or PDF - Arkansas Delta Byways

The nation's worst maritime disaster occurred east of Marion. In
1865, the steamboat Sultana, carrying Union soldiers returning home
after release from Confederate prisons, exploded near the present-day
town. While the loss of some 1,800 lives was greater even than that of
the Titanic (1,522 lives lost), the event received little mention in history
due to other almost simultaneous events: the end of the Civil War and the
Lincoln Assassination.
Esperanza Trail, Trail of Tears,
Old Military Road
This route along U. S. 64, running perpendicular to The Great River Road,
once served as the major artery of transportation between Memphis and
Little Rock, being the first road built in Arkansas. Prior to becoming a
paved route, various historic trails followed roughly similar routes in the
region: the old trail serving Spanish Fort Esperanza east of present-day
Marion, the Military Road providing a supply and troop movement route
for armies of the Mexican and Civil Wars, and the Trail of Tears route.
Highway 61 Arch
The Great River Road-Arkansas journey begins at the arch spanning the
U.S. 61 entrance into Arkansas from Missouri. It was built in 1924 to
signify completion of the first hard-surfaced stretch of highway through
Arkansas's Mississippi County.
(Directions: South on U.S. 61 through Mississippi County)
Side Trip: Crittenden County Museum
Travel west along U. S. 64 to Earle, home of the Crittenden County Museum in the
renovated Missouri Pacific Railroad Depot.
Side Trip: Parkin Archeological State Park Spur
Further west on U. S. 64, the Parkin Archeological State Park includes the site of
the largest fortified ceremonial mound and population center in the St. Francis
River Basin during the Mississippian Period (AD 1000-1550). A National Historic
Landmark, the site today is a state park with a major visitor center. It also is
home to the circa 1910 Northern Ohio School, a wood framed one-room
schoolhouse that served children in the predominantly black Sawdust Hill
community that housed Northern Ohio Lumber Company workers. Follow the
same route back to S. H. 77.
(Directions: S. H. 77 becomes Missouri Street when it enters the City of West
Memphis. From downtown West Memphis, travelers can proceed east on
Broadway [U. S. 70] and turn north on Ingram Blvd. to visit Southland Greyhound
Park or continue east on U. S. 70 to follow The Great River Road across the bridge
to Memphis. Travelers continuing south on The Great River Road-Arkansas should
turn west on U. S. 70 from downtown West Memphis.)
West Memphis
Blytheville
A logging camp near this site along
the
Mississippi
River
was
established shortly before War
World I and called Bragg's Spur, or
Bragg, after its developer, Zack
Bragg. Today it is the largest city
along Arkansas's Great River Road
and includes Southland Greyhound
Park,
Riverside
International
Speedway stockcar racing, the Hog
Pen recreational complex, MidSouth Community College, attractive
park areas, and specialty and
antique shops.
The county seat for the Chickasawba District of Mississippi County,
Blytheville’s attractions include an art moderne Greyhound Bus Station,
the Ritz Civic Center, Arkansas Northeastern College, That Bookstore in
Blytheville (a frequent haunt of novelist John Grisham), specialty shops,
and a planned Delta Gateway Museum in the historic Kress Building.
Side Trip: Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Due west of Blytheville on S. H. 18, this refuge is an important area for
migrating/wintering waterfowl and neotropical birds in the Lower Mississippi
River Ecosystem. The refuge basin is thought to have formed from the New
Madrid earthquake of 1811-12.
Side Trip: Buffalo Island Loop
This loop off S. H. 18 West includes the towns of Manila, Leachville, Monette,
Caraway and Black Oak (birthplace of John Grisham and locale for A Painted
House). Legend has it that floodwaters of the St. Francis, Little River and Big Lake
once stranded a herd of buffalo on an island now occupied by these communities.
Among the highlights are the Herman Davis WWI state monument in Manila,
Adams Cotton Gin in Leachville (the world's largest), and the Buffalo Island
Museum at Monette. (To make the loop from S. H. 18, turn north and then west
on S. H. 77 to Leachville, south on S. H. 119 through town, west and south on S. H.
18 through Monette and Black Oak, south from Black Oak on S. H. 135, and east
on S. H. 158 through Caraway. Continue on S. H. 158 to join The Great River Road
at Luxora, or turn north on S. H. 77 to return to S. H. 18 east back to Blytheville.)
Burdette
Burdette is typical of many small towns
that developed in this region when the
timber industry was at its peak. It was the
home of the Three States Lumber Mill built
in 1909, part of the lumber boom that
cleared the forests in this region and
opened land for agricultural development.
Osceola
Hampson Archeological
Museum State Park
This museum conserves and exhibits archeological collections from the
Nodena site (1400 to 1650 A. D.), a 15-acre palisaded village that once
thrived on a meander bend of the Mississippi River.
Wilson
Side Trip: The Sunken Lands Loop
From Wilson, head west on S. H. 14 to visit some of the towns in the St. Francis
Sunken Lands, an area created from the New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-12. The
first stop is Dyess, a resettlement colony for impoverished farmers during the Great
Depression and boyhood home of singer Johnny Cash. Continue west on S. H. 14
to Lepanto to see The Painted House Museum (from the set of the John Grisham
movie) and Museum Lepanto USA, then travel west and south on S. H. 140 to the
Marked Tree Delta Area Museum. From Marked Tree, travel east on U. S. 63 to
Tyronza, home of the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum. Owned by Arkansas
State University, this site tells the story of the historic agricultural movement that
involved both black and white farm workers in the same union. From Tyronza,
continue east on U. S. 63 to join The Great River Road just before Turrell.
