U.S. Route 67 in Arkansas - History

History

The southwest-northeast bisector of Arkansas has always been an integral motor route. Prior to designation as US 67, the route was known as the Southwest Trail, an old military road around 1803. The Southwest Trail connected St. Louis, Missouri with Texas by steamboat in Fulton, Arkansas. The main railroad was built along the Southwest Trail, which developed many towns along the route. President Andrew Jackson appropriated money for the route in 1831, and designated it as a National Road. Although the route shifted slightly, it always has followed the natural break between the Ozark Mountains and the Ouachita Mountains.

Money for road maintenance was raised individually by county in the early 20th century, which hindered development of the route. In the 1920s, federal money became available, and the route was designated U.S. Route 67. The routing followed the Lakes to Gulf Highway and the Bankhead Highway. Federal designation brought paving to the route, which grew the small towns along the route.

In early 2009, the Arkansas legislature passed a bill naming the portion of US-67 from the Missouri state line to Jackson County "Rock n' Roll U.S. 67" as a tribute to the route that many musicians of the 1950s and 1960s took as they traveled. Governor Mike Beebe stated that he had hopes that the naming would bring tourism to northeast Arkansas. Porton of the route, and also Arkansas Highway 7 between Hope and Hot Springs frequently used by Bill Clinton is designated The Highway of Hope by Arkansas Code § 27-67-220.