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Latitude and Longitude: 15.45 square miles (2010 Census) 22,791
(2010 Census) January 4, 1845 Historical Population as per the
U.S. Census: Van Buren began as a port and trade center on the
Arkansas River and served as a major starting point for
prospectors of the 1849 gold rush. A border town linked to
Indian Territory, it was the site of Arkansas’s first federal
district court and a Civil War battle town. River traffic,
railroad commerce, and mercantile trade dominated Van Buren’s
early economy; manufacturing and tourism developed a strong
presence in the last half century. Louisiana Purchase through
Early StatehoodThe area that became Van Buren began as a land
claim on the Arkansas River owned in the 1820s by Revolutionary
War veteran James Phillips and his two sons, Thomas Phillips and
Daniel David Phillips. The site, named Phillips Landing, became
a busy port over the next several decades. Early traffic
included American traders bound for Santa