The Mississippi River Delta is one of the most fertile agricultural regions in the world. But this has not always been so. For thousands of years, the Arkansas region of the Delta was nothing but swamps and forests.

Early European settlers were hunters, trappers and fur traders. Early in the 19th century, settlers began arriving in the Delta from other states, such as Kentucky and Tennessee. They cleared forests, drained swamps and expanded cotton production into the new region.

Though the river brought rich soil to the region, it often took back its gifts during periodic flooding that wiped out many farmers. 

Today the fertile Arkansas Delta also produces rice, soybeans and other crops in abundance.