(Directions: Just before Turrell in Crittenden County, turn south from U. S. 61 or U. S.
63 onto S. H. 77.)
Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge
This huge wetlands area includes forested portions and some farmland,
along with the 600-acre Wapanocca Lake. The area is great for
birdwatching, along with hunting and fishing for panfish and bass. There
is a driving trail that provides a glimpse of what the Arkansas Delta was
like in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Sunset
Just a half mile north of Marion, this town developed when residential
areas grew up around the location of the black school facilities during
segregation. The Marion Colored High School is one of the few
remaining schools in Arkansas built with support from the Julius
Rosenwald Fund.
Marion
The area around present-day Marion was settled in 1803 by Spanish
Sergeant Augustine Grande and known as Grande until 1836, when it
became the county seat for Crittenden County. The town features a 191011 courthouse with Classical Revival influences, a Marion Lake walking
trail and a mural celebrating the town's history.
As you exit the St. Francis National Forest, you encounter the 1869
Helena Confederate Cemetery (back of Maple Hill Cemetery), which
includes 73 named and 29 unnamed gravestones. More than half the
bodies are casualties of the July 4, 1863 Battle of Helena, originally buried
in other local graves and reinterred when the cemetery opened.
Corning
Piggott
(Directions: S. H. 44 through the city follows Holly, Columbia and Biscoe streets.)
Great River Road
Interpretive Centers
Rector
Helena-West Helena
Marmaduke
Settlers began arriving in this area after being displaced by the 1812 New
Madrid earthquake and the War of 1812. It became the Phillips County
seat in 1830 and was incorporated in 1833, making it the second oldest
incorporated city in Arkansas. (Little Rock was incorporated in 1831.) The
city is home to the Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival, the Delta
Cultural Center, Phillips Community College of the University of
Arkansas, and the historic Queen Anne-style PillowThompson House. Helena offers excellent views of the
Mississippi River from the Helena River Reach Park, the
Helena Levee Walk, and the Helena Bridge to Mississippi.
Jonesboro
There are several historic residential districts, four Civil
War batteries, and a World War I monument. West Helena
evolved as an industrial extension of the city of Helena,
located five miles east. Founded in 1909, the city was
incorporated in 1920, and the two cities merged in 2006.
Pillow-Thompson House
Paragould
State Parks
r
To St. Louis
Leachville
Big Lake
NWR
Monette
Blytheville
Black Oak Manila
Lake City
Bay
Burdette
Luxora
Caraway
Lepanto
Marie
Harrisburg
Built in 1896 by Jerome Bonaparte Pillow, the house is one
of Arkansas’s most outstanding examples of the Queen
Anne Victorian architectural style. The house is owned and
operated by Phillips Community College of the University of
Arkansas and is open for tours.
Dyess
Tyronza
Turrell
Wapanocca
NWR
Wynne
Parkin
Earle
Sunset
Marion
Horseshoe Lake
To Memphis
West Memphis
This is the second largest natural lake in Arkansas. It offers good fishing
for bass and catfish, complete with lots of cypress trees and attractive
lakefront homes.
Forrest City
Horseshoe
Lake
Brinkley
To Little Rock
Clarendon
Stuttgart
St. Francis
National
Forest
Holly Grove
Marvell
er
Crockett’s Bluff
Almyra
HelenaWest Helena
Lake View
St. Charles
White River NWR
DeWitt Visitor Center
(Directions: Travel through Marianna on S. H. 44—Chestnut and Poplar streets in
the downtown area—and continue on S. H. 44 to the St. Francis National Forest.)
Winchester in Drew County was settled in the late 1850s and
experienced a boom in the decade of the 1870s as a result of the arrival
of the St. Louis & Iron Mountain Railroad. Today it includes a tiny post
office, old store fronts, Murphy's cash store, the Taylor Log House and
Site, and the Winchester Cotton Gin, one of the most modern in the
region.
Elaine
The town includes the O. Demoret and Son General Mercantile Store and
Museum. Elaine is remembered as the tragic scene of a brutal riot. On the
evening of Sept. 30, 1919, a group of black sharecroppers met at a church
in the area in an attempt to organize for fair prices for their cotton. During
the meeting, shots were fired into the church, and a fire fight ensued,
killing at least one white official and wounding or killing an unknown
number of black farmers inside the church. Through rumor, exaggeration
and hysteria, word spread throughout Phillips County of a black "uprising"
and numerous others were killed or wounded as the incident took on a
life of its own.
Elaine
Dr. Elias Camp Morris, a former slave and AfricanAmerican minister instrumental in unification of
Delta
Negro Baptists, became pastor of Centennial
Cultural
Center Baptist Church in 1879. While traveling in Europe,
Morris saw a church building that impressed him and
described it to one of his congregation, architect Henry
James Price, who designed Centennial Baptist based on
Morris' description. The Gothic Revival structure,
completed in 1905, is the only known example of an
African-American church designed by an AfricanAmerican architect in Arkansas. Morris served as president
of the National Baptist Convention for 35 years. His church is
listed as a National Historic Landmark (restoration in progress).
