When I hear the phrase "military road" or "the military road" in the context of regional history, I automatically think of the military road that ran from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, through Fort Scott to Baxter Springs and then continued along the western edge of the Ozarks to Fort Gibson in Indian Territory, because this is the historic military road with which I'm most familiar. I live close to it, and I've written about it or at least mentioned it in several of my articles and books.
However, there was another military road that traversed the Ozarks and that predated the one in eastern Kansas. This earlier military road crossed the Mississippi River and entered Missouri near Cape Girardeau. It then continued west, angling slightly south, and crossed the St. Francis River near present-day Greenville in Wayne County. From there, it veered south, roughly following present-day Highway 67, and crossed the Black River in what is now northern Butler County, a few miles north and slightly west of Poplar Bluff. From there, it continued southwest through present-day Fairdealing and Oxly in what is now eastern Ripley County. It crossed the Current River into Arkansas at Pittman's Ferry near the present-day community of Current View. It continued from there to Pocahontas, Arkansas.
This trail was called the Military Road because it was improved and used by the army during the presidency of Andrew Jackson for the removal of the Indians from the southeastern states during the late 1830s. The road, however, actually followed an earlier Indian trail called the Natchitoches Path. Early settlers moving into southern Missouri and northern Arkansas used this same trail, both before and after it became known as the Military Road.
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There is an old military road that ran through Searcy, AR. I remember this because I went to college there and remember reading about it. I need to find more information about it.
The road described that follows US 67 from Poplar Bluff into Arkansas at Hick's Ferry on the Current River is also referred to as the Southwest Trail. The SWT ran from St. Louis or St. Genevieve to Farmington to Fredericktown to Greenville to Poplar Bluff to Fairdealing to Oxly to Current River at Hix or Hick's Ferry near the Missouri/Arkansas state line.
In Arkansas the SWT was a series of paths that was later solidified by the Military Road authorized by Andrew Jackson and built in 1831 mostly following the SWT which had mostly followed the Natchitoches Trace as mentioned by the author above. But the path of the Military Road went through the following known & historical communities: Hix Ferry - Supply (formerly Hananner's), Maynard (nice SWT Trail Museum there), Columbia (also known as Jarrett...First Baptist Church in AR marker on Jarrett Loop), Fourche DeMas (Historical), Black's Ferry Road, Old Union Road (Jackson, AR was at the junction of Old Union & Old Jackson Rd), Strawberry, follow Wilmuth Rd to the historical Hazel Grove (the road dead ends into private property), the road used to go to Walnut Grove (Walden Rd is the southern segment of the Old Military Rd), Follow Walnut Grove Rd to Sulphur Rock, Young Rd to Lonoke Ln to White River, follow a little lane along Salado Creek to Hwy 14 to Goodie Creek Rd (this road dead ends now but used to go through to and connected to what is Hideout Rd that runs into Hwy 67 and goes to Pleasant Plains. The original Military Rd followed Main St into Pleasant Plains then turned west on Wish St and then left on Sutter Ln. Sutter lane is a dead end now so you have to follow Hwy 157 south out of Pleasant Plains. Where Hwy 157 crosses Tenmile Creek is where the Old Military Road originally came out from Sutter Ln (you can still see old concrete bridge bases 50 yards off into the woods from Hwy 157). Follow Hwy 157 to Kings Mountain Rd (this is the original road that begins just before the intersection at Sunnydale). Follow Hwy 124 across the Little Red River then follow Dewey Rd to Hwy 16. Take Hwy 16 to Letona Rd. to Letona and head south on Richard Lauren Rd to Mt. Pisgah Rd and go south. Less than a mile down Mt. Pisgah is a cemetery and you'll find a historical marker just across the street from a small church there that marks where the SWT used to run. Follow Mt. Pisgah to Morris School Rd and turn right. (the original road cut a diagonal path from Mt. Pisgah to Morris School Rd. and you can still make out where the road ran along the base of Mt. Pisgah. The original road is lost through Center Hill but follow Durham Rd to Bloodworth to Hwy 36...turn right and then a quick left onto Hwy 305. Stay on Hwy 305 till it crosses Hwy 31 and becomes El Paso Rd. and follow El Paso Rd to Hwy 5 and follow Hwy 5 to El Paso.
From El Paso it's bit confusing where the original Military Road ran. Some sources indicate it ran south on Hwy 5 to Ray Morrison Rd to Hwy 319 to 16th Section Cemetery Rd and cut west a some point past that road segment and came out on Batesville Pike/Tates Mill Rd.. Other sources indicate the road came down what is now Fortson Rd that on some old maps is called Batesville Road. If anyone has a good source for this segment it would be nice. Where Fortson Rd & Batesville Pike meet the road continues south as Batesville Pike into N. Little Rock. It becomes Remount Rd and then N. Main St. (Hwy 176 or Camp Robinson Rd) and merges into Pike Ave just before passing under I-40. Just past I-40 the original Pike Ave veers off Percy Machin and joins Hwy 365 which is also Pike Ave. Pike Ave used to run all the way to the Arkansas River where a Ferry carried wagons into Little Rock roughly where Cross St is today.
I've mapped most of the road all the way to Fulton, AR and Gary Pinkerton has a book about Trammel's Trace which picks up the route into Texas.
Thanks for the additional info, Unknown. You're obviously much more familiar than I am with the old trails in southeast and south central Missouri and into Arkansas. As I noted in my original post, that's a little out of my territory, as I'm more familiar with the military road that ran through eastern Kansas and into Indian Territory.
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