LITTLE ROCK — Out on the boat, floating down the White River, it is pretty easy to take Charlie Eldridge's side.
Eldridge took us out on the water one late September afternoon to see the river, and it was stunning. As the farmers have retreated, the trees on the banks have returned and the White is more like it was 150 years ago.
The White is also a different kind of river. It isn't like the Mulberry in northwest Arkansas, the Ocoee in Tennessee or the Illinois in Oklahoma, all well known among those who canoe and kayak, and all rivers I have spent some time on.
The White isn't a giant commercial river like the Mississippi or even the Arkansas River.
No, the White River is unlike the others and on Eldridge's house boat, with an engine so quiet you had to strain to hear it, it was very easy to get lost in the silence.
But I had questions to ask and Eldridge, a boatsman through and through, had answers.
The biggest question was on the Corps of Engineers' plan for the White River, one decried by environmentalists and boating enthusiasts alike.
The plan calls for a uniform channel of nine feet to help with barge navigation on the river.
But Eldridge doesn't much care for that idea.
"It seems to me that that the area and the community surrounding it would be better off with an undisturbed river," he said on the boat.
The theory being that if the river had a uniform depth, it would mean more barge traffic at different times of the year and Eldridge, who has gotten grounded trying to get to Jacksonport, understands the need for a deeper channel.
But he also understands that it would take away from what the White is now to him - perfect.
"To me, the area is better served by just leaving it alone."
I agree.
- Jeremy Peppas is a staff writer and can be reached at jpeppas@arkansasonline.com. Greg Benenati is a staff photographer and can be reached at gbenenati@arkansasonline.com.
Three Rivers, Pages 56, 57, 58, 59 on 10/25/2007