Gov. Asa Hutchinson commemorates the opening of the new St. Francis Sunken Land Water Trail. | Facebook
Gov. Asa Hutchinson commemorates the opening of the new St. Francis Sunken Land Water Trail. | Facebook
Gov. Asa Hutchinson joined local officials at the Oak Donnick Landing in Trumann for a ceremony on May 5 to commemorate the opening of the new St. Francis Sunken Land Water Trail, according to a press report.
Hutchinson reportedly praised the trail, emphasizing its significance and how places like it made him "fond of the region." He later stated on social media that the trail would assist tourism in Northeast Arkansas.
"The tourism industry is on the rise in Arkansas. The new St. Francis Sunken Lands Water Trail will be a major attraction in Poinsett County, bringing in people to take in this unique view of Arkansas’ natural history," Hutchinson wrote in a Facebook post.
Speakers at the dedication also highlighted how the water trail provided ideal fishing and duck hunting opportunities, saying that it had been a closely guarded secret that was finally ready to be opened to the public.
Other local officials, such as Neal Vickers, executive director of the St. Francis River Association, are also hoping the trail will help increase tourism to the Sunken Lands.
The Sunken Lands were formed by the New Madrid earthquakes that shook the region in 1811-12, causing the ground along the St. Francis River to drop approximately six to eight feet and then flood, thus earning the area the name "Sunken Lands."
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