The Butterfield Overland Trail was, for its brief life starting in 1858, a postal and stagecoach route that linked St. Louis and Memphis to California. The route from St. Louis made its way through Northwest Arkansas to Fort Smith, where it merged with the route from Memphis that ran through central Arkansas. From there, the mail and passengers enjoyed -- if that's the term -- the rough, three-week journey through Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.
The stagecoaches stopped about every 20 miles, carrying passengers and the U.S. mail westward. It was about a decade before the transcontinental railroad was completed. The Butterfield Trail was a brief -- about three years -- but important part of U.S. history in settlement of the West and communication with the East. But as progress goes, one could still describe the trip along the trail this way: It's a long way to go and it took a long time to get there.
That's an apt description, too, for U.S. Sen. John Boozman's longstanding efforts to get National Park Service recognition for the Butterfield Overland Trail. He and a few other lawmakers in Congress have, for years now, wanted a historic study of the trail, hoping for a national historic trail designation that states could use in promoting historical tourism and a greater understanding of the nation's development.
Even with support from the National Park Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior, advancing a historic designation has been stuck in Congress. Boozman last month again filed legislation to grant the 3,000-mile trail the designation.
The designation would undoubtedly produce some signage and some historic markers, which history buffs appreciate. But the legislation specifically prohibits the federal government from acquiring land to preserve or mark the old trail without the consent of the land's owner. Boozman says all along the route, but even more so out West, there are always concerns about property rights and federal acquisitions.
The trail ought to be marked, at least in part as it follows today's roads and highways. Additional markers with explanations of its history would be nice here in Northwest Arkansas and into the River Valley. Americans ought not forget their nation's past. But it's also easy to understand, with the condition of Congress these days, why the effort to earn the federal designation isn't a huge priority among Boozman's fellow lawmakers. It may still take a long time to get there.
Ride on, Sen. Boozman! Ride on!
What’s the point?
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NoneA longstanding effort to declare the Butterfield Overland Trail as historic continues, but the ride still looks a little rough.