White
River
NWR
Gillett
A rkan
Watson
Dumas
Winchester
Rohwer
Tillar
Arkansas City
Monticello
McGehee
Delta Cultural Center
Dermott
Lake Chicot
State Park
St. Francis National Forest
Lake Village
Located along Crowley's Ridge, this forest has one of the few remaining
stands of upland hardwood in the region. The forest includes a High Road
along the crest of the ridge and a Low Road (The Great River Road route)
that follows the toe of the ridge at the edge of the swamps. The route
through the forest is a National Forest Scenic Byway, as well as part of
the Crowley's Ridge Parkway National Scenic Byway. A Mississippi
River State Park is being developed within the forest.
Lakeport
Plantation
Eudora
Bear Creek Lake
An agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, this center interprets
the history of the Arkansas Delta through exhibits, educational programs,
annual events, and guided tours. The center also features exhibits providing
unique perspectives on the Delta's rich blues music heritage. The museum
is host to daily (Monday-Friday) live broadcasts of the longest running blues
radio program, King Biscuit Time, airing on Helena-West Helena's KFFA
radio. The museum is comprised of two exhibit main locations, the Visitor
Center and the renovated 1912 railroad depot. (Both are on Cherry Street,
along the levee running parallel to The Great River Road.)
(Directions: From Helena-West Helena, continue south on S. H. 44 to Elaine; then
S. H. 20 West; S. H. 318 North; and S. H. 316 West to S. H. 1. This highway will take
you across the White River into Arkansas County.)
Lake View
To New Orleans
Great River Road National Scenic Byway
Great River Road Loops
Located on the banks of Old Town Lake, a 1200-acre Mississippi River
oxbow cut-off, this town served as a port for steamboats bringing
supplies to surrounding plantations during the 19th century. Originally
named Old Town, the name was changed in 1937, after an experimental
agricultural cooperative bought 5,600 acres to be used partly as a private
and collective enterprise.
Tillar
Tillar, an old farming community and railroad town, includes the historic
Tillar Mercantile Building, the old Tillar Bank and the First Baptist Church
of Tillar, featuring beautiful stained glass and interesting architecture.
McGehee
Founded in 1905, this town was not firmly populated until the Memphis,
Helena & St. Louis railway completed its line in 1906. The city includes
the Wiley McGehee Park, the landmark Malco Theater Building, Kelley's
Drug Store with an old-fashioned soda fountain, and various specialty
shops.
White River National Wildlife Refuge
and Visitor Center
This was the site of a Japanese internment camp during World War II
(1942-1945) and is a National Historic Landmark.
This refuge is the largest
remaining tract of bottomland
hardwoods (160,000 acres) in
the state. Located within the
floodplain of the lower White
River just a few miles above its
confluence with the Mississippi
River, the refuge is from three to
10 miles wide and extends
along the White River for 90
river miles. The refuge includes 350 lakes and is ideal for birdwatching
and viewing wildlife. Visitor Center displays tell the human and
ecological stories of the area and explain the hydrology of the White
River and the bottomland hardwood forest ecosystem.
A battle monument in this town commemorates fallen soldiers of both
Confederate and Union forces in the Battle of St. Charles, where the
single most deadly shot of the Civil War was fired into the boiler of a
Union gunboat, the Mound City, killing or injuring most of the crew. The
town also includes the St. Charles Museum and numerous duck-hunting
lodges, guides and facilities.
(Directions: If you choose the alternate route through Desha County, turn east
shortly after crossing the Arkansas River, from S. H. 165 South to S. H. 1 at Back
Gate.)
Delta Heritage Trail State Park
As you pass through Watson on S. H. 1, you will cross the abandoned
railroad bed that is being developed in phases by the Arkansas
Department of Parks and Tourism. The route will run from south of Lexa
to Cypress Bend northeast of McGehee and will include hiking and biking
trails and other amenities.
Rohwer Relocation Center Site
(Directions: South of Rohwer, turn east on S. H. 4 to Arkansas City.)
Arkansas City
Arkansas City is one of the few remaining examples of an old river port
town along the Mississippi River in Eastern Arkansas, with numerous
others long-since claimed by the river. Arkansas City was a thriving
steamboat landing as early as 1834 and became the county seat in 1881.
The town includes a downtown walking tour, a 1900 Romanesque Revival
courthouse, and Lake Kate Adams, one of southeast Arkansas’s finest
fishing lakes. Arkansas City was home to John Johnson, founder and
publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines. His home has been re-created by
the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff at a location adjacent to the
courthouse.
(Directions: Continue on S. H. 4 to rejoin the alternate route at McGehee. From
McGehee, travel south on S. H. 65 into Chicot County.)
Side Trip: Dermott Spur
From S. H. 65, take S. H. 35 to Dermott. This town, originally known as Bend, was
renamed Dermott in 1877 to honor Dr. Charles McDermott, who settled the area
in 1832. His plantation served as a stopover for travelers headed west.
McDermott spent his fortune on designing flying machines and was granted a
patent in 1872, 30 years before the Wright Brothers flew.
