One day, a limousine will pull up to Arkansas City's lone four-way stop, and out will step a wealthy backer who recognizes the potential in Desha County's hidden gem of a seat.
That's the vision of Robert S. Moore Jr.--farmer, lawyer, former state rep and House speaker. These days, he chairs the Arkansas Highway Commission, splitting his time, as he has for decades, between public service in Little Rock and country squiring back home in Desha County.
Arkansas City is home for Citizen Moore, and he is its biggest cheerleader. As our Rex Nelson has written and probably will write again, Mr. Moore and his wife, Beverly, envision Desha County as a mecca for tourism centered around outdoor recreation. And Arkansas City--the former bustling steamboat port on the Mississippi that once boasted a population of more than 15,000 but now is home to roughly 400--would be the hub. It has two very important things going for it: History and opportunity.
On the first day of November, each were on display.
The city celebrated John H. Johnson Day, honoring the native son who became one of the country's most successful African American businessmen over the latter half of the 20th century as founder of Ebony and Jet magazines. Ground was broken on a site recognizing his life and achievements in the world of publishing. The site will include immersive exhibits, walking trails and even a small amphitheater, complementing the nearby Johnson boyhood home-turned-museum.
The site will be a part of the Delta Heritage Trail State Park's Arkansas City trailhead, named for Mr. Moore, which serves as the terminus of the soon-to-be completed trail. Currently open in stages, it'll offer 84.5 miles of paved trail for walkers, runners, bikers and birders. And ultimately, tourists with disposable incomes.
The trail begins at Lexa in Phillips County, entailing miles of rail-to-trail before picking up the old Mississippi River levee and transporting visitors through the Delta wilderness. It'll cross the old railroad bridges over the White and Arkansas rivers before depositing walkers/runners/bikers/birders at Yancopin for the final leg through Desha County.
On hand for the groundbreaking were state officials as well as a Walton contingent, a Walton Family Foundation gift having helped transform the trail and trailhead from vision to reality.
When trail users debark the trail, locals want them to experience a downtown that speaks to the city's rich history but teems with new restaurants, shops and inns. And Mayor Rick Hales wants to see the city's old opera house--yep, opera house--converted into a restaurant and entertainment venue.
Plus, the vast and outdoor-recreation-rich Choctaw Island Wildlife Management Area sits across the old levee from downtown. It's where the river's main channel used to run before the great flood of 1927 moved it east and altered Arkansas City's fortunes.
Surrounding flooding was so vast, extending inland as far as 10 miles, that Arkansas City High School was forced to hold graduation from the deck of a steamboat. (Several city streets are named for some of the more prominent steamers of the 19th century and early 20th that made stops in Arkansas City, including the Kate Adams, Morning Star, Sprague and of course, the Delta Queen.)
That the school counted the River Rat as its mascot was never more appropriate.
The backer who finally pulls in and stops--maybe in front of the old Red Star Grocery at Desoto and Sprague streets on the old riverfront--may not bear the traditional DuPont look of the Monopoly man. He or she may pull up in an EV, wearing worn-out jeans and flip-flops, or whatever the kids are wearing these days, and truly take in new discovery. But this investor will recognize what the Moores and others have seen for a long time. Opportunity.