Napoleon, Arkansas
Encyclopedia
Napoleon is a ghost town
in Desha County
, Arkansas
, United States
, near the confluence of the Arkansas
and Mississippi
rivers. Once the county seat
of Desha County, Napoleon was flooded when the banks of the Mississippi River burst through and destroyed the once-thriving river port town.
The town was the subject of a narrative in Mark Twain
's Life on the Mississippi
, in which 10,000 dollars had been hidden behind a brick in a building there. Twain says he learned of the money's whereabouts but upon trying to retrieve it discovered the entire town has been washed away.
Twain reports that the early explorers De Soto, Marquette
and Joliet
, and La Salle visited "the site of the future town of Napoleon, Arkansas" in their pioneering journeys.
In 1852, Bolivar County, Mississippi
, established its county seat nearly opposite Napoleon, Arkansas, on the east bank of the Mississippi River. It was named "Wellington," according to the History of Bolivar County Mississippi, published in 1948 by the Mississippi Delta Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. No records exist as to why Bolivar County leaders chose Wellington as the county seat's name, but the choice may have had something to do with the meeting of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte of France and the Duke of Wellington, the British general, at the Battle of Waterloo earlier in the century. There would have been a natural rivalry between business and civic leaders in Desha County, Arkansas, and Bolivar County, Mississippi, for river-related commerce at the confluence of the Arkansas and Mississippi Rivers. Like Napoleon, Wellington no longer exists.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in Desha County
Desha County, Arkansas
Desha County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 13,008. The county seat is Arkansas City. Desha County is Arkansas's 40th county, formed on December 12, 1838, and named for Captain Benjamin Desha who fought in the War of...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, near the confluence of the Arkansas
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's initial basin starts in the Western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas...
and Mississippi
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
rivers. Once the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Desha County, Napoleon was flooded when the banks of the Mississippi River burst through and destroyed the once-thriving river port town.
The town was the subject of a narrative in Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
's Life on the Mississippi
Life on the Mississippi
Life on the Mississippi is a memoir by Mark Twain, of his days as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River before the American Civil War, and also a travel book, recounting his trip along the Mississippi many years after the War....
, in which 10,000 dollars had been hidden behind a brick in a building there. Twain says he learned of the money's whereabouts but upon trying to retrieve it discovered the entire town has been washed away.
Twain reports that the early explorers De Soto, Marquette
Jacques Marquette
Father Jacques Marquette S.J. , sometimes known as Père Marquette, was a French Jesuit missionary who founded Michigan's first European settlement, Sault Ste. Marie, and later founded St. Ignace, Michigan...
and Joliet
Louis Jolliet
Louis Jolliet , also known as Louis Joliet, was a French Canadian explorer known for his discoveries in North America...
, and La Salle visited "the site of the future town of Napoleon, Arkansas" in their pioneering journeys.
In 1852, Bolivar County, Mississippi
Bolivar County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 40,633 people, 13,776 households, and 9,725 families residing in the county. The population density was 46 people per square mile . There were 14,939 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile...
, established its county seat nearly opposite Napoleon, Arkansas, on the east bank of the Mississippi River. It was named "Wellington," according to the History of Bolivar County Mississippi, published in 1948 by the Mississippi Delta Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. No records exist as to why Bolivar County leaders chose Wellington as the county seat's name, but the choice may have had something to do with the meeting of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte of France and the Duke of Wellington, the British general, at the Battle of Waterloo earlier in the century. There would have been a natural rivalry between business and civic leaders in Desha County, Arkansas, and Bolivar County, Mississippi, for river-related commerce at the confluence of the Arkansas and Mississippi Rivers. Like Napoleon, Wellington no longer exists.