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Butterfield Trail bill clears House Wednesday, Dec 5, 2007 By Jason C. Green Stephens Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - A bill initiating a federal study of the historic Butterfield Trail that passes through western Arkansas passed the House on Tuesday by a vote of 326 to 79. The bill still needs the Senate's OK. If approved, the secretary of the interior, would initiate a three-year study to determine if the route merits "national trail" designation and the preservation funds and tourist promotions that accompany the title. "Before the railroad and even the famed Pony Express, the Butterfield Trail was the only connection between the eastern United States and the rapidly expanding west coast," Rep. John Boozman, R-Rogers, said during a brief debate. The trail "is a tool to educate our children about our country's history," he said. In 1857, the entrepreneur John Butterfield established the trail as a mail and stage coach route. Stretching more than 2,800 miles from the two Missouri trails that converge in Fort Smith, the Butterfield Trail runs through Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and terminates in San Francisco. Use of the trail declined with the outbreak of the Civil War. The National Park Service estimates the cost of the study would be between $200,000 and $400,000. The bill also would authorize a similar study on the Wolf House, which is in Baxter County and is reputed to be the oldest public building in Arkansas. |
