Bayou Bartholomew, Bayou in Arkansas and Louisiana, United States

Bayou Bartholomew begins northwest of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, in the Hardin community and runs about 364 miles (586 km) through Jefferson, Lincoln, Desha, Drew, Chicot and Ashley counties before entering the Ouachita River near Sterlington, Louisiana. It forms the main border between the Arkansas Delta and the Arkansas Timberlands and holds over 100 aquatic species, the second most diverse stream in North America.

Formed from an old channel of the Arkansas River about 1,800 to 2,200 years ago, the bayou linked the Arkansas post with the Ouachita River during the French and Spanish colonial period. The Barthélémy family hunted and traded along it, and the name appears in a 1781 Spanish document. Until railroads arrived around 1890, it was the main transport route of the interior Delta, carrying flatboats, small steamboats and timber; Charles McDermott's plantation was established on its banks in 1844.

The name comes from the Barthélémy family, French colonial hunters and traders who travelled the bayou in the 18th century; the first written record of the name is a 1781 Spanish-era document. After the Louisiana Purchase the French name was anglicised to Bartholomew. Anglers today fish it for bream, catfish and crappie.

Several boat ramps provide access to the waterway for fishing and wildlife viewing activities. Expect wet conditions, insects, and changing water levels depending on the season.

The bayou's name first appears in a 1781 Spanish-era document, referring to the French colonial Barthélémy family, who hunted and traded along its course and settled near its headwaters in present-day Jefferson County. After the Louisiana Purchase the French name Bartholomé was anglicised to Bartholomew.