November 8, 1960

President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued a proclamation classifying the area previously known as the Eastern Arkansas Grazing Recreation Wildlife Area as the St. Francis National Forest. The land had been transferred to the U.S. Forest Service in 1954. The land covers 11,462 acres in Lee County and 9,628 acres in Phillips County for a total of 21,090 acres. The St. Francis Scenic Byway, which runs through the area, is situated in one of the nation’s smallest national forests and takes its name from the St. Francis River, a tributary of the Mississippi River, which parallels the eastern boundary of the St. Francis National Forest.