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Project History
Project History
In
the early 1800’s the River valley was the center of the Cherokee
Nation. The Treaty of Council Oaks, by which the Cherokees relinquished
lands south of the Arkansas River, was
negotiated at a grove of large oak trees near Dardanelle Rock in
what is now the city of Dardanelle.
Dwight
Mission, the first Cherokee school west of the Mississippi, was
established on Illinois Bayou on the western edge of what is now
Russellville in 1821. The Mission and an Army post at Fort Smith
did much to stimulate commercial traffic on the river. During the
1800’s thousands of steamboats brought supplies and passengers
up the river and hauled cotton and furs and other products downriver
to the Mississippi and on to points of commerce such as Memphis
and New Orleans.
Old
Post Road Park occupies the former site of Norristown, a once thriving
river town and Pope County
Seat. The park derives its name from the fact that the first postal
route in this part of Arkansas ran through Norristown. As early
as 1834, a four horse coach was used to carry mail through Norristown
on the route between Little Rock and Dwight Mission.
The
old Military Road from Little Rock to Fort Smith also passed through
Norristown. Traffic on this road, which crossed the river by ferry,
included military personnel, postal riders, wagons, and the famous
stagecoaches. During its heyday,
steamboats would stop at Norristown to deliver goods to local merchants
and to take on fuel wood and bales of cotton for shipment to New
Orleans.
In
the late 1800’s, the ferry between Dardanelle and Pope County
was replaced by a pontoon bridge. At 2,208 feet, it was
the longest pontoon bridge ever constructed across a moving body
of water. The bridge was completely washed out four times during
its more than 30 years of service.
The
development of the railroads and treacherous conditions on the river
contributed to the downfall of the steamboat in the early 1900’s.
It was after World War II before any serious attempts were made
to tame the Arkansas.
The
McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System was authorized for,
"improvement of the Arkansas River and its tributaries in Arkansas
and Oklahoma", by the River and Harbor Act of 1946. Construction
on Dardanelle Lock, Dam, and Powerhouse began in June,1957 and was
not completed until November,1969. Total project cost, $82,300,000.
Construction on Arthur V. Ormond Lock and Dam was begun in January,
1966 and completed in November, 1969 with costs at $32,200,000.
By
the 1970’s, the river was once again the dominant force in
development of the Arkansas River Valley.
Updated/Reviewed: 31
Jan 2008
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