Elkhorn Tavern

Click photos to enlarge.
Photo by Larry Jameson 08/14/2006

Elkhorn Tavern was built about 1833 by Captain William Ruddick and his son-in-law Samuel Burks, and was first known as Ruddick Inn. Between 1837 and 1839 their families watched a part of the forced Indian migration as Agent B. B. Cannon charted the northern course of the Trail of Tears. Cannon's detachment of 336 Cherokees camped near Ruddick Inn on December 23, 1837. By 1839 over 11,000 Indians had passed the tavern.

Samuel Burks became sole proprietor in 1852 after the deaths of William and Betsey Ruddick.

In 1858 Samuel sold the property to his cousin Jesse Cox who renamed it Elkhorn Tavern. In addition to serving as an Inn and eating place on the Butterfield Overland Mail Route, the property was used as a voting place, house of worship for the Benton County Baptist Society, a post office and was an official stop for the Underland Stage.

Photo by Larry Jameson 08/14/2006	The original Inn built by Ruddick and Burks was burned in 1862 or early 1863 by bushwhackers. The property remained in various family hands until 1960 when it was purchased by the National Park Service. The building shown at the left is a replica.
Photo by Larry Jameson 08/14/2006	A set of elk horns are fixed to the roof of the inn. Jesse Cox had originally placed elk antlers on a pole. Since this tavern was a supply depot for the Northern Trail of Tears, it was from here that the detachments would branch out over several different trails leading to Indian Territory (Oklahoma).

Van Dorn's Flag

During the Civil War Battle of Pea Ridge it was used by both sides as a hospital. A West Point graduate from Mississippi was chosen to lead the Confederate forces, not because of his abilities but because Generals McCulloch and Price could not stand one another and were continually arguing. Van Dorn was chosen by President Jefferson Davis in hopes of forcing the two generals to cooperate. It was a mistake that could have dashed Confederate hopes for victory.

Missouri, like Arkansas, had a large pro-Union population and a large pro-Confederacy group as well. In March of 1861, both Arkansas and Missouri voted NOT to secede. Arkansas then voted to join the Confederacy in May of 1861 and the Missouri legislature voted to do the same in October. The bulk of Missouri leaders had supported secession from the beginning but a lot of political shenanigans and maneuverings postponed the action.

The Federal government could ill-afford to lose Missouri to the Confederacy for multiple reasons, not the least of which was a huge arsenal of weapons at St. Louis. The state of Missouri also offered control of both the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, crucial routes for military supply.

Missouri and Arkansas share another Civil War similarity. Shortly after Arkansas voted not to secede, President Lincoln sent a letter to the Arkansas governor requiring that Arkansas furnish troops to the Union Army. Arkansas's response was voting to secede. Governor Jackson of Missouri received a similar letter from Lincoln. His response, "not a man would the State of Missouri furnish to carry on such an unholy crusade."

Because of that, the Union Army moved quickly into Missouri. With no Confederate forces, Missoui was served only by General Sterling Price's Missouri Guard. And the war was on!

Civil War Books

Elkhorn Tavern