On this episode of Arts and Letters, historical geographer Andrew J. Milson about the Arkansas Traveler, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, who meticulously detailed his 1818-1819 journey along the rugged terrain of the Arkansas and Missouri border.
In Arkansas Travelers, historical geographer Andrew J. Milson takes readers on an enthralling tour with William Dunbar, Thomas Nuttall, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, and George William Featherstonhaugh as they explored the Arkansas frontier in the early nineteenth century. Each of these travelers wrote about the treacherous rivers, drunken scoundrels, humble dwellings, repulsive food, and beautiful vistas they encountered. In addition to telling their stories, Milson presents detailed new maps that illustrate the travelers’ routes as well as their environmental and cultural perceptions. Arkansas Travelers guides readers toward a deep understanding of Arkansas history and geography through the eyes of these four explorers.
“Andrew J. Milson reconceptualizes the Mississippi River Valley and the American South of the early American republic in his new work on travelers and explorers. Using the methodology of historical geography, Milson enhances our understanding of the region and its landscapes—both physical and cultural. In particular, he looks at the expeditions and travels of George Hunter and William Dunbar, Thomas Nuttall, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, and George William Featherstonhaugh. Arkansas Travelers: Geographies of Exploration and Perception, 1804–1834 covers the thirty years after the Louisiana Purchase and gives readers a new perspective on Arkansas’s transition from territory to statehood.”
—Joseph Key, Journal of Southern History, May 2021