Moro Bay State Park

The Hunter-Dunbar expedition's record for November 18, 1804, describes "Bay Morau" as a large inlet on the Ouachita River that swells into a considerable lake in a flood. Before railroads the river was the region's main road, and cotton barges floated down it toward New Orleans. Where the bay meets the river, a ferry started in 1828, eight years before statehood. It was called Burk's Ferry because William Burk, his family and his enslaved people built and ran it, on a cable, charging twelve and a half cents a crossing.

Ownership changed and the design was modified until 1948, and the ferry stopped for about eighteen years before the state restored it as an extension of Highway 15. In 1992 two bridges made it unnecessary, and the Highway Department gave the ferry to the parks department. It is now an exhibit that visitors can walk onto, and its helm is in the visitor center. In the early 1970s Jimmy Gates leased the 117 acres to the state, then tried to end the lease, and a court settlement gave the state ownership.

Today the marina rents slips and boats and is described as the only place on the Ouachita River in Arkansas that sells gas. The park has campsites, picnic sites, trails and five cabins overlooking the bay. It marks the junction of Bradley, Calhoun and Union counties. Alligators live in the water but are seldom seen, along with otters, mink and many birds.