During one of our road trips traveling around the United States, Cecil and I stumbled across the first state park of Arkansas, Petit Jean State Park. The park encompasses Petit Jean Mountain and is full of tall pines, fossils, rock formations, and large waterfalls.
We arrived in the evening and while making our way to the park’s campground, Cecil and I stopped at a beautiful viewpoint at the top of Petit Jean Mountain overlooking the Arkansas River. We also discovered the grave of Petit Jean and learned about a three hundred year old legend. This Arkansas legend tells of Chavet, a French nobleman and his bride to be. Chavet had planned an exploration of the Louisiana Purchase. His future bride wanted to get married before his trip so that she could join him. He refused saying it was too dangerous and left without her. Her desire to go was so great she disguised herself as a cabin boy and got a job aboard her fiances’ ship. Her disguise was so convincing that even her love, Chavet, didn’t recognize her. She was called Petit Jean, or Little John. The ship made it down the Arkansas River and came to a mountain where they were greeted by Indians. They stayed with the Indians for the summer. On the day they were to set-off back to France, Petit Jean became ill, which caused her identity to finally be revealed. They had made it a ways down river, and she requested they take her back to the mountain so she could die there. They granted her wish and the Indians carried her to the top of the mountain where she died and was buried.
While I think this story is a true romantic tragedy, Cecil thinks it’s a load of bull. I guess each visitor to this small but breathtaking park is entitled to their own opinion.
During one of our road trips traveling around the United States, Cecil and I stumbled across the first state park of Arkansas, Petit Jean State Park. The park encompasses Petit Jean Mountain and is full of tall pines, fossils, rock formations, and large waterfalls.
We arrived in the evening and while making our way to the park’s campground, Cecil and I stopped at a beautiful viewpoint at the top of Petit Jean Mountain overlooking the Arkansas River. We also discovered the grave of Petit Jean and learned about a three hundred year old legend. This Arkansas legend tells of Chavet, a French nobleman and his bride to be. Chavet had planned an exploration of the Louisiana Purchase. His future bride wanted to get married before his trip so that she could join him. He refused saying it was too dangerous and left without her. Her desire to go was so great she disguised herself as a cabin boy and got a job aboard her fiances’ ship. Her disguise was so convincing that even her love, Chavet, didn’t recognize her. She was called Petit Jean, or Little John. The ship made it down the Arkansas River and came to a mountain where they were greeted by Indians. They stayed with the Indians for the summer. On the day they were to set-off back to France, Petit Jean became ill, which caused her identity to finally be revealed. They had made it a ways down river, and she requested they take her back to the mountain so she could die there. They granted her wish and the Indians carried her to the top of the mountain where she died and was buried.
While I think this story is a true romantic tragedy, Cecil thinks it’s a load of bull. I guess each visitor to this small but breathtaking park is entitled to their own opinion.
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Anne Sanders was born and raised in Alaska. She graduated with a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Alaska Anchorage. With a love for the written word, she recognizes the treasure of stories and fascinating people Alaska offers. Paired with her husband Cecil who compliments her narratives with his eye for the visual, Anne is on a mission to bring her beloved home of Alaska to life on the pages of Last Frontier Magazine.
Inspired at a young age, Cecil has turned his love of photography into a lifestyle and a business, with a desire to capture the beauty and character of wherever his camera takes him. Always primed to set off on a new adventure, Cecil and his wife, Anne, have spent their eleven years of marriage going on road trips, touring Alaska and the country, and planning ahead to their next destination. Cecil has combined his artist's perspective and aptitude for design in order to contribute his talents to the collaborative effort of bringing Last Frontier Magazine into a reality.