Side Trip: Stuttgart Loop
Travel north and west on S.H. 153 through Crockett’s Bluff, a small village on the
banks of the White River. The route passes Experiment Corner (Junction with
S. H. 130), location of the USDA National Aquaculture Research Center, USDA
National Rice Research Center, and the University of Arkansas Rice Research and
Extension Center. Follow S. H. 130 into the City of Stuttgart, considered the rice
and duck-hunting capital of the world. Stuttgart is the home of Riceland Foods, a
farmer-owned cooperative established in 1921 and the world's largest miller and
marketer of rice. Its 1928 Classical Revival style courthouse serves Arkansas
County's Northern District. Stuttgart’s attractions include the Museum of the
Arkansas Grand Prairie, which documents the beginning of agriculture on the
prairie. Take U. S. 165 South to return to The Great River Road at DeWitt.
DeWitt
DeWitt, an Indian village until 1816, was selected in 1852 as the county seat
for the Southern District of Arkansas County. A 35-acre park within the city
and along the Great River Road offers an attractive rest stop for travelers.
Arkansas Post National Memorial
Arkansas Post
National Memorial
Side Trip: Monticello Loop
A drive to Monticello via S. H. 138 West takes travelers through some beautiful
bottomland forests and fields of cotton and grain, giving way to rolling piney
woods and timber country. The City of Monticello, county seat of Drew County,
is the home of the University of Arkansas at Monticello and the Drew County
Historical Museum. Follow U. S. 278 East, then east on S. H. 277 to join The Great
River Road at Tillar.
Side Trip: Monroe County Loop
Before crossing the White River on S. H. 1, take S. H. 17 North to historic Holly
Grove. Take S. H. 86 from Holly Grove to Clarendon, the county seat for Monroe
County. Although virtually destroyed during the Civil War in retaliation for sinking
the Federal ironclad, Queen City, Clarendon was reincorporated in 1898. Travel
east on U. S. 79, then north on S. H. 17 and northeast on U. S. 70 into Brinkley.
Construction of the Little Rock and Memphis Railroad began in 1862 at the site of
present-day Brinkley. The workers originally called the town Lick Skillet, because
when the day's work was completed, the railroad crew cooked their supper over
an open fire and didn't return home until the last skillet was licked! Among today’s
attractions are the Brinkley Convention Center and Sports Complex, Low's Bridal
and Formal Shoppe (which attracts prospective brides from all over the country),
numerous antiques and specialty shops, and the Central Delta Depot Museum.
Travelers can return to The Great River Road via. U. S. 49 South to visit the
Louisiana Purchase State Park, built around a stone historical marker
commemorating the 1815 starting point for the original survey of lands in the 1803
Louisiana Purchase. The site is a National Historic Landmark. From U. S. 49, turn
south on S. H. 1 before Marvell to rejoin The Great River Road.
(Directions: Continue south on S. H. 1 after crossing the White River.)
(Directions: From DeWitt, turn south off S. H. 1 onto U. S. 165 South.)
Marianna
This 425-acre lake area in the St. Francis National Forest provides some
great fishing, along with a wheelchair friendly fishing pier. There is one
campground located in a hardwood grove near the lake.
Centennial Baptist Church
Marianna
Just off S. H. 79 before Marianna and east along the levee road, this plant
is considered the largest pumping plant of its kind in the world. The U. S.
Army Corps of Engineers plant prevents floodwater from the Mississippi
River from moving into the St. Francis River Basin and removes
impounded water held back by the levee system. Tours are conducted by
request.
Storm Creek Lake
Hughes
Fargo
W. G. Huxtable Pumping Plant
This 625-acre lake area in the St. Francis National Forest includes camp
grounds, picnic areas, a nature trail, swimming area, boat ramp, and
abundant bream and bass fishing.
Winchester
A trailhead for the Delta Heritage Trail State Park is located at Lakeview,
just across from Old Town Lake. This rails-to-trails conversion is being
developed along the 73-mile former Union Pacific Railroad that stretches
from one mile south of Lexa (six miles west of Helena-West Helena) to
Cypress Bend (five miles northeast of McGehee). The first 14 miles of
trail have been completed, with trailheads located at Helena-West
Helena junction near Barton, Walnut Corner at the U.S. 49 overpass, Lick
Creek (Ark. 85 just south of Barton), and Lakeview.
St. Charles
Madison
(Directions: Continue west on S. H. 38 to Hughes in St. Francis County; then south
on S. H. 79—crossing the St. Francis River—to Marianna in Lee County.)
Side Trip: Madison and Forrest City
From Hughes, continue west on S. H. 38 to S. H. 50 West to Madison. Established
in the early 19th century, Madison served as county seat for St. Francis County
from 1841-1855, and from 1857-1874. It was the home of Scott Bond, Arkansas's
first African-American millionaire businessman, and includes remnants of his
business operations. Depart Madison on U. S. 70 West to Forrest City. This town
was incorporated in 1871 and became the county seat in 1874. Home to
musicians Charlie Rich and Rev. Al Green, as well as prizefighter Sonny Liston,
the city includes the St. Francis County Museum, the Forrest City Convention/
Special Events Center, a sports complex and East Arkansas Community College.
(Return to The Great River Road via U. S. 70 East, S. H. 50 East from Madison,
then S. H. 149 South at Greasy Corner.)
(Directions: Travel through the forest on Lee
C.R. 221, Lee and Phillips C. R. 217, and
Phillips C. R. 239 [becomes Sterling Road, then Holly Street] to rejoin S. H. 44 South.
Much of the route through the forest is unpaved.)
Hampson Archeological
Museum State Park
Wilson
Marked Tree
(Directions: To continue south from U.S. 70 West, take S. H. 147 South; then S. H.
