Ribbon Cutting Held At Little River State Forest North of Atmore

April 15, 2026

A ribbon cutting was held on Tuesday at the Little River State Forest and Claude D. Kelley Recreational Area on Highway 21 north of Atmore, at the Escambia and Monroe county line, to celebrate improvements ahead of an official opening that is still to come.

Little River has been closed for several years. Improvements are still ongoing, and an official opening for the public is still to come.

Those improvements include a new bridge, RV and primitive campsites, water and septic lines, a new fishing pier, and building renovations. The central attraction is the 25-acre lake.

“All of your hard work is much appreciated by so many, and we are all looking forward to making many more new memories,” Albritton said. “Everyone there today had a story to tell, a special memory, and a desire to come again to this beautiful site.”

Originally privately owned land, Little River State Forest was deeded to the Alabama Forestry Commission in the early 1930s. During this time, the Great Depression was taking its toll on America. President Franklin D. Roosevelt implemented several ideas to help pull people out of the Depression and back to work. One of these programs was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), designed to help rebuild natural resources by planting trees and constructing park facilities.

In 1934, the CCC was sent to the Atmore, Alabama, area to build a public park that would eventually become known as Little River State Forest. Many of the facilities located on the grounds of the park remain from the original construction by the CCC, including the office building, a cabin, and pavilions. The Gazebo Trail was also built by the CCC, as well as the 25-acre lake. The soil that was removed from the lake bed was used to construct the dam and levee. Ironstone was collected from the area to create the spillway.

Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under FRONT TOP 

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