This page describes the Postal Operations in Arkansas during the Territorial period with links to selected covers that ilustrate the story.   Use the menu 19th Century-Arkansas Territory Covers-Little Rock Shield to view all  reported postal usages of the Little Rock Shield Townmark.  Use the Menu-19th Century-Arkansas Territory Covers-Little Rock Territorial Covers-non-Shield to see covers from Little Rock outside the Shield usage period. 

Pre-Territorial Covers
  Three covers have been recorded mailed to or from what is now Arkansas  before  the Arkansas Territory was established in 1819. Click the links below to see these covers.

1) 1806-Letter written at "Arkansa" and hand carried (there was no postal service).

2) 1807-03-12 Letter from "White River" in Western Arkansas to "The United States Indian Factor, Arkansas" Privately carried to Arkansas Post and docketed as received March 24th.

2) *Washington, DC March 29, 1809
 to "Arkansas" (Arkansas Post) Louisiana Territory.

Single Letter Postage Rates 1816 – 1845
Not 30  miles ………………………………….......6.0 cents
30 – 80 miles ……………………………..........10.0 cents
80 – 150 miles     …………………………….....12.5 cents
150 – 400 miles …….         (1816 – 1825)..18.5 cents
          ........                      (1825 – 1845) .18.75 cents
Over 400 miles   ……………………….……… ..25.0 cents

The following information is extracted from the article "The Post Office in Early Arkansas" by Nathan B Williams,in The Arkansas Historical Association, Vol 3, 1911, pp 310-324.  Williams derived all the information from original PO sources.