38 West.)
Marianna was incorporated in 1870 and
became the county seat when Lee
County was formed in 1873. A
Downtown Walking Tour of the
Marianna Commercial Historic District
features a beautiful town square, with a
Classic Revival style courthouse
anchoring the north end, and a park
with a gazebo and a General Robert E.
Lee Monument in the center. The city
also includes the Lee County Museum,
the state-of-the-art McClendon-MannFelton Cotton Gin, the University of
Arkansas Lon Mann Cotton Research
Station, and the Eastern Arkansas Soil
Testing and Research Laboratory.
Delta Heritage Trail State Park
Osceola
Trumann
er
Riv
sas
This town is unique in the Delta for the English Tudor architecture
characterizing the buildings on the town square. The town was built by
Robert E. Lee Wilson, who established a sawmill in 1880 and became one
of the wealthiest planters and businessmen in the region.
Helena Confederate Cemetery
iv
ite R
Wh
Said to be named for an Indian chief who
led his tribe in the Second Seminole War in
Florida, this city serves as the county seat
for South Mississippi County and features
a beautiful 1912 Neo-Classical courthouse
with copper roof. The court square
includes the Hale Avenue Historic District.
The Great River Road
issippi Riv e
Miss
r
The Great River Road-Arkansas begins at the Missouri State Line and
ends at the Louisiana State Line, with access points across the
Mississippi River from Tennessee and Mississippi. Because the river
has constantly changed its course over time, there are many sites that
are an integral part of the Great River Road-Arkansas story that are not
directly on the main route. Thus, we have chosen to consider the
National Scenic Byway route as a spine, with a number of loops and
spurs to direct visitors to these attractions. Points of interest are listed
from north to south. Watch for the green and white Pilot’s Wheel signs
to guide you on your journey.
Sultana Disaster
St. Fra
nc
is R
iv e
Driving the Route
Just south of the town of Gillett is where Arkansas history literally began.
On a bluff near the Arkansas River, the birthplace of Arkansas and first
permanent European settlement in the lower Mississippi River Valley is
marked with 20-foot crosses similar to those planted by French explorers
in 1686. It was at this spot that Henri de Tonti and his party built a small
settlement and claimed the land for God and king. The French were
traders with the local
Quapaws and named their
encampment Poste de
Arkansea. This site today
includes a visitor center,
museum, marked driving
route and picnic facilities.
It also contains the Jan. 11,
1863 battlefield where
Union troops defeated
Confederate defenders at
Fort Hindman on the
Arkansas River.
Lake Chicot State Park
This 20-mile-long oxbow is a peaceful setting for fishing, birding and
water sports on Arkansas's largest natural lake. To get there, turn east
from U. S. 65 at S.H 257 (McMillan Corner), then left at S. H. 257/S. H. 144
and follow to the park. The park has a visitor center, along with
campsites, modern cabins, and other amenities. Lake Chicot State Park
also is accessible from the south by following S. Lakeshore Drive
(becomes S. H. 144) through Lake Village around the lake.
Lake Village
Lake Village, on the shores of Lake Chicot, became the county seat of
Chicot County in 1857. The city’s attractions include the Lakeport
Plantation, Guachoya Arts Center, the Museum of Chicot County, the site
of Charles Lindbergh’s first night landing, an amphitheater on the lake, and
the Paul Michael Co. for decorative accessories, furnishings and rugs.
(Directions: You will be on U. S. 65/82 as you travel The Great River Road along Lake
Chicot. To continue east across the Mississippi River to the Mississippi segment of
The Great River Road, continue on U. S. 82. To travel through Eudora to the
Louisiana segment of The Great River Road, turn south at the U.S. 65 junction.)
Ditch Bayou Battle Site
Markers on U. S. 82 at Ditch Bayou explain the battle that took place at
this site in 1863. It was the last significant Civil War battle fought on
Arkansas soil.
Arkansas Post State Park Museum
Lakeport Plantation
Five buildings have lifestyle exhibits from Colonial to modern times.
Built circa 1859, this is one of Arkansas's premiere historic structures
and the only remaining Arkansas plantation home on the Mississippi
River. It was built by enslaved laborers for the Lycurgus Johnson family,
part of a political dynasty that extended from Virginia to Kentucky to
Arkansas. Lakeport retains
many of its original finishes
and has been restored by
Arkansas State University to
tell the stories of those who
lived and worked on the
plantation. To get there, turn
off U. S. 82 onto S. H. 142 South
shortly before the Mississippi
River bridge.
(Directions: Cross the Arkansas River on U. S. 165. Shortly after entering Desha
County, travelers can continue south on U. S. 165 to Dumas or turn east at Back
Gate on S. H. 1 to take an alternate route through Arkansas City.)
Desha County Museum
This museum, located on U. S. 165 just inside the Dumas city limits, is an
authentic log farmstead dating to the 1850s. The newest addition is an
African-American Baptist Church, relocated from the Pickens Plantation
and being restored as an example of vernacular Delta architecture.
Dumas
Attractions in Dumas include the Desha County Museum, the Dumas
Community Center, the Tanenbaum Theater, Meador's Pharmacy with an
old-fashioned soda fountain, the Billy Free Memorial Park, the Bob
Hoagland Walking Trail, and other public park areas.
