Old U.S. Route 71 (Wilton, Arkansas)

Old US 71 – Wilton Segment
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Nearest city	Wilton, Arkansas
Area	4.8 acres (1.9 ha)
Built	1934
Architect	Kochtitzky & Johnson Inc. & A.C Kennedy
Architectural style	Bates-type pavement
MPS	Arkansas Highway History and Architecture MPS
NRHP Reference #	04000492 [1]
Added to NRHP	May 26, 2004

Old US 71 – Wilton Segment is a former alignment of U.S. Route 71 (US 71) near Wilton in Little River County, Arkansas. The roadway of about 2 miles (3.2 km) is a 1934 construction and was the main travel route in the county upon construction until US 59/US 71 bypassed this alignment in 1965.

History

Little River County began to grow with the coming of the railroad in the late nineteenth century. Towns were being established quickly, and railroads were springing up in the county. Millkin was established in 1890 and was renamed Wilton in 1892. The need for a bridge over the Little River became apparent to the county. A project to build a bridge was let in 1912, and the federal designation of US 71 came when Arkansas designated a state highway system in 1926.

Pavement

The pavement for this section of US 71 was "Bates-type pavement". The winner of a high traffic contest in Bates, Illinois, Bates-type pavement is concrete with welded wire reinforcement. This type of pavement became very popular for high-volume highways in the 1930s.^[2]

After construction

The route served as a main artery in Little River County and as the main route between Texarkana and Fort Smith. The high traffic caused a settlement named Taylors Store to spring up north of Wilton, though it subsequently died out when this segment was bypassed in 1965. The route remains today as a drivable county road.^[3]

The road section was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.^[1]

See also

• Old U.S. Route 71 (Ashdown, Arkansas)
• Old U.S. Route 71 (Greenland, Arkansas)
• Old U.S. Route 71 (Jenny Lind, Arkansas)
• Old U.S. Route 71 (Little River approach) across the Little River in Sevier County
• Old U.S. Route 71 (Ogden, Arkansas)
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Little River County, Arkansas

References

Route map: Bing / Google

1. Staff (March 13, 2009). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
2. "Bates Standard Pavement". OK Highways. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
3. "Little River County" (PDF) (Map). General Highway Map (PDF). Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Retrieved July 1, 2011.