March 7, 2010

The city of Clarendon (Monroe County), one of Arkansas’s first European settlements, stands where the Cache River empties into the White River. Historically a transportation center, Clarendon was on the Military Road and on the Cotton Belt Railroad. Most of its history is tied to the rivers, however, including significant Civil War actions and, of course, times of major flooding. Air travel and interstate highways have led to the decline of Clarendon as a transportation hub. Pictured here is the riverfront at Clarendon, circa 1905–1910.