(Directions: At Dumas, turn south from U. S. 165 onto U. S. 65. You will travel
through a portion of Drew County before re-entering Desha County.)
Eudora
South on U. S. 65, this town includes nearby Grand Lake, known for its
excellent fishing.
Arkansas Stories along
The Great River Road
The Great River Road-Arkansas was designated as a
National Scenic Byway in 2002. Designation requires, among
other things, that a route meet at least one of six intrinsic
qualities: cultural, historic, archeological, natural, recreational,
or scenic significance. Below are some of the stories of the
route that make it a distinctive destination for visitors.
Taming the River
Harnessing the river and harvesting its gifts required cutting
the bottomland timber, draining the swamps, and developing
floodways and massive drainage systems. Areas such as
Mississippi County and Crittenden County have massive
gridworks of drainage ditches, built to take advantage of the rich
soil that otherwise would be under water much of the time. To
keep the river from reclaiming the land, complex levee systems –
the tallest in the world – have been built, hiding the river from
view. Most of these levee segments are visible from the route;
others are an integral part of the route. While some have paved
roads along their crown, most are topped with gravel roads.
These are generally drivable as an alternate trip along The Great
River Road, provided one does not mind sharing with the cattle
that are apt to be grazing on either side. In addition to the levees,
major state-of-the-art pumping stations exist along the route to
control water entering and leaving the lands protected by the
levees. These include the W.G. Huxtable Pumping Plant at
Marianna, reputedly the largest of its kind in the world.
Agricultural Landscapes
From spring through fall and winter, the fields along the route
are a changing canvas. Cotton, the "white gold" that has been the
mainstay of the Delta, dots the entire 362-mile route. Along with
cotton, crops including soybeans,
wheat, rice and corn occupy
center stage. Arkansas leads the
nation in rice production, and
most of it is grown right along The
Great River Road. While soybeans were first introduced as an
alternative crop to rebuild the soil,
today it is the primary crop in the
region, surpassing even "King
Cotton." Travelers also will find
milo, pecan orchards, fruit crops
and catfish farms on the journey.
A NATIONAL SCENIC BYWAY
Modern Agricultural Practices
Modern methods used to obtain maximum crop yields are a
source of fascination for visitors. Among these are precision
land levelers utilizing laser technology, pivot irrigation systems
that snake their way across the fields, helicopters and small
planes that provide "crop dusting" services, and large module
builders that have made cotton trailers almost a relic of the past.
Large agricultural headquarters, sophisticated on-farm and
commercial storage and drying facilities, state-of-the-art cotton
gins, and full-service grain elevators are interspersed with
abandoned small-farm headquarters, old barns, and deserted
gins that once characterized nearly every town.
The Great River Road
tradition, which came directly from the cotton fields, was a
powerful form of expression for rural black laborers in Arkansas,
producing or nurturing such legendary figures as Robert
Johnson, Sonny Boy Williamson, Louis Jordan, Albert King,
Howlin' Wolf, and scores of others. Helena-West Helena is host
to the well-known Blues and Heritage Festival, while other music
festivals take place throughout the region.
Arkansas Delta Byways
P. O. Box 2050
State University, AR 72467
Telephone: 870-972-2803
www.deltabyways.com
Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism
One Capitol Mall
Little Rock, AR 72201
501-682-1120
www.arkansas.com
Mississippi River Parkway Commission
www.experiencemississippiriver.com
The rise and fall of many towns in the Arkansas Delta region
have been dependent on modes of transportation. At one time,
the Mississippi River was the only artery that connected the
region with the rest of the world, and by the mid 1800s, many of
the river towns were bustling. The river eventually swallowed
many of these towns, while others were totally abandoned when
the railroads came through, shifting development away from the
river. In the late 1800s, sawmills sprang up everywhere,
accompanied by miles of railroad tracks laid throughout the
region to haul the lucrative and plentiful hardwood timber to mills
and factories in the north. Towns for the timber workers and
railroad men grew up beside the tracks and replaced the river
towns as the centers of commerce. Today, most of the hardwood
forests are long gone from the region, and passenger service
along the busy railroads ceased to exist long ago, meaning many
of the railroad towns have gone the way of the river towns.
Travelers to the region today will find some abandoned buildings,
or perhaps a cemetery or church, that mark some of these ghost
towns, while other towns have vanished without a trace.
Heritage Commemoration
Many towns along the route have local or county museums
that focus on interpreting life in an earlier era. Some are
operated by local historians and volunteers, so you won’t always
find them open. But don’t give up easily. They often post a
telephone number and are
glad to open for visitors.
Even if there is no museum,
chances are there is a
mural or collage painted on
the side of one of the
buildings or floodwalls in
town to celebrate the
town's heritage. Festivals
and special events remain a
major aspect of many of these towns today and are reminiscent
of the various cultures that have inhabited the region, from
African Americans to the various European ethnic groups.
America’s Byways®
National Scenic Byways Program
www.byways.org
Printed with funds from the state,
Arkansas Delta Byways and the
National Scenic Byway program
Support from The Arkansas
Department of Parks and Tourism
and Arkansas State University
The culture along The Great
River Road-Arkansas is most
extensively celebrated through
the special music that has
emanated from the Delta. From
folk and rockabilly to blues, jazz
and gospel, the Delta has
contributed to and developed
these musical traditions. Country
and western musicians from the
Arkansas Delta, such as Johnny
Cash, Conway Twitty and Charlie
Rich, often described the lives of
Arkansas laborers and small
farmers through the lyrics of their
music.
