Europeans who settled in the county also used the White River to navigate through the area and trade . Control of the White River lead to military action in the county during the Civil War , including a gunboat battle at Clarendon in 1864 . The Flood of 1927 damaged much of the county 's settlements along the White , and inundated Clarendon when the levees protecting the city failed on April 20 . Conservation efforts by leaders in the county resulted in the creation of federal and state protected areas around the Cache and White rivers , to protect wetlands that could absorb flooding , beginning in 1935 . These have been expanded to the current day , as engineers understand more about the positive role of wetlands in floodplain ecology
Flood of 1927
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
Monroe County, Arkansas