1682: Rene Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle claims the Mississippi valley for King Louis XIV of France, dubbing the country “Louisiana.” In February, La Salle’s party pauses near present-day Memphis to build Fort Prud’homme, then continues south to the mouth of the river.

1686: La Poste d’Akancas (Arkansas Post) is established by La Salle’s lieutenant, Italian mercenary soldier Henri de Tonty, as a trading post.

1700's

1700: French Catholic missionaries arrive in present-day Arkansas to convert local Natives to Christianity; most Natives continue their prior observances despite these efforts.

1717: Scottish land speculator John Law recruits French settlers for a projected colony to be built in the wilds of present-day Arkansas. Law promises a life of ease, due to deposits of gold and silver. Law is granted 87,000 acres of land near the Quapaw villages.

1731: Louisiana, including present-day Arkansas, becomes a royal colony of France.

1738: French regulars, militia and Quapaw and Choctaw allies begin a two-year campaign against the Chickasaw, who threaten travelers and residents alike.

1740: Cotton culture is introduced in the Mississippi valley by Pierre de Bienville, governor of Louisiana.

1753: The Seven Years’ or “French and Indian” War, breaks out in Europe, pitting France against England.

1762: The Treaty of Fontainebleau (Paris) concludes the Seven Years’ War; as part of the treaty, France cedes most of its North American possessions to England; a separate, secret treaty gives parts of Louisiana west of the Mississippi to Spain.

1800's

1800: On October 1, French and Spanish diplomats sign the secret Treaty of San Ildefonso, which returns Louisiana to French control.

1803: American diplomats James Monroe and Robert Livingston negotiate to purchase New Orleans, to ensure continued American shipping rights. The French government offers them all of Louisiana, at a negotiated price of fifteen million dollars. By this purchase, present-day Arkansas becomes part of the United States.

1804: On March 24, President Thomas Jefferson approves an Act of Congress dividing the newly-acquired former French colony into two parts: the Territory of Orleans and the District of Louisiana (which includes present-day Arkansas).