Similarly, the blues
Wisconsin
Minnesota
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The Great
River Road
Missouri
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Arkansas
While the Arkansas Delta landscape has undergone
tremendous change, visitors along The Great River Road route
have numerous opportunities to experience the Delta as it existed
prior to human habitation. This is a region that was shaped over
millions of years by action of the Mississippi, Ohio and Arkansas
rivers. As the rivers scoured out and flattened the landscape, they
left rich deposits of alluvial soil, in some places hundreds of feet
thick. Meandering rivers were constantly altering their courses
through the region, creating oxbow lakes, bayous and wetlands.
The largest natural lake in Arkansas, and the largest oxbow lake in
the United States, is Lake Chicot, located at the southern end of
Arkansas’s Great River Road. This lake was created when the
Mississippi River cut a new path and shortened its journey to the
Gulf. Today there are more natural lakes in this Great River Road
region than elsewhere in Arkansas. Bayous provide ribbons
through the landscape, including portions of the 300-mile Bayou
Bartholomew, the longest in Arkansas.
The entire Great River Road region is home to an abundance
of wildlife. The swamps provide habitat for beaver, muskrats,
raccoon, mink, duck and geese, as well as alligators. The
bottomland forests provide the most productive wildlife habitat in
the state, with an abundance of deer, bear, squirrel and turkey.
The route is located along the Mississippi Flyway, the largest
flyway in the country, making it a paradise for birdwatchers. The
Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Mississippi County and the
Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge in Crittenden County are
both important areas for migrating/winter waterfowl and
neotropical birds. The White River National Wildlife Refuge
includes the largest concentration of wintering mallard ducks in
the Mississippi Flyway; large concentrations of snow and
Canada geese; numerous species of wading birds, shore birds
and raptors; active bald eagle nests, and a healthy population of
native black bears.
De Soto Expedition, 1541-42
The Great River Road-Arkansas travels through some of the
same region as the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, who
crossed into what is now Arkansas on June 18, 1541, probably at
Sunflower Landing near Helena-West Helena. The expedition
headed north, and accounts describe spending several days in
the province of Casqui. This is believed to be the present-day
Visitors will find a number of hardwood forests along the route,
including the St. Francis National Forest, with both upland forests
and bottomland timber. Further south along the route, cypress,
tupelo and willow (all hardwoods that can flourish in standing or
seasonal water) occupy the wettest of the lowlands. Some of the
largest cypress trees date back 600 to 800 years. Many of these
cypress swamps present dramatic scenic vistas for visitors. Other
areas not submerged for great lengths of time have extensive oak
and hickory stands. The White River National Wildlife Refuge, the
largest remaining tract of bottomland hardwoods in the state
(160,000 acres), is part of this region. Situated just a few miles
above the confluence with the Mississippi River, the refuge is from
three to 10 miles wide and extends along the White River for 90
river miles. Areas within the refuge have been designated
"Wetlands of International Importance."
Louisiana
Archeological Significance
Evidence of human habitation in the area traversed by
Arkansas’s Great River Road is documented to 12,000 years ago.
The entire area is rich in archeological sites, beginning with
Paleo-Indian hunters, fishers and wild plant gatherers and
evolving through the Archaic, Woodland, and Mississippian
periods. These mound-building cultures
developed complex societies that utilized
gifts from the lands and the waters,
including creating towns and social life;
developing hunting, fishing and agricultural
patterns; and establishing complex trade
networks. Evidence of many of these
civilizations has been destroyed by rivers,
by agricultural practices, and by other
forces of man and nature, but there are
numerous other sites that have been preserved. These include
the Hampson Archeological Museum State Park at Wilson and
the Parkin Archeological State Park, located on a spur off The
Great River Road. Other sites especially rich in archeological
evidence are in and around the former Eaker Air Force Base in
the Blytheville area. Research indicates continued occupation
of this region over the past 2,500 years, with major prehistoric
components dating from the late Woodlands and Early and Late
Mississippian periods.
Hunting and Fishing
Parkin site, which is rich in evidence from the Mississippian
Period. Several Spanish artifacts have been recovered at Parkin,
and an outstanding exhibit describing De Soto’s expedition is
available at the site. De Soto died the following year during his
travels, and legend has it that he was buried in Lake Chicot at the
south end of Arkansas’s Great River Road.
New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-12
These natural disasters changed The Great River RoadArkansas region significantly, contributing to the creation of
what is known today as the Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge
and the Sunken Lands in Northeast Arkansas. Both of these
areas are viewable from a loop off The Great River Road.
Interestingly enough, the earthquakes, along with the War of
1812, actually paved the way for large-scale migration to the
area. Soldiers returning from the war, along with victims of the
earthquakes, were given government land grants that could be
used in Louisiana Purchase lands not already claimed by
Spanish land grants or Indian treaties. This necessitated a
survey of the entire Louisiana Purchase Territory. Starting point
for this 1815 survey was deep in the Arkansas swamps, now
marked by a monument. This Louisiana Purchase Monument
State Park site is located on a loop off the main Great River Road
route, with a boardwalk leading into the swamps.
