Historical Marker
Bayou Bartholomew
Pine Bluff, Jefferson County · Arkansas
Erected 1976
Bayou Bartholomew begins in Jefferson County just south of Pine Bluff and runs about 359 miles to the Ouachita River near Sterlington, Louisiana. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas calls it the longest bayou in the United States. Its bed formed when the Arkansas River shifted away roughly 1,800 to 2,200 years ago, and Native Americans left artifacts along its banks. The name likely comes from Little Bartholomew, a Parisian in Henri Joutel's 1687 party. It became a cotton and timber route until railroads arrived in 1890. In 1995 Curtis Merrell of Monticello organized the Bayou Bartholomew Alliance to restore it.
Where it stands
34.17747, -92.00573 · Directions
More markers nearby
- Union Strategy and Pine Bluff — 3.4 mi
- Boone-Murphy House — 3.4 mi
- Jefferson County First Court House — 3.6 mi
- Battle of Pine Bluff — 3.6 mi