23-826: Arkansas Highway 22 ( AR 22 ) is an east–west state highway in the Arkansas River Valley . The route runs 75.60 miles (121.67 km) from US 64 in Fort Smith east to Highway 7 in Dardanelle . Following the historic stagecoach line of the cross-country Butterfield Trail , the route is one of the original 1926 state highways . It is designated by the AHTD as the True Grit Trail . The route begins in Fort Smith at US 64 / US 71B . It runs east, crossing I-540 / US 71 and
46-543: A stagecoach trail officially known as the Overland Mail Company that traveled roughly along the present-day highway's route from Dardanelle to Fort Smith . The stagecoach carried mail and passengers from Memphis to Fort Smith. In Fort Smith the trail split into two routes, with one traveling west to San Francisco and the other traveling north to St. Louis . The Butterfield Trail was in operation from 1858 to 1861. Upon its establishment, Highway 22
69-506: A 0.5-mile (0.80 km) stretch of concrete pavement, two lanes wide, in the northwestern part of the city. It extends north from the current alignment of Highway 22 until it reaches a sharp curve, where the pavement narrows significantly, before continuing westward to rejoin the highway. This stretch of pavement was constructed in 1928 by the Koss Construction Company, and is longest section of surviving pavement of
92-524: A large construction plan was completed on I-40. A 2000 survey cited the poor condition of rural interstates, as well as narrow lanes on rural state highways, as areas of concern, ranking Arkansas 47th of the 50 states. A 2011 study found Arkansas's rural highways fourth-most, and the state's roads overall the 16th most deadly. Charleston, Arkansas Charleston is a city in Franklin County , Arkansas , United States, and along with Ozark
115-415: Is a list of state highways in the U.S. state of Arkansas . The state does not use a numbering convention. Generally, the two-digit odd numbered highways run north–south with a few exceptions; and even-numbered two-digit state highways run east–west with a few exceptions. Arkansas has long had a stigma of poor roads, dating from the "Arkansas Roads Scandal" playing a prominent role in state politics through
138-488: Is one of the two county seats of Franklin County. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas - Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area . The population was 2,494 at the 2010 census , down from 2,965 in 2000 . Charleston was platted in 1870. In 1954, Charleston was the first school district in the former Confederate States to implement school integration in response to Brown v. Board of Education . On July 27, 1954,
161-511: The United States Census Bureau , Charleston has a total area of 4.4 square miles (11.4 km ), of which 4.3 square miles (11.1 km ) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km ), or 2.53%, is water. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 2,588 people, 997 households, and 639 families residing in the city. As of the census of 2000, there were 2,965 people, 1,201 households, and 815 families residing in
184-521: The 1920s and 1930s, periodic allegations of corruption, waste, and fraud, and a long-running struggle to adequately fund the operation, maintenance and expansion of a large highway system serving a rural state. The state has received the designation of "worst roads in America" from several publications throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s, with Interstate 30 and Interstate 40 often ranking particularly poorly among truckers. Rankings improved until
207-800: The Highway ;197 Loop, and Rainbow Loop, and continues to provide the primary access to the town center. One surviving element of the original alignment survives in Yell County west of Dardanelle; it consists of County Road 906 (CR 906), a 0.25-mile (0.40 km) stretch of concrete pavement 18 feet (5.5 m) wide. This segment was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. [REDACTED] Media related to Arkansas Highway 22 at Wikimedia Commons List of state highways in Arkansas The following
230-422: The age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.96. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under
253-462: The age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 30,824, and the median income for a family was $ 39,598. Males had a median income of $ 27,917 versus $ 18,512 for females. The per capita income for
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#1732801022041276-477: The city was $ 14,912. About 8.6% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the poverty line , including 17.1% of those under age 18 and 16.6% of those age 65 or over. The Charleston School District provides public education from kindergarten through grade 12 from its three facilities, Charleston High School (grades 9–12), Charleston Elementary School (grades K–4), and Charleston Middle School (grades 5–8). The Public School District of Charleston, Arkansas
