Diamond Bluff is a small community with an estimated population of 500 and is nestled between towering limestone bluffs and the Mississippi River. It is located 13 miles south of Prescott on Highway 35, The Great River Road. The village area lays claim to being the home of one of the first white settlers, a Frenchman who called the area Monte Diamond and lived here from 1799 until his death in 1824. The town's name was changed to Diamond Bluff in 1854 and the township was established in 1857 as it is today.
Years ago Diamond Bluff was a busy river town with a general store, a barbershop, tavern, town hall, school, post office, train depot, lumber yard, grain elevator, sawmill, a Baptist Church, a Methodist Church, and two river ports. The Mississippi River played a key role in the history of Diamond Bluff, with it being a natural port. Three steamboats, including the Sea Wing, were built here between 1888 and 1907.
The fateful journey of the Sea Wing originated from a river port in Diamond Bluff. A memorial telling of the 1890 steamboat disaster can be found next to the town hall in Diamond Bluff. Sea Wing Park has approximately 600 feet of shoreline including a sand beach and is a great place to fish, picnic and enjoy the view of the bluffs and the Mississippi River. A boat ramp is located approximately 3 blocks south of the park.
On the southeast end of Diamond Bluff is a bluff where a custom roadster called a Teal Bug was sent over the cliff in a movie scene of "Free Air" made in 1921. The Mero Site Indian Mounds are located just west of this bluff and it is one of the largest mounds in the area.
The Town Hall still stands, as does the 1866 Methodist Church, which still holds weekly services. The Nauti Hawg, the town’s only bar and grill is located right on the river, making it convenient for boaters to stop by for refreshments and great food. It also offers a great view of the river along with the boats and barges passing through, and occasionally the Delta, American or Mississippi Queen. The Nauti Hawg hosts the Flood Run in the spring and fall when thousands of bikers travel along the river road.
Travelers coming to Diamond Bluff have one of the best views of the Mississippi River and it is also on the northern edge of the Great River Road. It is a great place for birders, stopping for a picnic at the park, or enjoying the many natural wonders of the area.
For more to see and do in and around Diamond Bluff, check out our itineraries.
