cc: President Nixon, Fulbright, McClellan, Henry M. Jackson, Amer. Landowners Assn., Buffalo River Landowners Assn.
LUCILE HANNON, OWNER
Shady Grove Trailer Park
Big Buffalo River, Hiway 7
Pruitt, Newton Cty. Ark.
Mail Reply to: 204 Lincoln
Income Tax Branch Office
Harrison, Ark. 72601
February 7, 1969
Secretary of Interior
Walter J. Hickel
Washington, D.C.
Re: Senator J. William Fulbright's Re-introduction
of Buffalo River Park Bill on 128 miles in
Newton and Searcy Counties, Arkansas
Dear Sir:
We want you to fly down here as soon as you can, to see for yourself the falsity
of such a motivation by anyone to forcibly take over these privately owned lands
in Newton and Searcy Counties, Arkansas for another not needed, not wanted,
unpractical national park, by our very own governmental employees, a few money-mongers,
and a certain utility company that doesn't want a dam on the Buffalo
River. Neither do we. We people here on this Buffalo River, want it to be
left just like it is, without any governmental, socialistic motivations to
confiscate our lands, homes and businesses by eminant [sic] domain for their own
selfish, pleasurable motives.
We learned from our Harrison Daily Times Local paper, Harrison, Ark. on Feb.
5th, that "Sen. J. William Fulbright (Dem. Ark.) on behalf of himself and Senator
John L. McClellan (Dem. Ark.) reintroduced Tuesday, Feb. 4th a bill to designate
the Buffalo River in Northwest Arkansas as a national scenic river. This article
stated that "the legislation would preserve the stream in its natural, wild state,
along 128-mile meandering course through Newton and Searcy Counties to Marion and
Baxter Counties, where it joins the White River.
We have been fighting this false legislation for ten years; our homes, lands,
and businesses have been placed in a non-saleable status, and we can't develop
or sell at a currently marketable price until this false legislation is put to
an end once and for all, by someone who is will [sic] to make the logical decision.
This river has never been navigable, can only be floated on the upper end in
Newton and Searcy Counties about three times a year, with much dragging over
the shoals, and most of the time its bed is dry for hundreds of yards. The
wild status is untrue, and all of this false information came from the publication
of a survey made by the University of Arkansas, and with over $100,000.00 of
the people's money, instigated and legislated by J. William Fulbright and others
involved in this false conspiracy to ram a national park down the throats of
us people, 90% of whom have signed notarized petitions which our Chairman of
the Buffalo River Landowners Assn. holds --that we do not want a national park,
now, or ever. We voted on the ballot November 5th, 1968 in Newton County on
this issue and 50% of the voters in Newton County so voiced their opinion
against a national park.
Last summer, 200 trees were sawed down over this river in protest to this
attempted take-over for a national park, and since it is not a navigable river,
the owners may choose to saw some more down, and I hear authentically that they
may probably push a few bluffs over into the river bed, with the help of some
dynamite. Your quick action is needed.
Sincerely,
Lucile Hannon, Tax Consultant
lh:h
