Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources

An Arkansas State Museum On The Site Of The 1920s South Arkansas Oil Boom, At Smackover, Interpreting The Oil And Brine Industries That Transformed The Region. Its Outdoor Site Includes Standing Wooden Derricks And Period Equipment. · Smackover, Arkansas

In 1921 south Arkansas struck oil and the country around Smackover went from pine woods and a few hundred people to one of the largest producing fields in the world inside three years, with a town of thousands living in tents. The state museum sits on that ground and tells it properly: the boom, the wildcatters, the towns that appeared and vanished, and the brine and bromine industry that outlasted the oil and still runs here. Outside stand wooden derricks and period drilling equipment, including a full-height derrick you can walk under. It is free, it is a long way from anywhere, and it is the only serious interpretation of south Arkansas's defining industry.

3853 Smackover Highway, Smackover, Arkansas, 71762, United States

Open Tuesday to Saturday on daytime hours in most seasons, closed Sundays and Mondays and on major holidays. Admission is free. The outdoor derrick and equipment site is walked from the museum building and is open during museum hours. Confirm hours before travelling - Smackover is a long way from any main route.

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