This scenic byway is in central Alabama and travels between the cities of Selma and Montgomery. The 43-mile byway follows US 80, a four-lane divided highway suitable for travel by all types of vehicles. The byway is open year-round.
The Selma to Montgomery March Byway is more than a scenic drive, it celebrates one of the major historic events in 20th century American history. The Selma to Montgomery march represents two fundamental ideals of the American people – democratic equality and nonviolent protest. It is also recognized as a catalyst for passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
On March 7, 1965, more than 500 African-Americans determined to march arrived at Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church in Selma. Early that afternoon the marchers left the church. When they reached the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the marchers could see state troopers waiting on the other side. The troopers blocked the road just outside the city limits of Selma. The commander of the troopers declared that the march was unlawful and ordered the marchers to disperse. When they did not move, the troopers began to move toward the marchers and pushed them back with their billy clubs. Then suddenly, the troopers attacked by firing tear gas and striking marchers with their clubs. The two hospitals in Selma that admitted blacks reported 65 injuries from the attack. Footage of the attack was broadcast that evening on network television, outraging much of the Nation. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. urged clergy nationwide to come to Selma to join in a minister’s march the following Tuesday.
On Tuesday, March 10, 1965, King and the group of ministers marched only to the site of the attack. When the ministers reached the line of troopers, they offered prayers and then turned around.
At about 1:15 p.m. on Sunday, March 21, about 3,000 marchers once again began the march to Montgomery. This time they had the protection of the National Guard. It was in Lowndes County that the march size was reduced to 300 and the road narrowed to two lanes. It was also in Lowndes that Stokely Carmichael began to speak to the African-Americans about registering to vote. On March 25, the marchers arrived at the state capitol in Montgomery where a platform had been erected for King and others to speak. The largest civil rights march ever to take place in the South had finally reached its destination.
Recreational opportunities are limited directly along the scenic byway, however, camping facilities can be found at Six Mile Creek on Dannelly Reservoir, and at Prairie Creek and Gunter Hill on Woodruff Lake. These Corps of Engineers projects also offer picnicking, swimming, boating, and fishing.