Buffalo River: The River That Almost Wasn’t

Courtesy Photo

Are you yearning to take a float down the Buffalo River with the fall leaves starting to change? The water is very low this year and you’d probably have to venture a three hour drive to put in at Buffalo Point to find enough water. Instead, come on out to the “Celebrate the Buffalo National River Gala” on Friday, Oct. 23, at the Fayetteville Town Center from 5 to 9:30 p.m.

The Buffalo National River flows for over 150 uninterrupted miles through the Arkansas Ozarks. On March 1, 1972, Arkansas’s Buffalo River was named the first national river in the United States. The Buffalo River is the river that almost wasn’t. It was slated to be dammed up back in the 1960s. Thanks to years of work by conservationists like Neil Compton and Ken Smith, it is now one of the few free-flowing rivers in the lower 48 states.

This is the first year the Buffalo River will be celebrated in this fashion. The Oct. 23 Fayetteville Town Center events will honor Ken Smith, one of the early champions who sought to preserve the Buffalo River as a free-flowing stream.

Ken has written four books: The Buffalo River Country published in 1967, the Illinois River (1977), Sawmill: The Cutting of the Last Virgin Forest East of the Rockies (1986), and the Buffalo River Handbook (2004). Smith will be autographing two of his books that remain in print, The Buffalo River Handbook and Sawmill. In case you’ve misplaced or worn out these books, the UA press will have copies available for purchase at the event. Last week I was looking around Dickson Street Bookstore and noticed there were two copies of the Buffalo River Country on the shelf.

Buffalo River Country is a beautiful time capsule of Ozark culture and includes a journey down the river in aluminum canoes and sleeping in canvas tents, before the National Park Service took over the river’s management. The book is a must-read for any lover of the Buffalo River.

Smith is also well known as the Buffalo River Trail coordinator. He and his diverse teams of trail builders started trail building in the 1980s and have completed hundreds of miles of trail close to the Buffalo National River.

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The gala includes a three course dinner prepared by Greenhouse Grille using locally sourced and organic food. Local beer donated by Fossil Cove, Core, Apple Blossom, Ozark, and Columbus will be on tap, live music by Bill Dollar and Loose Change, and a silent auction. Tickets are $100 per seat.

From 5 to 7 p.m., a $5 admission will be charged to those not attending the banquet. Complimentary local beer will be available, music by Jazzper, appetizers, Ken Smith will be signing his books, and there will be a lobby silent auction with great river-related items.

The gala will provide much needed funds to the Buffalo River Coalition comprised of the Ozark Society, Arkansas Canoe Club, Buffalo River Watershed Alliance, and the National Parks and Conservation Association for conservation, education, outreach and advocacy. They will use the funds to build recognition and appreciation for the invaluable role the Buffalo National River plays in cultural and economic sustainability in the watershed and in the state.

In 2014, the National Park Service reported that 1.3 million visitors annually spend $56.6 million in the gateway communities surrounding the national park. The Buffalo River is a key driver of tourism for Arkansas, and a national and international treasure.