Day 5 of Eastbound, with the Hammer Down … Not Really! – Arkansas to Mississippi

We departed Magnolia RV Park and headed North on 371, then we had to head back east on US 82. It was a great park for an overnight or a few days. The work camper was very friendly and helpful, our site was large and the views were amazing!

We passed the Southern Arkansas University Campus and the Story Arena.The Story Arena is a multipurpose, covered arena located on US 82, west of the Mulerider Stables. The facility is a 78,000 square foot covered rodeo-style arena with a dirt floor and seating for approximately 1,400. There is also an adjacent 7,500 square foot reception area that sits in front of the arena. 

The reception area includes ticket booth, concession stand, office, meeting/conference room, restrooms and a grilling porch. The construction of the rodeo arena was a part of the Blue and Gold Vision, the University’s first capital campaign to raise more than $100 million. The arena itself was made possible by the generous $2 million gift from Magnolia residents 

Therral and Jan Story, the largest single-donor gift in SAU’s long history. The arena is home to Southern Arkansas University’s nationally competitive collegiate rodeo team, providing a place where members can practice rain or shine, as well as providing the opportunity for the SAU rodeo team to host annual rodeo events.

We are driving down the road, with trees on both sides of the road. It is easy to see that we are not in Texas anymore! It is amazing how the landscapes can change from one state to another. While we were traveling from on our Southwest Grand Circle Caravan, sometimes the landscape changed from town to town!






The welcome sign for El Dorado, claims it is Arkansas original Boomtown. El Dorado is Spanish for the gilded one. Matthew F. Rainey became the first resident of El Dorado by accident. Raineys wagon broke down there in 1843, and being unable to get replacement parts, he held a sale of his possessions. The sale went so well that he bought more goods and opened a store. It is not known if Rainey was responsible for naming his new home in recognition of his good fortune. On January 10, 1921, the Bussey Oil Well blew and black gold began to flow. 

In a matter of weeks, El Dorados population grew to over 20,000 people. El Dorado was transformed from a settled, sleepy little community to a boomtown. By the end of October, about 460 producing wells had been drilled and 10 million barrels of oil had been taken from the area. Recovering from the initial impact of the boom, El Dorado steadied and soon transformed itself from an oil camp into a city which has continued to progress. The citys tree-lined historic downtown with its colorful flower gardens attracts thousand of visitors each year. What the Gold Rush was to California, the oil boom was to El Dorado. The first oil boom was short-lived. Arkansas rose to fourth in the United States in oil production in 1924, but output fell by one-fourth in 1926 and prices were less than the cost of production in the Depression, a second boom came in 1937. Drilling to 5,500 feet, twice as deep as in the first wells, led to the opening of the Shuler field. Arkansas production recovered and remained stable for a number of years.

Crossett Harbor Recreation Area is completely surrounded by the southern forest of Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge, with close proximity to the Ouachita and Saline Rivers. The recreation area boasts a public boat ramp, group pavilion, picnic grounds, paved camping sites with charcoal grills, concrete picnic tables, fire rings, lantern hangers, handicap sites, restrooms and showers, dump station, hiking and tenting available.

The town of Crossett is just nine miles north the state's border with Louisiana, that is the closest we got to Louisiana in our travels this time. The town was named after Edward S. Crossett, a leading entrepreneur in the lumber industry's emergence in Arkansas. In May 1899, Crossett joined with three partners to form the Crossett Lumber Company, which then sought to build a lumber mill in the town of Hamburg. Displeased with the reception the proposed mill was receiving there, the company selected a site in the forest about 12 miles southeast of Hamburg, where Crossett was born as a tent city constructing the company's mill. Lumber from initial milling operations was used to build a permanent mill, company offices and employee housing. Crossett remained a classic "mill town" into the mid-1940s with Crossett Lumber owning all the town's homes and businesses until 1946. Though some early lumber towns were abandoned when the supply of harvestable trees was exhausted, Crossett's future was secured through improved forest management practices and through the manufacture of diverse forest-related products, including wood alcohol, turpentine, chemicals needed by soap and paint manufacturers, charcoal, food board and flakeboard. Georgia-Pacific Corporation purchased Crossett Lumber in 1962 and its manufacturing complex in Crossett now covers more than 800 acres. 

In 2011, Hamburg was designated a Preserve America Community. The town was created in 1849, two months after Ashley County was formed from part of Drew County. Two of the first public buildings were built the next year, the courthouse and the county jail. During the Civil War, the town provided troops to the Confederacy and several companies of the Third Arkansas Infantry that fought with the Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by Hamburg lawyer Van H. Manning. The town escaped military action during the war, though Union troops briefly occupied it during Reconstruction. The city’s economy was divided among agriculture and forestry due to the town’s geographic location. Immediately east and west are prairie regions dedicated to rice and soybean culture. A few miles east, cotton reigns in the Mississippi Delta. On the north and the south, timber is plentiful. Through the early 1900s, agriculture dominated though lumber production became important in later years. After the Depression, social shifts occurred when farmers gave up attempts to live off their land. Many left the region or went to work in sawmills or paper mills. These days, the downtown square, with its gazebo, now serves as home-base to the annual Armadillo Festival, held the first weekend in May since 1970. Among Hamburg’s famous former residents are Colonel Van H. Manning, who helped organize and command the Third Arkansas Infantry, writer Charles Portis, author of such novels as True Grit, and former NBA star Scottie Pippen. Pippen Meadows Golf Course, the town’s first golf course (9 holes), opened in 2008 and is owned by Pippen.

