Arkansas History and White River Fishing
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Arkansas History and White River Fishing Historical Overview The state of Arkansas's history, according to <arkansasheritage.com>, dates to 500 BC by the Hopewell Culture and Plum Bayou earthen mounds excavations. The Parkin Indians from the period of 900‐1541 AD had towns and thrived on the St. Francis River in northeastern Arkansas, a tributary of the Mississippi River. The Spanish conquistador, Hernando De Soto, was the first European to explore the state in the 16th century. The French with Father Marquette, Louise Joliet and Renee‐Robert Cavelier de La Salle followed during the 17th century. A Jesuit mission in the late 1600s included a trading post and first European settlement. In 1731 the French included Arkansas as part of its Louisiana royal colony of France. Conflict between the Chickasaw Indians and French settlers erupted mid‐1700s. The treaty from the Seven Years' War in Europe gave the Spanish rights to France's Louisiana Territory in 1762, but in 1803, by a secret treaty, the French regained the territory. On October 31, 1803, then President Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon of France for 15 million dollars. In 1806, Arkansas received it official name of a territory that was in the southern portion of New Madrid County designated as the District of Arkansas. <encyclopediaofarkansas.net> The word “Arkansas” came from the Quapaw Indians, by way of early French explorers. The Algonkian‐speaking Indians of the Ohio Valley called them the Arkansas, or “south wind." <answersdrive.com> Arkansas became a separate territory in 1819 and achieved statehood in 1836. It became a slave state, and Arkansas was the ninth state to secede from the union and join the Confederate States of America. <history.com> Little Rock, Arkansas is the capital of the state. Trivia: Pronunciation‐‐Arkansas (Ar‐kansas) or Arkansas (Ar‐kan‐saw)? "It is not illegal to pronounce Arkansas incorrectly. Both Arkansas and Kansas derive their names from the Native‐American Kansa tribe (pronounced as Kan‐SAW). Kansas is an English spelling of the tribe's name, leading to the current pronunciation. Arkansas is French, and the trailing 's' is therefore silent." <skeptics.statckexchange.com> White River Fishing This photo program's photography and notes are courtesy of Richard Garland and his wife, Joyce from State College, Pennsylvania. Richard is an avid photographer, hunter and fishman, and wood worker enthusiast. His enjoyment of the outdoors is evident. Richard and Joyce's appreciation of their family and grandchildren, especially Michael pictured with grandpa, is evident. He made his photos available to me from his many trips from a request since Arkansas was unfortunately one state that I have never been to. "The White River is a 722‐mile long river that flows through the U.S. states of Arkansas and Missouri, a journey through the great Ozark Mountains downward into the state of Arkansas's lower delta region. Originating in the Boston Mountains of northwest Arkansas, it flows northward into southern Missouri, and then turns back into Arkansas, flowing southeast to its mouth at the Mississippi River." <whiteriver.net> The White River is world‐renowned for some of the finest trout fishing anywhere. It is home to 4 species of trout: Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, and Brook Trout, which were introduced in the late 1950's by AGFC after construction of the dams. The Browns are in the 30‐plus‐pound range and the rainbows in the 19‐ pound range. <arkansas.com> Bull Shoals Lake is an artificial lake or reservoir in the Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas and southern Missouri. It has hundreds of miles of lake arms and coves, and common activities include boating, water sports, swimming, and fishing. Nineteen developed parks around the shoreline provide campgrounds, boat launches, swim areas, and marinas. Bull Shoals Dam was created to impound the White River by one of the largest concrete dams in the United States and the 5th largest dam in the world at its inception.[1] Work on the dam began in 1947, was completed in 1951 and dedicated by President Harry S. Truman in 1952. At least seven small family cemeteries and 20 larger cemeteries were meticulously relocated to accommodate the new lake <en.wikipedia.org> Bull Shoals Lake and the White River below its dam, are synonymous with fishing in Arkansas. