Dyess, Arkansas

I packed a cooler of snacks and drinks.  We left Minden, LA and headed toward home.  Denny decided to travel on U.S. HWY 79.  It goes through Minden and all the way through Arkansas to West Memphis where we will catch I-55.
The drive is really nice.  There was only one bad area of highway.  It where the highway crosses over the Arkansas River and the bayous near there.  The speed limit is 45 mph but we thought that was overstated by at least 20 mph.  Thank goodness they are building new bridges and highway through that area.
We were surprised to see all the rice fields.  We saw several rice plants.  I think they have decided rice is the new cotton.  We expected to see cotton but saw none.
We spent the night at the “ONLY” campground we saw.  It is Memphis KOA in Marion, AR.  We were shocked to see no campgrounds on our route.  We don’t make reservations and we have always relied on signs along the highway.  Some days, they are hard to find.
The campground was right on the interstate but we were put all the way in the back and with the air conditioning on we didn’t hear it.  Denny looked at the map and found Dyess AR was close.  So we decided to head that way and make a stop there on our way home. 
Dyess Colony was part of President Roosevelt's “New Deal” for resettled farmers.  Johnny Cash’s father was chosen to be part of this group and moved there in 1936.  They were given 40 acres to clear and work.  After two years they would begin paying the government back for the land and materials they were given to begin the project.  Johnny lived there until 1950 when he entered the service.
There isn’t much left there that was original but the Arkansas State University has begun a project to refurbish Johnny Cash’s home and the original Administration building of the colony.  The plan is to have a Johnny Cash Memorial in the Administration building.

We saw a sign as we turned into town that spoke of a store down the road with J.C. souvenirs.  Denny had to check it out. 
Wow!! We were surprised it was still standing but Mr. McCrory, the owner, is 88 years old and quite the fella.  He new Johnny as a boy and said there was nothing special about him then.  He also was not impressed with the first record he heard but spoke fondly of him and the history of the area.  I took a few pictures of him, his store and Denny. 


I couldn’t resist posting them all.  The floor was wet and most of the tiles were gone.  The candy bars looked like they had been sitting on the shelf for years and had melted and re-hardened so many times that the wrappers were stained.  It was amazing but they still do business and the locals can find propane bottles to exchange, laundry soap and dish washing soap (if they aren’t picky about the brands).  I’m sure it’s a last resort but Mr. McCrory enjoys the people who do stop and is willing to tell his stories.
We laughed about our visit and drove on to the Good Sam Park in Perryville, MO to stay the night before the final stretch of our drive back to Illinois.