12/19/2025
One of my family connections to the Lower Buffalo River is The Rose Family. My grandmother was a Rose and was born at Bigflat, Arkansas My Grandfather was a Vickers that was born on Tater Hill near the river close to Cozahome.
Rose Ridge, located on the Lower Buffalo National River, is named for the family that originally settled there.
Settlement History: The Rose family established themselves near the mouth of Big Creek, with the prominent ridge directly across from their settlement area eventually taking their name.
Historical Context: Like many features along the Buffalo River, the name reflects the "highland people" who migrated to the Ozarks in the 1800s, forming small, self-sufficient communities in the rugged terrain.
Cultural Legacy: Descendants of these early settlers maintain a deep connection to the land, and the naming of such ridges preserves the family history of those who lived along the river before it was designated as a national park in 1972.
The Rose family's history on the Lower Buffalo River is part of a broader pattern of 19th-century migration where "highland people" from the southern Appalachians sought independent, self-sufficient lives in the Ozark isolation.
Pioneer Settlement: Ancestors of the Rose family were among the early frontiersmen who moved progressively westward through Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee before reaching Arkansas in the 1830s.
Life at Big Creek: The family settled near the mouth of Big Creek on the lower river, one of the earliest and most cultivated areas of settlement between 1829 and 1845. Like many neighbors, they practiced subsistence farming on fertile but limited bottomland, growing corn and later cash crops like cotton.
Self-Sufficiency and Isolation: Living in the rugged terrain of the Lower Buffalo required extreme independence. The nearest mills were often 12 to 15 miles away, and families frequently had to travel for days to markets like Little Rock for supplies.
Civil War Hardships: The family lived through a period of intense local conflict. While no large battles occurred there, the region was plagued by guerrilla "bushwhackers" who burned homesteads and ruined farms to seize resources.
National River Transition: Many descendants of these early families remained on the land for over 150 years until the creation of the Buffalo National River in 1972, which required many to vacate their ancestral homesteads.
For those interested in exploring this history further, the Buffalo National River Historic Resources Study provides extensive detail on the early settlers of this region
The Rose family migrated from Tennessee to Arkansas before eventually settling in the Lower Buffalo River area.
Their migration path was part of a larger westward movement of "highland people" from the southern Appalachians, through states like Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, and finally into the isolated Ozark region of Arkansas in the 1830s. They were among the earliest white settlers in northern Arkansas, with many descendants of the specific "Frederick Rose family of Tennessee" settling in and around the town of Big Flat, which is near the Buffalo River area they are associated with.
from colonial Virginia through North Carolina and Tennessee before settling in the Ozarks.
Patriarch: Frederick Rose Sr. (1771–1841)
Origins: Born in Sussex County, Virginia, to William Rose and Mary Ezell, Frederick Sr. was part of a long-established Virginia planter family.
Tennessee Settlement: After marrying Eve Eulice (or Eulis) in 1790 in North Carolina, he moved his family to Wayne and Hardin counties in Tennessee. He reportedly claimed land in Hardin County via a grant signed by Governor Sam Houston.
Large Family: He and Eve had between 12 and 16 children, many of whom continued the westward migration into Arkansas and beyond.
Migration to the Buffalo River: Frederick Rose Jr. (1804–1891)
While Frederick Sr. died in Tennessee, it was his son, Frederick Rose Jr., who led the family line into the Lower Buffalo River region.
Big Flat Township: Frederick Jr. moved to northern Arkansas and settled in the Big Flat area of Searcy County, near the mouth of Big Creek on the Lower Buffalo River.
Community Impact: The family became deeply rooted in the Big Flat and Lower Buffalo communities. Many descendants from this line are buried in the Big Flat Cemetery.
Rose Ridge: The ridge overlooking the Lower Buffalo River was named for this family’s homestead and their long-term presence as one of the area's prominent pioneer families.
Life and Legacy
Civil War: The family remained in the region during the Civil War. Records indicate some family members, such as Isaac Rose (born in Tennessee), served in the Confederate States Army (CSA) and were killed in action during the conflict.
Persistence: For over a century, the Rose family maintained their connection to the land through farming and local commerce until the National Park Service acquired the land for the Buffalo National River in the 1970s
