Flooding of the White River posed a problem until the North Fork River was finally controlled with a
Hydro-electric Dam in the 1940s. Today, river boats, cotton farming, and the late night brawls in
Peppersauce Alley are all a distant memory, but the laid-back lifestyle and the pride of our hometown has
never changed.
Before the bridge was built over the White River, visitors and folks living in the area had to cross using a
ferry. Men like Virgil Thornley served as ferryman for years, carrying passengers and their vehicles across
in either direction. Today, the pillars that held the ferry system in place still stand as a testament to the
foregone days before the bridge made crossing the river a cinch. You can see these pillars when you visit
the Calico Rock area on Main Street by the train tracks.
Inside the Chamber of Commerce/Visitor’s Center and Calico Rock Museum Next Door, visitors can
obtain an Historic Walking Tour map, hear local folklore and get their very own Calico Rock as a souvenir.
The building is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. You can also find out the origin of all the
buildings on Historic Main Street.
Modern-day Family Shoe and Dry Goods soda fountain building was the original home of the Evan’s
Pharmacy. In those days, pharmacists compounded most of their own elixirs and tonics. .
At one time, Main Street bustled with patrons going between Evan’s Pharmacy, First State Bank of
Calico Rock, Chaney’s Department Store, and the movie theatre. Today, visitors scurry between
antique shops, Bassett Real Estate and White River Insurance, and Knowle’s True Value Hardware but
our Main Street is alive and in the process of revitalization.