Calion Road once connected south Arkansas to the early French settlements on the Ouachita River originally called Scarborough's Landing, then later changed to Champagnolle, near what is today Calion. The street extended south to Monroe, La.

In early 1845, the settlers along the Arkansas portion of the Ouachita River, after a summer of yellow fever (which they blamed on bad air, although mosquitoes carried the virus) decided to seek a better place to establish a county seat, and sent five men to scout for a new site.

They were looking for higher ground away from the river, and recommended a spot where the present Union County Courthouse and El Dorado's First Baptist Church are now. It is one of the highest elevations in Union County. Today, immediately north of U.S. 167 Bypass, there is a remnant of the road that passes an abandoned cemetery.

The remainder of the historic road extending toward Calion and the Ouachita River has been swallowed by vegetation. The southern part has been paved and renamed Calion Road, a city street in El Dorado.

Our house on Calion Road is in the northern part of a heavily forested piece of land with two significant ponds. The area around our property is also heavily forested. I think most animals have an awareness of where there are safe places and where they may be in danger. In the area around our property we see deer all year long. If I don't spray my plants the deer will gobble them up--Swiss chard is one of their favorites. My neighbor across the street has a deer feeder where deer--10 to 15 a day--nearly stand in line to eat.

Calion Road, which connects the center of El Dorado to the 167 Bypass, is all that remains of the old road. From the edge of town, it was the original route to what in the past was the Felsenthal Landing. West Avenue became the road of choice, and today strip centers and other drive-through venues are located along North West Avenue. What is left of the original Calion Road has become residential.

Several months back I wrote a column about the need to have crossings in areas where there is a heavy concentration of wildlife. Calion Road was mentioned, since various animals are run over there almost daily. The past week there was a deer killed a few hundred yards from my driveway entrance. Hardly a week goes by without an animal being hit by the traffic that exits the 167 Bypass. The problem is vehicles speeding at 50 to 60 miles an hour. Wildlife trying to cross Calion Road doesn't have a chance.

Last year my neighbor across the street told me he saw a doe with three young fawns, and later that year I spotted them walking in a single file down my backyard pond levee. This year we saw what appeared to be the same doe with twins, and they seemed to range from the area around by lower pond across the wooded front area of our house. Hardly a day passed without seeing them as I walked by my bathroom window. However, this past week a doe was hit and killed a few hundred yards south of my driveway, and I noticed two fawns with no accompanying doe seemingly just looking and not feeding.

I have railed on and on about roadside littering, and to do my part I have adopted the stretch of Calion Road that extends from my driveway to the intersection of the 167 Bypass. That's a bad stretch to adopt, because it seems when the littering folks driving along North West Avenue are drinking a beverage, the stop sign at the intersection of Calion Road and the 167 Bypass is a spot to toss the container out the window. I base that on a sack full of cans and cups.

I have picked up a variety of items, but yesterday I picked something that puzzled me. There was a large perfectly ripe cantaloupe, without even a bruise. It was tasty!

Email Richard Mason at richard@gibraltarenergy.com.

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