Petit Jean State Park of Arkansas

This state park of Arkansas is located in a unique area between the Ozark and Ouachita Mountain ranges, in the west central part of the state.  It was a bit of a drive for us coming from Hot Springs, and by the time we had arrived half of our day was pretty much shot. So much for doing any hiking, all we could do was get a brief over-view of the park. We needed to do that in order to make any decision as to where our next Lohrmann family reunion would be in another year.

 

Our first stop was an overlook at Stout's Point, located just outside of the park. Here we learned a bit about the history of the surrounding area.  In 1849 William Cummings Stout (Episcopal priest) bought 5,000 acres here which spanned both sides of the Arkansas River.  He built a plantation using slave labor, called Hawstone Plantation; it burned down during the Civil war by Union forces. Stout's Point currently still belongs to the Episcopal Church and has been leased to the state.

Pictured above is the Arkansas River, which we could view off in the distance.  Interpretive signs here mentioned the Trial of Tears and the significance of the river to Native Americans who were forced from their homes out east to Oklahoma reservations.  Some came by boat down the Mississippi then up the Arkansas River through this part of our country.

 Looking down from the overlook we saw Petit Jean's grave, supposedly.  He/she according to legend was the fiance of Chavet a French nobleman.  He wanted to explore the New World and did not want to take his sweetheart along because it would be too dangerous. She, Adrienne DuMont, desperately wanted to join him so she stowed away in his boat as a cabin boy. The crew called her Petit Jean, or little John in English. Chavet arrived in America and he with all of his crew stayed with Native Americans for the summer months.  In autumn Chavet was ready to move on but Petit Jean became ill with a fever. Those caring for her realized she was a woman. She had a brief reunion with Chavet before dying. Many locals feel that her spirit lends enchantment to the mountain. We saw a statue of Petit Jean in the visitor's center of the park.  Please realize that everything written and imagined about her is pure conjecture!   My next notes on this park will be in the next posting.