Ozark National Scenic Riverways (NSR) was created by an Act of Congress on August 27, 1964, to protect 134 miles of the Current and Jacks Fork Rivers. Ozark NSR was the nation’s first “scenic riverways”—preceding the Wild and Scenic River Act by four years.
President Lyndon Johnson signed it into law and Ozark NSR became a reality. A formal dedication ceremony was held at Big Spring, and Patricia Nixon Cox cut the ribbon, officially opening the park to millions of visitors.
Based upon content from the Missouri State Archives, Timeline of Missouri History.
Pictured: Officers of the Missouri Human Rights Commission in Kirkwood circa 1971. Photo credit: [Francis Scheidegger Collection, Collection S0809. S0809-7662.], The State Historical Society of Missouri, Photograph Collection.