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project, located in north central Arkansas on the Missouri‐Arkansas state line, enjoys a wide reputation for lunker bass fishing along with its twin, Lake Norfolk, just to the east. Bull Shoals Dam was completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1951. It is the fifth largest concrete dam in the United States. Including the portion located in Missouri, the lake totals some 45,500 surface acres. Almost 1,000 miles of rugged shoreline is open to visitors and 60,000 acres of public land provide a variety of opportunities. Over 20 parks developed through the cooperative efforts of local, state, and federal agencies are located on the lakeshore. The Bull Shoals‐White River State Park is a 725‐acre (2.9 km²) park in Baxter and Marion Counties of Arkansas both above and below the massive dam. Optimum conditions: The cold water from Bull Shoals Lake released through the dam keeps the water temperature 58 degrees or below year‐round. Biologists say because they are most active in 55‐degree water, the fish are constantly feeding on the White River. <sos.arkansas.gov> Let us go fishing Fine‐Fine day of Fishing Camp time ‐ Chow time! Wildlife and Many birds Along the river, besides the white-tailed deer, many bird species are common. The Great blue heron is likely the most common species. They create a rockery in the trees where the pairs had established flimsy nests. But the nest is suitable to hold the egg during incubation. Blue Grosbeak Pileated Woodpecker Red‐bellied Woodpecker Cardinal A Bald Eagle perched near its nest. The herons are the local fish king and take many trout for their own sustenance. Below is an Eastern Kingbird (largest distribution of any North American Kingbird) and a Myrtle Warbler (small New World warbler) Richard's Notes Richard enjoyed his visit and fishing on the White River in northern Arkansas. His first trip with Dwayne at Beard's Guide Service http://gofisharkansas.net/ was in 2011. He returned in 2018 with his grandson, Michael, and son‐in‐law Aaron. He went on to say that building the dam created a serpentine matrix of backwaters that are great for recreation and out‐of‐door activities. The downstream section of the river follows the natural channel and provides a picturesque scenic landscape that can be enjoyed from the water. Much of the shoreline is high banks and not suitable to easy access to the water until one is further downstream when there are fishing lodges and boat docks for fisherman. Sunrise on the White is always exciting, typically, fog is prevalent from the cold bottom water being discharged from the dam meeting the warmer surface air, but Dwayne knows this river and the channel from many years of fishing. Navigating in the early shrouded fog is an awesome experience and as the fog lifts so does the shoreline beauty open‐up. Big brown trout are a trophy sought after on the White. My 26" monster was just 1/2" short of the minimum limit so it was released for another year to grow. Michael caught a beautiful rainbow. Rainbow are the most prevalent game fish in the river, and it is a lot of fun to get your limit of these beauties. A special treat is to have a shore lunch of freshly caught trout. Dwayne is a skilled preparer of hush puppies and french fries. What a great break in the day to enjoy the morning catch and then go back for the afternoon. It was a great time on the White River. Thank you Richard Garland for sharing the White River in Arkansas. Sources: https://www.arkansas.com/mountain‐home/outdoors‐nature/white‐river, http://whiteriver.net/, https://www.arkansas.com/mountainburg/motoring/boston‐mountains‐scenic‐loop, http://gofisharkansas.net/ https://www.arkansasheritage.com/Learn/Historic_Timelines/prehistory‐through‐secession, https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/louisiana‐ purchase‐through‐early‐statehood‐1803‐through‐1860‐398/, https://answersdrive.com/how‐did‐the‐state‐of‐arkansas‐get‐its‐name‐3475529, https://www.history.com/topics/us‐states/arkansas, https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/23579/is‐it‐against‐the‐law‐to‐mispronounce‐ arkansas, https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/education/arkansas‐history/how‐did‐arkansas‐get‐its‐name, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bull_Shoals, Arkansas https://www.arkansas.com/mountain‐home/outdoors‐nature/bull‐shoals‐lake and https://www.arkansas.com/things‐to‐do/outdoors/bird‐watching‐ wildlife. acuri.net John R. Vincenti & Richard Garland Arkansas History and White River Fishing .