The Parkin Archeological State Park site is the largest site of the twenty-one known Parkin phase sites along the St. Francis River in northeast Arkansas. The site is 17-acres. It was occupied between AD 1000- 1550. The Parkin site is located in the old Mississippi River Meander belt. This is west of the present-day Mississippi River. The river was constantly changing and naturally flooding. No one was intervening with the river's natural course. The natural ways of the rivers allowed new layers of soil to be deposited. The Parkin site is located on a natural levee of the St. Francis River. This was an ideal place for raising corn, beans, and squash because of the soil being easily worked. Hunting and gathering were also easy in this area. The Parkin site is to be the site of the controlling chiefdom of the twenty-one Parkin phase sites. Parkin may have been the capital of Casqui. A Parkin phase site is located from the south of Parkin to the north of Marked Tree. These sites had palisades with all or most residents living inside the walls. The agricultural fields were located outside of the moat/ditch. By AD 1500 there was a large platform mound, with a smaller terrace on the southern side of the mound. The mound was constructed in stages. The location was a prime location, because the site was able to control the traffic in the St. Francis River basin. Little else is known about daily life at Parkin. However, it was most likely similar to other late Mississippian chiefdoms across the Southeast United States.
History of Archaeological Investigations at Parkin
The first archaeological investigation occurred in 1879. Edwin Curtis from the Peabody Museum at Harvard University conducted this excavation. He found that the largest mound was 40 feet high and a diameter of 40 feet at the top (Barnes 1997). The smaller mounds were between 5 and 6 feet high with a diameter of about 50 feet. Curtis believed that the larger mound was for the chiefly residence while the smaller mounds were for other elite residents. During the excavation, Curtis found 800 pottery vessels, 106 of which were effigies. He also found 81 painted items. He concluded that the site arrangement was typical for a late Mississippian site (Barnes 1997). In the 1880's C.W. Riggs explored many sites in Arkansas and most likely dug at Arkansas. In 1909 and 1910, Clarence Bloomfield Moore discovered 19 burials. In the burials, he also found 25 pottery vessels. There were 11 plain bowls, 6 plain bottles, 4 vessels with notched rims, 2 fish effigy bowls, a bottle with decorative knobs and a bottle with 4 human faces modeled in relief (Barnes 1997). During the early 20th century, the site was owned by the Northern Ohio Cooperage and Lumber Company. The employees were allowed to dig and sell things they found. This may account for many burials that were looted. Many pieces found by these employees may never have been seen by archeologists. There could be very important artifacts these people found and sold. Also, the company filled the moat/ditch with sawdust. The company ran until The Great Depression (Barnes 1997). In 1939, Dr. James B. Griffin, Dr. James A. Ford and Dr. Philip Phillips started a survey of the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley. They investigated many sites including the Parkin site. They categorized the site at a "St. Francis type" of site. The site had a planned village with a ceremonial mound and several house mounds. They noted that three sides of the site had a ditch and likely a palisade. The fourth side was the river boundary (Barnes 1997). During the 1960's more excavations were conducted. Many artifacts were found during this time. Two Spanish artifacts were found. They are the Clarksdale bell and a glass Chevron bead (Barnes 1997). In 1965, a training program was conducted with four areas being of interest. They were the southern edge of the site near the ditch, a small mound, 50 meters east of the ceremonial mound (plaza area), and the apron of the ceremonial mound. They found many interesting things during this excavation. There was evidence of house construction from daub and baked clay. They also found five large postholes, which were likely part of the palisade. They found four burials with items in them. In the plaza area, little cultural material was found. This is consistent with the idea that this area was only for ceremonial activities, as it was near the ceremonial mound. They believe the smaller mound to be a house mound for elite people. In the mound apron, there is striking evidence of the mound being in built in stages. There is also evidence of burials and decorated sherds near the mound apron. Some other items found were pottery, Nodena points, small thumb nail scrapers, bone awls, needles, and fishhooks (Barnes 1997). During 1965, the Arkansas General Assembly declared the site as a state park to preserve and protect the site (Ogilvie, 2010). The following summer (1966) more work was done. This time they focused on the area near the mound apron. Seven postholes were found, even more evidence of a palisade. They found evidence for as many as 15 building stages in this mound. Ten burials were found near the southern edge of the site. In the southwest area of the site, a series of 53 postholes were found. These postholes formed an oval that is 5 meters long and 2.5 meters wide (Barnes 1997). Also found during this time were charred posts. These are believed to be from a cross that Hernando de Soto erected when he visited the site in 1541 (Barnes 1997). The next investigation was in 1979 when Arkansas Archeological Survey archeologists studied the area to determine the extent of the site. They found that more than likely the site was densely populated. At least 1 km around the site was not occupied by other people (Barnes 1997). This means that every member of this site lived inside the ditch/moat.
The 1990's were a great time for archaeology at the Parkin Site. Between 1991 and 1994, Dr. Jeffrey M. Mitchem conducted three field sessions on the site. The concentration was in two areas, the mid-point of the palisade and ditch on the east side and northeast of the main mound. In 1991, they dug across the moat to find it well preserved. It was filled with sawdust, from when there was a lumber company on the site (Barnes 1997). In 1993, the trench was extended. They wanted to find the palisade wall. They found four large postholes (Barnes 1997). In 1994, four 2x2 meter units were excavated. They found more postholes. Mitchem believes that, from this evidence, the postholes were at least 2 meters apart, presumably, with wattle-and-daub (Barnes 1997). Right outside the line of postholes, they found a 2x2 meters square structure. Mitchem believes this to be a guardhouse of sorts (Barnes 1997). In the other area, they found the floor of a large house. After measuring it, they found that it was 4 m on each side (Barnes 1997). They found evidence of a doorway. Many animal bones and broken pottery was found right outside the door. Outside the structure, a lead shot was found as well as the top half of a Clarksdale bell. These are most definitely Spanish artifacts (Barnes 1997). From evidence at the site, Mitchem and others believe that the house was burned down. The next year, they found evidence that it was a summer residence. Also, near the house a large trash pit was found. In the trash pit, they found bison bones, hickory nuts, corn cobs, and persimmon seeds. Around this house, they found up to six human burials (Barnes 1997). In 1996, students of the University of Arkansas-Little Rock field school opened two 2x2 meter squares west of the house found in the previous years. The found a shell gorget with a spider motif that is similar to the one found on a copper gorget at the site earlier. It is believed that Mississippian people view the spider as the animal that brought fire from the Upper World (Barnes 1997). During the summer of 1996, even more postholes were found. A hearth feature was also found and was associated with two newborn burials. Also two more trash pits were found, along with a looted burial (Barnes 1997). The following year, interior roof supports were found along with another hearth. They also found three more burials. During this time, they began excavation of another structure that is four meters on each side (Barnes 1997).
Hernando de Soto in Arkansas
There are many conflicting ideas about the de Soto expedition and its exploration of Arkansas. The written accounts seem to describe the Parkin site as one of the sites that the expedition encountered along the St. Francis River. It is almost certain that this site is the chiefdom of Casqui. The encounter was one of the few friendly encounters that the de Soto expedition encountered (gorp.com). The members of Casqui invited the travelers to stay inside the palisade but they opted to make camp outside of the town. The chief as well as a number of villagers were baptized as Christians by de Soto and his men. A large wooden cross was placed on top of the chief's mound. From evidence found in later years, the wooden cross was burned down. However, it is not known when this occurred. After de Soto and his men left this area, there are no more written accounts of the Casqui people. It is unknown how they failed to survive in the world.
