We did a little sightseeing right here at Petit Jean State Park. We drove up to the lookout points on the “mountain” 800 feet above the valley floor with a fabulous view of the Arkansas River and sspawling farmland surrounded by tree covered rolling hills. Petit Jean’s grave site is here on the mountain top. The legend made for good reading. She fell in love with a young French explorer. When he was ordered to explore the Louisiana Territory, he thought it was too dangerous for her to come along. She couldn’t bare living without him and got hired on as a crew member as a young man. With her hair pulled back and her cap and sailor clothes on even the love of her life didn’t recognize her. They worked their way up the river and camped out here on this mountain. She became ill the day they were to head home. They put off their sailing thinking she might cause others to become ill and that she would recover but she died within three days. Her identity wasn’t know until she was examined by the doctor. What a surprise and how tragic. She should have stayed home!
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| View of the Arkansa River at Petit Jean State Park |
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| Petit Jean's Grave |
Stout “Mansion” is only a rock ruin today but it was a hotel and later a YMCA camp building years ago. We took a short walk to Rock House Cave. It really isn’t a cave but an excellent shelter that was used by Native Americans and frontiersmen. We passed some really unusual rock formations called "turtle rocks" that looked like a turtle shell.
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| Stout "Mansion" |
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| Rock Horse Cave |
The group of CCC workers that did the early construction in the park was a group of veterans. The camp was designated a V-CCC camp. They were older men that the average CCC worker and generally had more skills. It was a large camp and of course they got clothing, room and board, free medical, and education. Of their $30.00 a month pay, they kept $5.00 and $25.00 was sent home to their families. Some of the buildings that are still standing are the Visitor Center, the lodge and a the picturesque Cedar Creek Bridge.
We took the country roads into Conway and Mayflower but there was not much to see. Norm has a good friend through work, Wes, that lives on Lake Conway and we are hoping to meet up with him while we are in the area. The one interesting thing we saw was Toad Suck Dam and Locks on the Arkansas River. The term “toad suck” came from the days of the river boats that would come in here and have to wait for the river water to rise so they could continue down the river. They would go into the taverns near by and suck down so much beer that their faces swelled up like a toad.
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| Toad Suck Dam and Locks We have never seen a dam like one. There wasn't any information on it. I'll have to check out the internet. |
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