Hi, We have a summer camphouse on the bank of the Ouachita River at Alabama Landing. We are probably less than a 1/4 mile from the original Alabama Landing. It was where one could cross the Ouachita River when the water was low. The river bottom there is a natural rock "bar", meaning that it is naturally covered with rocks and not mud. One could ford the river at this point in wagons or on horseback. The river has a shallow bend. Now it is shallow on the edges with natural gravel bottom and you can launch a boat there easily without getting stuck in mud or such. Now of course, the river is occasionally dredged in the main channel to be deep enough for barges but I imagine at one time this was not the case. I need to ask one of the local landowners there to tell me more about the history of this particular area and I'll report further to the list when I have that information. best regards, Susan Holley bholley@bayou.com