Petit Jean Mountain: A Beautiful Place to Visit

My family has started a new Thanksgiving tradition at Petit Jean Mountain in Morrillton, Arkansas. Instead of just meeting for dinner at someone's house, we all meet at Petit Jean. In years past, we were only able to drive up for the day, but this past Thanksgiving, we were able to spend a night. We already have reservations for two nights for Thanksgiving 2007. We are already looking forward to it, too!

Petit Jean offers us a way to get together and not focus on food, but our family, God and nature. We go on hikes instead of stuffing ourselves. We spend time together talking and laughing instead of washing dishes or watching TV. So let me tell you a little about this beautiful mountain.

The name Petit Jean actually comes from a young French woman from Paris named Adrienne Dumont. Back in the 1700's she was in love with a French Nobleman named Chavet. He was an explorer of the New World and requested permission from the King to explore the Louisiana Territory. When Chavet told Adrienne of his plans to explore the New World, she begged him to marry her first so that she could go with him. But Chavet was afraid she'd get hurt and told her she'd have to wait until his return.

Adrienne wouldn't take no for an answer. Without Chavet knowing it, she disguised herself as a cabin boy on the ship and named herself Jean. The sailors started calling her Petit Jean, which is French for Little John. The story goes that Chavet didn't even recognize her! She must have been a very determined young lady.

During early spring, the ship crossed the ocean, traveled up the Mississippi River to the Arkansas River where it finally stopped at the foot of this beautiful mountain. Native Americans greeted them and invited them to explore the mountain. They stayed all summer atop Petit Jean Mountain. When fall came, the French prepared to head back to France. But the night before they were supposed to leave, Petit Jean became violently ill, thus finally revealing her true identity. She begged Chavet for forgiveness. She asked him to bury her on the mountain overlooking the river, if she were to die. When she died later that next day, he did just what she had requested. It wasn't until years later that her grave would be found again and the mountain named after her.

Even though the legend of Petit Jean is enchanting, there is a lot more history to the mountain. One of the first cabins built there still stands today at the "Cedar Creek Trail" entrance. Visitors can go inside and imagine what pioneer life was like in the mid 1800's. The cabin is one room with a loft, the very basic cabin, but gives a lift to the soul knowing of the life it once held.

If we want to travel further into the past, all we need to do is visit "Rock House Cave". This is one of the largest Bluff Shelters in the state. By hiking down the "Rock House Cave Trail", you can visit this Native American home that dates back thousands of years. Pictographs can still be seen in the cave today. Local minerals were used to paint them by the Native Americans. We can only imagine what these pictographs mean.

When my family visited the "Rock House Cave" this past fall, we thoroughly enjoyed it. But something interesting happened when we printed our pictures from the cave. Orbs were seen! This occured only on pictures taken at the cave and on all of our cameras, not just mine. So, if you're a ghost hunter, this might be a place you'd like to visit!

The mountain has over twenty miles of trails from easy to challenging for those who love to hike. I enjoyed "Cedar Falls", "Bear Cave Trail", "Cedar Creek Trail" and "Rock House Cave Trail". But there are others I'd love to try! For other people, maybe sitting by a camp fire would do. Mather Lodge offers quaint lodge rooms or spacious cabins. Camp sites are also available for campers, RV's or tents. TeePee's with wooden floors are available, too. As far as a place to stay, the mountain has a pretty good variety.

The Mather Lodge Restaurant is where we finally sat down to our Thanksgiving dinner. The price is great as well as the friendly service. We even enjoyed the company of other families! The atmosphere is light and well relaxed.

I can't begin to describe the mountain well enough. You just have to visit it yourself to understand and appreciat all of it's royal beauty. It's a place where you can travel back in time or just get reconnected with nature.

Website used for information:
http://petitjeanstatepark.com