299-499: The city. The population density was 706.4 inhabitants per square mile (272.7/km ). There were 1,315 housing units at an average density of 313.3 per square mile (121.0/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 95.58% White , 0.07% Black or African American , 0.64% Native American , 0.34% Asian , 1.48% from other races , and 1.89% from two or more races. 2.06% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 1,201 households, out of which 31.7% had children under
322-486: The communities of New Blaine and Delaware along the way. In Dardanelle, the route terminates at Highway 7 after an intersection with Highway 155 . The road itself is fairly straight and in reasonably good repair. Passing can be safely accomplished in several stretches of Highway 22 despite a lack of constructed passing areas. The precursor to today's Highway 22 was the Butterfield Trail ,
345-554: The early alignment of Highway 22. Old Arkansas Highway 22 is a historic roadway section in New Blaine, Arkansas . It consists of an S-shaped section asphalt, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) in length, built in 1930 by Cook & Ransom and the Schultz Construction Company to carry Highway 22. This section was bypassed by the present alignment in the 1960s. It is now designated as part of Highway 197 ,
368-667: The incomplete interchange at the northern end of Highway 549 (future I-49 ). From its western terminus in Fort Smith, it carries the Seminole route of the Trail of Tears to Highway 255 . Highway 255 then intersects Highway 96 east of the installation. The route next enters Charleston where it meets Highway 217 and the historic Butterfield Trail . The historic route continues along Highway 22 to its eastern terminus in Dardanelle . Continuing east into Branch ,
391-564: The local press not to cover the event, and stonewalled any outside reporters that asked questions. The decision to integrate had financial benefits, as the district had been paying a considerable sum to transport black high school students to Fort Smith , and were able to close the old Rosenwald school . During the Civil Rights era, the city was among a few Southern cities which surprisingly showed little resistance to integration. Charleston suffered some discrimination from other schools and
414-570: The route has a brief concurrency with Highway 41 . County Line High School is located on the highway between Branch and Ratcliff . In the town of Caulksville , Highway 22 has a junction with Highway 23 . Continuing east into the city of Paris , the highway has a junction with Highway 109 / Highway 309 . Highway 22 continues east to Subiaco , where it crosses Highway 197 . In Midway , Highway 22 meets Highway 109 , which heads north towards Clarksville . Highway 22 continues east to Dardanelle, passing through
437-475: The same year, the highway was officially designated by the AHTD as the True Grit Trail. The name comes from the 1968 novel, True Grit by Charles Portis . Frank Ross, father of the protagonist Mattie Ross, travels along Highway 22 from Dardanelle to Fort Smith. Three original segments of Highway 22 remain intact and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The New Blaine segment
460-574: The school board, including President Howard Madison Orsburn, George Hairston, Archibald Schaffer, Herbert Shumate, and Homer Keith, unanimously voted to "disband the Colored School and admit the Colored children into the grade and high school when classes open for the fall semester." Accordingly, when the schools opened on August 23, 11 black children were in attendance alongside 480 whites. School Superintendent Woodie Haynes made an agreement with
483-445: The state; many schools refused to play football against them and the band was denied the opportunity to play in some band competitions. In 1961, the first two black students to graduate from Charleston were Barbara (Williams) Dotson and Joe Ferguson. Charleston is in southwestern Franklin County, along Arkansas Highway 22 , which leads east 9 miles (14 km) to Ratcliff and west 24 miles (39 km) to Fort Smith . According to
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#1732801022041506-743: Was listed in 2003, the Barling segment was listed in May 2007, and the Yell County segment was listed in 2008. All three listings are contained within the Arkansas Highway History and Architecture Multiple Property Submission , which preserves history from Arkansas's highway building era between 1910 and 1965. The Old Arkansas 22, Barling Segment is a historic section of roadway in Barling, Arkansas . Now named Mayo Drive, it consists of
529-539: Was one of the original 1926 Arkansas state highways . Highway 22 ran from Fort Smith to Dardanelle along a routing very similar to the modern-day routing of AR 22. On July 14, 2015 the highway was linked to Future I-49 in Barling . In June 2019 a proposal was made under the Connecting Arkansas Program-2 for US$ 25 million to be allocated to the improvement of sections of Highway 22 between Fort Smith and Charleston . On March 20 of
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