Camden, Arkansas

=== Early statehood ===
By 1819, Jesse Bowman, of future [[Alamo Mission in San Antonio|Alamo]] fame, was living at Ecore a Fabri, while the Tate brothers—Andrew, Richard, and George—came up the Ouachita on keelboats. Unable to go farther, they settled up river at a place now called [[Tates Bluff, Arkansas|Tate's Bluff]]. In 1824, John Nunn moved to Ecore a Fabri and became one of the early permanent settlers. The Nunn brothers planned to pole freight and passengers upriver toward [[Washington, Arkansas]]. Steamboats arrived at Ecore a Fabri in the 1820s and provided it with a direct link to the cotton and commercial markets in [[New Orleans]]. Because it was located at the head of practical navigation, Ecore a Fabri became a commercial center and began to grow. Residents of [[Hempstead County, Arkansas|Hempstead County]] began petitioning for a new road in 1821, and by 1828, the Camden to Washington Road was having additional work and maintenance done. By 1829, a large portion of Hempstead County, including Ecore a Fabri, was broken off by the [[Arkansas General Assembly|legislature]] to form an expanded [[Union County, Arkansas|Union County]]. In 1842, Ouachita County, named for the river, was formed from the northwest portion of Union. Ecore a Fabri was chosen as the county seat, and its name was changed to Camden at the suggestion of one of the commissioners, Thomas Woodward.<ref name="EoA" />

Camden soon became the second-largest city in Arkansas. It was a mercantile center and a bustling river port served by frequent scheduled steamboats carrying passengers and freight. Most traveled between Camden and [[New Orleans]]. Camden was also the headquarters for John T. Chidester's stagecoach line that served [[Arkansas]], [[Louisiana]] and [[Texas]]. Chidester's company carried the United States Mail from [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] to [[Fort Smith, Arkansas|Fort Smith]] for the Butterfield stage line.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Chidester Stage Lines|last=Dillard|first=Tom|date=December 20, 2015|work=Arkansas Democrat-Gazette}}</ref>