I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1932
To preserve and protect archaeological sites and historical resources of the
central Mississippi Valley through the establishment of the Mississippi
Valley National Historical Park as a unit of the National Park System
on former Eaker Air Force Base in Blytheville, Arkansas.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 22, 2001
Mr. BERRY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned
A BILL
To preserve and protect archaeological sites and historical
resources of the central Mississippi Valley through the
establishment of the Mississippi Valley National Histor-
ical Park as a unit of the National Park System on
former Eaker Air Force Base in Blytheville, Arkansas.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the
‘‘Mississippi Valley National Historical Park Act of
2001’’.
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of
this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 3. Mississippi Valley National Historical Park, Blytheville, Arkansas.
Sec. 4. Transfer of jurisdiction, Eaker Air Force Base, for historical park.
Sec. 5. Acquisition of Chickasawba Mound for inclusion in historical park.
Sec. 6. Administration of historical park.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The central and lower Mississippi Valley re-
gion contained the highest population levels and the
most complex Native American societies north of
Mexico before the arrival of European peoples in the
16th century.
(2) In addition, the Mississippi Valley has also
hosted Spanish, French, English, and ultimately
American societies at different times in the last 450
years.
(3) Blytheville, Arkansas, is centrally located in
the Mississippi Valley region.
(4) Former Eaker Air Force Base, which is lo-
cated outside of Blytheville, Arkansas, in the central
Mississippi Valley region, is the site of 14 archae-
ological sites associated with Native Americans.
(5) Because of its value in illustrating and in-
terpreting the heritage of the United States, the
largest of these archaeological sites, was recognized
by the National Park Service as a National Historic
Landmark in 1996.
(6) Another archaeological site outside of
Blytheville, Arkansas, the Chickasawba Mound, was
placed on the National Register of Historic Places in
1984 because of its historic and archaeological re-
sources.
(7) These previous actions by the Department
of the Interior recognize that these archaeological
sites are likely to benefit, educate, and inspire
present and future generations of Americans, but no
unified heritage park for the central Mississippi Val-
ley region exists within the National Park Service.
(8) Blytheville, Arkansas, also possesses many
other regionally and nationally significant natural,
seismic, cultural, and recreational resources associ-
ated with the heritage of the central Mississippi Val-
ley region.
(9) The sites and resources associated with the
heritage of the central Mississippi Valley region re-
quire recognition through the establishment of a na-
tional historical park for the central Mississippi Val-
ley region as a unit of the National Park System.
(10) As a result of the closing of Eaker Air
Force Base in Blytheville, Arkansas, pursuant to the