Last updated: May 21, 2026
Place
Dardanelle Council Oaks Park
USACE
Quick Facts
Location:
1200 North Front Street, Dardanelle, Arkansas 72834.
Significance:
Located on the Water Route of the Trail of Tears, Council Oaks Park in the city of Dardanelle, Arkansas witnessed forced removal.
Designation:
Historic site on the Trail of Tears NHT.
MANAGED BY:
City of Dardanelle
Amenities
5 listed
Benches/Seating, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Parking - Auto, Picnic Table, Playground
Dardanelle is located on the Trail of Tears Water Route at the crossing of the Arkansas River by the Military Road between Little Rock and Fort Smith. A ferry crossed the river, skirting a large, unusual rock formation called Dardanelle Rock. Locals, spurred on by newspaper advertisements, sold food, supplies, and animal fodder to the removal detachments passing by on steamboats and keelboats.
In early December 1831, over 400 Choctaw left Memphis on the Brandywine with two keelboats in tow. They spent a brutally cold six weeks camped near Arkansas Post, and then departed on the Reindeer, reaching Galla Rock where they were stranded due to low water levels. Unable to pole the keelboats upriver, the Choctaw had no choice but to leave the river and walk 30 miles overland to the ferry crossing to reach Dardanelle. These types of setbacks illustrate how the uncertain and complex logistics of Indian Removal plagued all tribes forced to move west.
During Removal, navigable water on the Arkansas River wasn’t guaranteed. Council Oaks Park is located along the shoreline where steamboats that transported the Cherokee and other tribesman from their Eastern homelands could travel no further upriver. Dardanelle Rock served as a reminder of this major decision point, endure the river or traverse overland the remainder of the journey west.
Safety Considerations
In early December 1831, over 400 Choctaw left Memphis on the Brandywine with two keelboats in tow. They spent a brutally cold six weeks camped near Arkansas Post, and then departed on the Reindeer, reaching Galla Rock where they were stranded due to low water levels. Unable to pole the keelboats upriver, the Choctaw had no choice but to leave the river and walk 30 miles overland to the ferry crossing to reach Dardanelle. These types of setbacks illustrate how the uncertain and complex logistics of Indian Removal plagued all tribes forced to move west.
Site Information
Location (Parking lot for Council Oaks Park located off of North Front Street in Dardanelle, Arkansas.)During Removal, navigable water on the Arkansas River wasn’t guaranteed. Council Oaks Park is located along the shoreline where steamboats that transported the Cherokee and other tribesman from their Eastern homelands could travel no further upriver. Dardanelle Rock served as a reminder of this major decision point, endure the river or traverse overland the remainder of the journey west.
Safety Considerations