Randolph County, Arkansas: History
=== Early History 11,000 BCE - 1836 CE ===
The earliest signs of human civilization in the Randolph County area have been traced to roughly 11,000 BC. Archaeological sites have been discovered that date all the way back to the Dalton Period (10,500 to 9,900 radiocarbon years ago), the most recent and well documented is the Mississippian culture, which lasted from 900 CE to roughly 1600 CE and has several sites and archeological artifacts that have been discovered across the county. Native Americans from tribes such as the Mitchigamea, Osage, Quapaw, Cherokee, Delaware, and Shawnee are believed to all have had a presence in the county with small settlements being established throughout history. Many of these native groups that may have settled the county are believed to have left by 1820 primarily due to the 1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes.
Hernando de Soto, a Spanish conquistador was the first European to explore northeast Arkansas when he crossed the Mississippi River in June of 1541 near the present-day location of Memphis, Tennessee. While his exact route through the area is not known, he is speculated to have explored the Black River and other rivers that flow through Randolph county's present-day location. Several Spanish artifacts dated to the time of De Soto's expedition have also been discovered in Randolph County communities. De Soto would later die in Southeast Arkansas near Lake Village and his expedition left the state in 1543, without any permanent Spanish settlement being established in the Arkansas region.
The next European explorers to come to the region would be a French Jesuit Missionary, Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet, a French fur trader. The Marquette-Joliet expedition began in 1673 and were tasked with mapping a river route from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi River. During the journey, the explorers ventured up parts of the Arkansas, White, and Black Rivers. Marquette discovered a small Mitchigamea settlement near the present-day city of Pocahontas in Randolph County and is thought to have established a small trading post for a short period of time. This voyage paved the way for De Salle in 1682, who claimed the entire Louisiana Territory for France that same year, and De Tonti in 1686 to also explore the area. De Tonti would also be recognized for establishing the Arkansas Post in 1686 near the confluence of the Arkansas and Mississippi River. This would be the first permanent European settlement in Arkansas.
In 1763, after France lost the Seven-Years war, the empire was forced to cede all of its North American territories to Britain and Spain. All land West of the Mississippi river was given to Spain, while all land east of the river was given to Britain. Much of the Louisiana territory, including Randolph county was now possessed by Spain. During Spanish ownership of the territory from 1763-1800, many French settlers remained in the area and had established trading posts and camps along the white river. Fur traders where a major market at the time and large posts along rivers would be created as a result. One group of French trappers and settlers moved to the Black river, coming from Kaskaskia, Illinois and St. Genevieve, Missouri. These settlers would obtain land grants with the Spanish government and large families like the French Janis family would quickly establish themselves in the region. …