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Old US 71 – Wilton Segement
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| Nearest city: | Wilton, Arkansas |
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| Area: | 4.8 acres (1.9 ha) |
| Built: | 1934 |
| Architect: | Kochtitzky & Johnson Inc. & A.C Kennedy |
| Architectural style: | Bates-type pavement |
| Governing body: | Local |
| MPS: | Arkansas Highway History and Architecture MPS |
| NRHP Reference#: |
04000492 [1] |
| Added to NRHP: | May 26, 2004 |
Old US 71 – Wilton Segment is a former alignment of U.S. Route 71 (US 71) near Wilton in Little River County, Arkansas. The roadway of about 2 miles (3.2 km) is a 1934 construction and was the main travel route in the county upon construction until US 71/US 59 bypassed this alignment in 1965.
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Little River County began to grow with the coming of the railroad in the late nineteenth century. Towns were being established quickly, and railroads were springing up in the county. Millkin was established in 1890 and was renamed Wilton in 1892. The need for a bridge over the Little River became apparent to the county. A project to build a bridge was let in 1912, and the federal designation of US 71 came when Arkansas designated a state highway system in 1926.
The pavement for this section of US 71 was "Bates-type pavement". The winner of a high traffic contest in Bates, Illinois, Bates-type pavement is concrete with welded wire reinforcement. This type of pavement became very popular for high-volume highways in the 1930s.[2]
The route served as a main artery in Little River County and as the main route between Texarkana and Fort Smith. The high traffic caused a settlement named Taylors Store to spring up north of Wilton, though it subsequently died out when this segment was bypassed in 1965. The route remains today as a driveable county road.[3]
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