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National Park Service backs Butterfield Trail bill Thursday, Apr 10, 2008 By Aaron Sadler Stephens Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - National Park Service officials on Wednesday endorsed a bill to study upgrading the historic Butterfield Trail. A Park Service official told a Senate panel the agency supported legislation to determine whether the 2,800-mile trail that cuts through western Arkansas should be designated a national historic trail. The House overwhelmingly passed legislation in December to authorize the 3-year study of the pre-Civil War mail and stagecoach route. Wednesday's committee hearing was the first step for the legislation in the Senate. Part of the trail is located in Pea Ridge National Military Park, where it continues into Washington and Crawford counties to Fort Smith. At Fort Smith, two trails that originated in Missouri converge to run through Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. The route ends in San Francisco. As a part of the national trails system, the Butterfield Trail would be eligible for federal preservation funds and expected tourism benefits that come from such a designation. Meanwhile, Katherine Stevenson, an acting assistant director of the National Park Service, told senators the agency opposed designation of another Arkansas landmark as part of the national park system. The Wolf House in Baxter County is the oldest public building west of the Mississippi River. Built in 1829, it served as a territorial courthouse. "Even though the Wolf House has significance for the political history of the state of Arkansas, we believe it may be more suited for inclusion in the state park system," Stevenson said. The Wolf House is one of many historical log buildings across the country, she said. In supporting the Butterfield Trail study, Stevenson noted that that trail was listed potentially as a historic route in 1978 when the federal government began designating "national historic" trails. However, a study of that route was never completed, she said. The parks service estimates the study will cost between $200,000 and $400,000. Rep. John Boozman, R-Rogers, sponsored the Butterfield Trail legislation. Rep. Marion Berry, D-Gillett, introduced the Wolf House bill. |
