PINE BLUFF, Ark. — A new state historic marker recognizing Chief Saracen and the history of the Quapaw people in Arkansas will be unveiled later this month in Pine Bluff, adding a permanent reminder of a pivotal and difficult chapter in the state’s history.
The Arkansas 250 historic marker will be dedicated Monday, Aug. 24, at 11 a.m. along the Lake Saracen Walking Trail at Regional Park, 200 Lake Saracen Drive.
The Quapaw Nation suggested Pine Bluff as the location for the marker because of the area’s deep connection to Quapaw history. The Treaty of 1824, through which the Quapaw ceded their remaining lands in Arkansas Territory to the United States, was signed approximately 20 miles away, and the forced removal of the Quapaw from Arkansas began nearby.
The dedication will include participation from the Quapaw Nation, including an invocation, remarks and the unveiling of the marker. The ceremony will also feature a greeting in the Quapaw language, a moment of silence in remembrance of those who were removed from Arkansas and the Quapaw Memorial Song, performed by Shawn Ellick.
Jesse “Manz” McKibben of the Quapaw Nation Business Committee is scheduled to read the marker text.
Other participants will include Pine Bluff Mayor Vivian Flowers; Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism Secretary and Arkansas 250 Commission Chairman Shea Lewis; Pine Bluff Advertising & Promotion Commission Executive Director Sheri Storie; Pine Bluff A&P Director of Tourism Development Jimmy Cunningham; and Carlton Saffa of Saracen Casino Resort, who will serve as master of ceremonies.
The marker recounts the events surrounding the Treaty of 1824, signed Nov. 15 of that year in what is now Jefferson County. Quapaw leaders, including Chief Heckaton and Saracen, signed the treaty ceding the Nation’s remaining land in Arkansas Territory.
Long before European settlement, the Quapaw lived in villages throughout the Arkansas Delta along the Mississippi and Arkansas rivers. By the 19th century, however, epidemics and warfare had reduced the Quapaw population by an estimated 80 percent to approximately 1,000 people, while the number of American settlers entering the region continued to grow.
In 1818, the Quapaw were compelled to cede approximately 30 million acres, encompassing most of what would eventually become the state of Arkansas. They retained about 1.5 million acres south of the Arkansas River between Little Rock and Arkansas Post.
Six years later, the 1824 treaty relinquished that remaining territory. The Quapaw eventually established themselves in Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma.
The marker’s text was drafted by the state and reviewed by the Quapaw Nation. The Nation’s Culture Division and Business Committee provided comments before the sign received approval in October 2025.
Its placement in Pine Bluff is particularly significant because Chief Saracen’s name remains closely tied to the community nearly two centuries later, including Lake Saracen and Saracen Landing.
The marker is one of a limited number being dedicated across Arkansas as part of the state’s semiquincentennial commemoration marking 250 years since American independence.
According to the marker, the Arkansas 250 Commission selected the site because of the consequential role the events there played in Arkansas history.
The marker also becomes a permanent addition to Pine Bluff’s Delta Rhythm & Bayous Cultural District, part of the community’s ongoing effort to highlight local history and expand heritage tourism.
A reception is scheduled immediately following the ceremony from approximately 11:45 a.m. until 12:45 p.m.
