GOVERNOR DEDICATES CROWLEY'S RIDGE SCENIC BYWAY

CAMPBELL -- Crowley's Ridge Scenic Byway, Southeast Missouri's first scenic byway, was formally dedicated here in ceremonies Friday morning.

The Crowley's Ridge Scenic Byway is a 42-mile route that begins at the Stoddard County line on Highway 25 and continues to the Arkansas line.

"This a a proud day for Dunklin County," Gov. Mel Carnahan told the crowd of more than 100 people gathered Friday at Elder Cemetery northwest of Campbell.

"... With proper development and marketing the Crowley's Ridge Byway could have a significant impact on the economy of this entire area."

According to research conducted by Southeast Missouri State University, scenic byway designation can bring an economic impact of $32,500 per mile of byway.

The byway project is a cooperative effort by Southeast Missouri State University, the Missouri Department of Transportation, the Regional Commerce and Growth Association and the Dunklin County Commission.

Southeast President Ken Dobbins said the designation is the beginning of a bigger project. "In the coming months we hope your enthusiasm will help as we try to go forward in the other two counties in Southeast Missouri so we can have a full scenic byway."

Stoddard and Scott county portions are not yet designated as part of the byway.

Crowley's Ridge is a geological formation unique in the United States. It was created eons ago when the Gulf of Mexico extended over what is now the Missouri Bootheel and Northeast Arkansas. Later movement on fault lines lifted the ridge above swampy marshlands making it a natural highway used by Native Americans and early settlers to traverse the swamps of Southeast Missouri.

Dr. Frank Nickell, director of the Center for Regional History at Southeast, said the designation of the byway "will enhance the ability of those of us who live in this region to more effectively tell our story and our history and interpret our past."

"...As the nation enters a new century there is much uncertainty about what's real and what matters," Nickell said. "We often confuse progress with wealth. We ignore what we cannot count or measure community, neighbors, history, folklore, special places.

"In Southeast Missouri, one of the special places is Crowley's Ridge."

From the Stoddard County line on Highway 25, the byway runs south to Malden, where it branches. The main branch runs west on Route J to Route WW, where it turns south of Campbell and continues west on U.S. 62 to the Arkansas line. The second branch continues south on Highway 25 to Kennett.

The Arkansas part of the byway extending from near Piggott south to Helena on the Mississippi River has received federal designation.

Carnahan said Arkansas already is seeing a positive impact from the Crowley's Ridge Scenic Byway designation there.