Just before Montrose, Arkansas we saw first had what too much water can do. But, just like everything else, there are two sides to every story! Too much water kills the potatoes, but irrigation ponds are full.

Lake Village is located along the Great River Road National Scenic Byway and lies on the "C" shaped curving shore of picturesque Lake Chicot, a 20-mile long abandoned channel of the Mississippi River that is Arkansas's largest natural lake. Lake Chicot State Park offers cabins, campgrounds, a marina and other recreational assets. County and private campgrounds are also located on the lakeshore, while the downtown Jack R. Rhodes Lakefront Park provides a community swimming area, walking path, small amphitheater, boat ramp and picnic pavilions. 

The historic Lakeport Plantation near the town of Lake Village is the only remaining Arkansas plantation located along the Mississippi River that has not been significantly altered. The restored Greek revival home is now a part of Arkansas State University’s Heritage sites. Other area attractions include exhibits at the Lake Chicot Pumping Plant, a $90-million facility built to protect the lake's water quality by diverting silt-laden run-off; and the Guachoya Cultural Art Center. Just north of downtown, a marker records the site where Charles Lindbergh landed in April 1923 after completing history’s first night flight. We did not get to see Charles Lindbergh flying, but we did see a plane cross the road in front of us to land.

Just before the Arkansas and Mississippi border, we crossed over the Mississippi River. There were no Casino boats on the Mississippi today, but the signs for them are all over.

The first town in Mississippi is Greenville. On the edge of Greenville is a Visitor Information Center that is housed in an old Riverboat. What a unique idea. The second story of the Riverboat was a small museum. There was a great deal about the music of Mississippi. 


One of the 
things I foundmost interesting was clothing from "Mississippi Slim," some called him the eight wonder of the world, because of his size. A popular blues musician from Mississippi and Chicago, known for his bright hair and mismatch socks and shoes. Walter Horn, better known as Mississippi Slim. Horn decided to pursue a full-time career in music and moved to Chicago in 1968. He immediately changed his stage name to Mississippi Slim. Touring with Junior Wells and other well known acts on Chicago’s west side, Horn’s reputation as a great blues artist quickly grew. Often compared to the likes of Z.Z. Hill and Johnnie Taylor, Horn soon carved his own niche in the blues industry recording his first single, “Crying in The Arms of Another Love,” for the Sunflower label in 1974. He was the musical version of Dennis Rodman!

Leland is most noted for being the boyhood home of Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets. Along Highway 82 as you enter Leland you will find the Jim Henson Delta Boyhood Exhibit, made possible through a gift from the Henson Family. The Museum houses many artifacts and memorabilia from Henson's early creative years, and is a must-see for any Kermit enthusiast. The museum includes a real Kermit the Frog in a display case as well as an impressive Muppets collection. There's a kid play area with toys and puzzles and enough good museum items to impress adults. The curator is happy to tell you all you ever wanted to know about Jim Henson. 

We passed what looked like rice paddies in Mississippi, do they grow rice in Mississippi? The answer is yes! Mississippi is one of the major rice producing states, ranking behind Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, and California. Modern commercial rice production in Mississippi had its start in 1948 when Mr. Rex Kimbrell produced approximately 300 acres just south of Greenville in Washington County. Harvested acres increased to 5000 the next year. 

Acreage increased rapidly for the next five years to about 77,000 acres in 1954.In recent years, rice acreage has been increasing and was more than 300,000. Rice production in Mississippi has been confined almost entirely to the Mississippi-Yazoo Delta, with only very limited production outside this area. Bolivar, Washington, and Sunflower counties in the center of the Delta have been the leading counties in rice production. The clay soils, large flat fields, quality water availability, and favorable climate are excellent for rice growth.

Entering Greenwood Mississippi, their welcome sign explains they are the Cotton Capitol of the World. Is that possible? The wealth of the antebellum South was based on growing “white gold,” and Greenwood prospered into the Cotton Capital of the World because of its location. In the heart of the Delta and a high point on the Yazoo River, Greenwood was a prime shipping point to connect with the Mississippi River ports of Vicksburg, New Orleans, and St. Louis. Today, Greenwood houses the second largest U.S. cotton exchange, with about one fifth of the North America’s crop warehoused and sold here.

Just off the Winona exit on I-55 is a large cross. There is no associated church that is visible from either I-55 or Hwy 82. This is a cross without a church. we have seen large crosses before, but they were usually associated with a church, this cross is next to a Holiday Inn Express. 

In Stewart Mississippi there was an old building with an old coca-cola sign on the side of a building. The sign was faded, but it was still very visible!

The end of the day travels produced some interesting clouds in the sky. We have not seen rain, since early this morning, but it looks like it could rain again.

We arrived at the Starkville KOA, it is on a lake, but the lake is way down ... we learned why, but I will share that with you tomorrow. This KOA is our home for one night!