RUSSELLVILLE -- Before a network of 18 dams subdued the Arkansas River, the waterway was a raging force of nature that regularly wrecked boats and flooded lowlands.
The taming of the river's final 445 miles by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after World War II is a tale briskly told at the Arkansas River Visitor Center. The exhibit's theme, "Renaissance of the River," sets an upbeat tone.
Operated by the Corps on the southwest edge of Russellville, the federal facility overlooks Dardanelle Lock and Dam, which controls the water of Lake Dardanelle.
Exhibits begin with the untold centuries of American Indian activity along the Arkansas before Europeans showed up. It was "a river with a mind of its own," a mighty body of water that flowed through "a land of mysteries, wonder and riches."
Attesting to the untamed river's later hazards is an excerpt from an 1872 story in the Arkansas Gazette listing by name and date the steamboats lost on the river since the 1830s. The number of sunken vessels totaled a whopping 117.
Other exhibits focus on the river's "man-made transformation into a safe, useful and productive waterway." Unsurprisingly, there's no mention of complaints by some environmentalists that the Corps has gone too far over the years in altering nature across the nation.
Arkansas River Valley Center overlooks Old Post Road Park, a recreational magnet also maintained by the Corps. Its amenities include campsites, picnic pavilions, a boat ramp, sports fields and off-road bicycle trails.
The park occupies the former site of Norristown, an early seat of Pope County. The first postal route in this part of the state came through Norristown, which explains the park's name.
Several miles northwest of the dam, Lake Dardanelle State Park's visitor center complements that of the Corps. The state facility features a complex of four large aquariums showcasing the bass and other aquatic species that make the lake so popular with fishermen.
Although the Arkansas River was dammed mainly to control flooding and generate electricity, this recreational spinoff has turned out to be a popular bonus.
Arkansas River Visitor Center overlooks the river at 1598 Lock and Dam Road, off Arkansas 7. The center is open 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday (also 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday from Memorial Day to Labor Day). Admission is free. Call (479) 968-5008 or visit swl.usace.army.mil.
Lake Dardanelle State Park's visitor center is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Admission is free. Call (479) 967-5516 or visit arkansas.com.
Weekend on 02/26/2015