Morris S. Arnold

The author states at the beginning that he wanted to read up on colonial Arkansas, a time before the United States and a time during French and Spanish rule. But he couldn't find a book on it. There were no substantial sources on this location during that time period. And so his journey began....

So much research went into this book. It's listed on Goodreads as 296 pages, but the last 21 pages are notes and appendixes.

Not only was there so much information, but it wasn't diluted with flowery language (well, the law chapter was written a little long-winded, considering the author is a lawyer). Chapters focused on geography, architecture, civilian livelihood, general culture and amenities, military, and government during the years in the title, 1686-1804, though most content focused in late 1600s and early 1700s.

Think of life in the American colonial period, but in a French society, in a literally "back waters" location. "Civilization" was New Orleans. "Arkansas" was but a trading post on the Arkansas River near where it meets the Mississippi River. That's not only a rough, swamp area that made for unpredictable farming and disease, but broad wilderness and Native tribes of varying temperaments to the Europeans. The Post was too small and with too transient of a population to be respected by other French establishments. However, this also allowed for a semi-lawless environment where even though there wasn't exuberant discord there weren't devout citizens. Quapaw Indians traded while Chickasaws and Osages warred. Got sick or injured? Make a trip to New Orleans because the Post didn't maintain supplies and wasn't occupied by members of the intellectual professions.

Even though the colonial Arkansas profiled was almost exclusively the one settlement, the book provided immense insight into French colonialism in North America--a topic not addressed in American history books, which almost exclusively focus on British colonialism before statehood.… (más)