Take a scenic ride into the timberlands of south-central Arkansas as we follow a quiet but meaningful stretch of Arkansas Highway 46 from Sheridan to Jenkins Ferry State Park. This brief but historically rich 9-mile journey leads us west from the heart of Grant County to the edge of one of Arkansas’s lesser-known Civil War battlefields, threading through pine forests and gently rolling terrain once shaped by commerce, conflict, and conservation.
We begin our drive in Sheridan, a modest but growing town that serves as the county seat of Grant County. Centered at the junction of U.S. Highway 167 and AR-46, Sheridan marks the transition from the suburban spread of central Arkansas to the deep woods of the south. As we pull away from the town’s small businesses and tidy neighborhoods, Highway 46 quickly sheds its commercial coat and becomes a rural two-lane flanked by stands of loblolly pine and the occasional homestead tucked behind the treeline. The land here is gently undulating, characteristic of the Gulf Coastal Plain, and used primarily for timber production—an industry that still forms the economic backbone of the region.
About halfway into the drive, we cross over Caney Creek, a quiet waterway meandering through thick woods. The bridge is unassuming, but these waterways have long been critical to the region’s settlement and survival, once serving as transportation routes and natural boundaries. Further along, the road grows quieter, and traffic thins to an occasional pickup truck or logging rig. It’s in this peaceful rural setting that Highway 46 reveals its true destination—Jenkins Ferry State Park.
As we approach the state park, the road narrows and turns more intimate, canopied by trees that seem to lean in, sheltering the route in a green tunnel. A modest sign marks the entrance to Jenkins Ferry, but the history it guards is anything but understated. The park preserves the site of the Battle of Jenkins Ferry, fought on April 30, 1864, during the Red River Campaign of the Civil War. Union forces under Major General Frederick Steele clashed here with Confederate troops in a brutal, rain-soaked engagement as Steele retreated from Camden to Little Rock. The flooded Saline River and treacherous swampy ground turned the battlefield into a logistical nightmare, with casualties mounting on both sides. Today, interpretive panels and shaded picnic areas offer a place for reflection and remembrance, while the surrounding woods have largely reclaimed the scars of war.
Our journey may be short in miles, but it’s deep in story. Arkansas Highway 46 is more than a connector between town and park—it’s a thread between past and present, between everyday rural life and the echoes of national conflict. It’s a reminder that even the smallest roads can lead to significant places, and that history often hides in the quietest corners of the map.
🗺️ Route Map
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