The area around Clarendon was originally populated by various Native American groups . By 1799 , French hunters and trappers had built cabins at the mouth of the Cache River . It was the point where The Military Road from Memphis , Tennessee to Little Rock crossed the White River . The Military Road was begun in 1826 and completed in 1828 . By that date , a ferry crossing and post office had been established in Clarendon , and the town served as the terminus for a stagecoach line to the west . The Military Road was used as the route for some groups of Native Americans being relocated from eastern states to Oklahoma during the forced relocations commonly known as the Trail of Tears ; Chickasaw , Choctaw , Creek , and Cherokee groups are known to have traveled along it . A railroad bridge across the White River was constructed in 1883 by the Texas and St. Louis Railway ; the ferry operated until 1931 when it was replaced by a highway bridge
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
Clarendon, Arkansas