Civil War
Hardwood Forests
Mississippi
Watchable Wildlife
The River’s Handiwork
Modern farm practices have led to major changes in towns
along the route. Gone is the day when the farmer took his crops to
town, and the family made a day of it, utilizing crop proceeds for
shopping and socializing. Today many of these same towns are little
more than ghost towns, if they remain at all. Vestiges of this way of
life remain, however, and visitors still can stop in some of these
small towns and find an old-fashioned soda fountain or a hardware
store with a place for congregating around a pot-bellied stove. It is
still possible to visit with some of the elders of the towns on their
"whittling" benches in the town square or in front of the local bank
or barber shop. Generally the center of social activity was the
county seat. Its importance was reflected in the magnificent
courthouses built in these towns, often the most ornate structures
for miles around. For hard-working farmers and settlers, these
courthouses represented their strength and determination, as well
as their aspirations for a prosperous future.
Music Heritage
The 1927 flood is remembered as the event that visited the
greatest economic disaster on the region, caused the demise of
many remaining river towns, and resulted in abandonment of the
federal government's "levees only" policy for flood control.
Massive efforts began at this time to build a system of drainage
ditches, floodways, and other flood control systems that
crisscross the land today. This flood is representative of
numerous major floods that have occurred in the region
throughout history, wiping out entire towns in one day. The
largest town to go was Napoleon, once the county seat of Desha
County, which disappeared entirely in the flood of 1874. When
Mark Twain revisited the region in 1882, he could not locate the
once-prosperous town. His captain in Life on the Mississippi
declared, "There isn't any Napoleon any more. Hasn't been for
years and years. The Arkansas River burst through it, tore it all
to rags and emptied it into the Mississippi.”
From River to Rail to Road
Small Town Lifestyles
For further information contact:
Flood of 1927
Arkansas’s location on the Mississippi River made it a
strategic location in the battle for control of transportation routes
during the Civil War. Numerous Civil War sites exist throughout
the region along The Great River Road. These include The Battle
of Helena, which took place July 4, 1863. The Union victory
reaffirmed its control of eastern and northeastern Arkansas and
made the capture of Little Rock later in the year possible. In
addition to the Union batteries, there is a Confederate Cemetery
at Helena-West Helena.
There are Civil War monuments and markers throughout the
region, including a marker at St. Charles commemorating both
Union and Confederate soldiers who lost their lives when the
single most deadly shot of the Civil War was fired into the boiler
of a Union gunboat, the Mound City. The Battle of Ditch Bayou in
Chicot County was the last significant battle on Arkansas soil and
is interpreted with markers at the site. Remnants of the old EastWest Military Road are evident at Marion in Crittenden County,
along with a marker commemorating the loss of life on the
Sultana, the worst marine tragedy in American history and one of
the worst in world history.
Recreational qualities in the region are primarily associated
with hunting and fishing, along with the recreational
opportunities presented by the many lakes and streams. The 350
lakes in the White River National Wildlife Refuge are teeming
with bass and panfish, while Lake Chicot, Arkansas’s largest
natural lake, is loaded with bass, crappie and other gamefish.
Other popular fishing spots along the route are Wapanocca Lake,
Horseshoe Lake, Bear Creek and Storm Creek Lakes in the St.
Francis National Forest, Old Town Lake at Lakeview, the White
River within the wildlife refuge, the Arkansas River in the Dumas
area, Connerly Bayou at Lake Chicot, and Grand Lake. Favorite
spots close to the main Great River Road route include Mallard
Lake in the Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Bayou Meto
Wildlife Management Area, and Lake Monticello.
Duck hunters won't find a happier hunting ground than The
Arkansas Great River Road region. The Mississippi Flyway
brings more than a million mallards to Delta rice fields and
flooded timber each year, as well as plenty of other waterfowl
species. Favorite waterfowl hunting spots include Big Lake
Wildlife Management Area, St. Francis Sunken Lands, Bayou
Meto Wildlife Management Area, White River National Wildlife
Refuge, and the Cut-Off Creek Wildlife Management Area.
The Great River Road-Arkansas National Scenic
Byway is part of a 10-state route from Canada to the
Gulf of Mexico along both sides of the Mississippi
River. From an ankle-deep trickle at its headwaters
in Lake Itasca, Minnesota, to a mighty giant that
exhausts itself just below New Orleans, the everchanging river has captivated travelers for
centuries. You can experience the rich natural and
cultural heritage of this region as you wind your
way along lands shaped by the river.
The river rarely shows itself throughout the
Arkansas segment of the route. But its handiwork is
evident in the natural landforms and fertile soil that
once nurtured only swamps, bayous and bottomland
forests. Today the region has some of the most
productive agricultural land in the world, thanks to
the river’s alluvial floodplain commonly known as
the Delta.
Over time, diverse cultures inhabited the region,
leaving echoes of their history on the landscape.
From mound-building Indian cultures, to French and
Spanish dominion, to Arkansas statehood, the
people of this region have been dependent on the
bounty of the land and the rivers.
While much of the history of this region precedes
that of its neighbors in Mississippi and Louisiana, its
agricultural economy did not begin to develop until
shortly before the Civil War. Prior to that time, much
of Eastern Arkansas was little more than dense
woodlands and forbidding swamps. Thus, it was
some of the last land in the Delta to be converted to
agricultural use. To do so required inhabitants who
were a far more rugged, hardscrabble lot than their
more genteel southern neighbors. You’ll see much
of that same determination and resilience in the
people who inhabit the region today.