exchanged goods and ideas Beginning of religious beliefs and the idea of an afterlife

Woodland Indians 1000 BC-950 AD Important change was the practice of agriculture Crops- squash, goosefoot, marshelder, sumpweed Growing food allowed them Stay in one place (villages developed) Have a secure food supply Develop governments Began to bury their dead in small hills or mounds Trade increased Traded items like salt, hematite and novaculite Traded for items like copper, seashells Indians began to make elaborate pottery

Mississippian Tradition 950 AD-1541 AD Population began to grow large and live in villages Center of village was a large open plaza surrounded by mounds Mounds contained public buildings Religious services and harvest festivals were held on the plazas in the village Native Americans began to use the bow and arrow at this time Corn was introduced It improved the health of the population Bad side was this it promoted tooth decay and lead to early death

Historic Indians after 1541AD When the first European explorers arrived in 1521 in Arkansas there were three distinct tribes Caddo, Osage and Quapaw living in Arkansas Called the historic period because we have written records from European travelers

Caddo Lived in Southwest Arkansas Built mounds Buried important leaders there Built religious temples on top Large, complex farming culture Lived in small family farms Grew the “three sisters” crops (corn, beans, squash) Houses had a distinct cone shape

Caddo Important industry was making salt Boiled water to evaporate the moisture, when the water boiled off salt remained behind Salt was used to preserve and season food It was also used as a trade item Most famous salt making site in Arkansas was the Hardman site in Clark County Salt making was Arkansas first large scale industry

Quapaw Moved into Arkansas 550 years ago Lived in river valleys of eastern Arkansas Arkansas, White and Mississippi River Grew the three sisters crops Believed that everyone owned the land and they farmed all land together Houses were shared by several families Kappa was the largest known Quapaw village (present day Arkansas County) They were the first Native Americans to come in contact with the Europeans

Osage Hunting tribe that did not actually live in Arkansas Home was in southern Missouri Considered northern Arkansas to be part of their hunting lands Were more warlike than Quapaw and Caddo and they raided their settlements

Arkansas Explorers

The First Explorers Around 1500 European ideas, and ways of life began to spread around the world European countries began to explore and colonize the New World (North and South America) European explorers came to the New World for the “three G’s”; god, gold and glory Europeans did not understand Native American cultures and looked down on them The most significant European impact on the Americas was disease Native Americans did not have any immunity to smallpox, measles or the flu Within 200 years of European contact the Quapaw's went from over 10,000 in Arkansas to fewer than 500 members

Hernando Desoto The Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto was the first European explorer to come to Arkansas De Soto and his men reached Arkansas in 1541 By the time he reached Arkansas De Soto and over 600 men had been searching what is now the southeaster U.S. for gold They crossed the Mississippi near present day Memphis They spent almost one year traveling through Arkansas When De Soto died his men buried him in the Mississippi River and made their way back to Spanish settlements in Mexico The expedition provided the first written accounts of Native American life in Arkansas

The French in Arkansas It was 130 years before another European visit to Arkansas 1673 two French explorers Jacque Marquette (a French priest) and Louis Joliet ( a French fur trapper and trader), traveled down the Mississippi River to find a water route to the Indies through North America They came in two canoes with five men They were given a calumet by Illinois Indians that served as a passport to provide safe travel They went as far as the mouth of the Arkansas River and met the Quapaw Indians They were told by the Indians that the river did not empty into the Pacific and that they were close to Spanish lands Marquette and Joliet returned north Their report of the journey gave the people they met and the land where they were the name Arkansas

Robert La Salle 1682 LaSalle wanted to claim the Mississippi River Valley for France He traveled with Henry De Tonti 50 other men and visited many of the same places that De Soto, Marquette and Joliet LaSalle told the Indians he claimed the land for the King of France LaSalle eventually traveled to the mouth of the Mississippi and returned to France to plan a larger expedition In 1684 LaSalle led another expedition that failed and he was murdered on the coast of Texas The legacy of LaSalle's visit to Arkansas he built positive relations with the natives claimed the area for France.

Arkansas Post LaSalle's lieutenant went to find him and decided to wait for him at the mouth of the Arkansas River 1686 De Tonti built a fort and trading post and named it Arkansas Post De Tonti left behind 6 men at the post It became the first permanent European settlement on the west bank of the Mississippi River It always remained an isolated and remote outpost

John Law 1717 the king of France gave John Law the right to sell land and bring settlers to Arkansas he recruited settlers saying that there was gold and silver close by 1721 the first colonists arrived but there were only Quapaw Indians at the site, the colonists stayed and rebuilt the post. Throughout the 1700s there were never more than 100 people living there The location of Arkansas Post was moved several times because of flooding Arkansas Post was the only French settlement in Arkansas 1719 Bernard de La Harpe traveled up the Arkansas River and discovered “big rock” the location across the river eventually became Little Rock

Daily life at Arkansas Post Rugged rural frontier town Always more men than women Most lived in dogtrot houses Spoke their native language (French) European traders traded goods with Indians Fed themselves with hunting and fishing Traders traveled by canoe up the White, Arkansas and other rivers of the region Settlers at the Post always had slaves Interracial marriages were common

The American Revolution In 1763 after the French and Indian War Arkansas became part of the Spanish Empire It took 5 years for the first Spanish army officer to take control of Arkansas Post 1783 the British and Chickasaw Indians attacked Arkansas Post The Spanish fought off the attack It was the only battle of the American Revolution fought west of the Mississippi