All Around Arkansas: The Little Rock of Little Rock

 

             When you work the front desk of a history museum in downtown Little Rock, you get a lot of the same questions from tourists, who ask about the best place to eat downtown or whether Bill Clinton visits very much.

             But more often than not, I'd get this one: "Is there really a little rock in Little Rock?”

             Many times I wanted to say, "Why of course there’s a little rock in Little Rock; in fact, you stepped on several in the parking lot!”

             But that wouldn't be the hospitable, Arkansas thing to do. So I would always tell them the legendary tale of the Little Rock, or as the French called it, La Petit Roche.

             The story goes that in April 1722, French explorer Jean-Baptiste Bérnard de la Harpe was traveling up the Arkansas River looking for a large rock bluff that was made of pure emerald — an amazing geological wonder told to him by the Quapaw Indians he encountered along his journey.

             La Harpe and his party found the large bluff, but of course it was not made of emerald. He noted in his journal that the mostly sandstone bluff was home to a large waterfall and several slate quarries.

             La Harpe named this point “Le Rocher Français” (“The French Rock”) and took official possession in the name of France on April 9 by carving the King of France’s coat of arms on a tree at the top of the bluff. Today, that large rock formation in North Little Rock is known as Big Rock and is home to the Fort Logan Roots VA Complex, the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College and beautiful Emerald Park (I wonder how it got its name).

             Coming back downstream, and surely disappointed, la Harpe noticed on the river’s south bank a smaller rock bluff — also not made of emerald — which he called la Petit Roche, or "the little rock." The name first appeared on maps around 1799.

             La Harpe and his party explored the Arkansas River all the way to near present-day Morrilton, but turned around in May 1722 due to illness and supply problems, heading back to the Gulf of Mexico near Biloxi, Mississippi. In December 1722, the French king sent La Harpe to oversee the transfer of Pensacola, in Florida, from the French to the Spanish. Once he completed his assignment in 1723, La Harpe returned to France and died there in September 1765.

             One can visit the same little rock that La Harpe spotted some 300 years ago but it’s a bit smaller. In December 1833, the Little Rock Junction Railway Co. began construction on a railroad bridge, now known as the Junction Bridge, that required part of the little rock to be blasted away. A 4,700-pound chunk of the little rock was taken and displayed with a bronze plaque in front of Little Rock’s city hall for many years, but it's since been returned to a site near the actual little rock.

             In 2010, the city of Little Rock created the La Petite Roche Plaza in Riverfront Park to interpret the city’s history and showcase the bluff that gave the city its unusual name. The city is now planning several celebrations and activities to commemorate the 300th anniversary of la Harpe’s discovery of its namesake.

             So yes, there are many little rocks in Little Rock. But as far as we historians are concerned, there’s only one true little rock — la Petit Roche.

             A sixth-generation Arkansan, Darrell W. Brown is a lover of all things Arkansas. He served several years with the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, and worked in all three divisions. He lives in Saline County with his wife, Amy, and two beloved Boston Terriers. Find him on Facebook and Instagram at AllAroundArkansas.

All Around Arkansas: The Legend of Petit Jean

 

            We have some amazing state parks here in the Natural State. And of course I have my favorites: Pinnacle Mountain, Mount Magazine, Devil’s Den and Petit Jean.

             To me, Petit Jean State Park near Morrilton is our most beautiful, and it has sentimental meaning: My paternal grandfather, Bud Brown, helped build the park as part of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s.

             If you’ve ever been to Petit Jean, you’ve probably seen the “gravesite” of the park’s namesake, Petit Jean, or "Little John." But who is Little John and how did "he" rank getting a mountain and a state park named for him? There are a few explanations, and I’ll let you be the judge.

             The most popular tale is that in the 1700s a young Frenchman named Chavet asked the King of France to be part of an exploration of the Louisiana Territory and for a grant to claim part of the land. The king granted Chavet’s request.

             Chavet was engaged to a young lady named Adrienne. When Chavet told her of his plans, she asked that they be married immediately so she could join him on the trip. But he refused her request, and told her that when he returned, the two would marry and travel back to the New World.

             Unsatisfied, Adrienne disguised herself as a cabin boy named Jean and applied for a position on her fiancé's boat. She must have had a convincing disguise, because even Chavet didn't recognize her. The crew gave her the nickname of Petit Jean.

             The ship eventually made its way up the Arkansas River to the foot of a large mountain, where it was greeted by local Native Americans. But before the ship was to set sail for France, Petit Jean became ill, suffering from fever, convulsions, delirium and finally a coma.

             Petit Jean's true identity was discovered during her illness, and she confessed her con to Chavet, who forgave her just before she died. The Native Americans built a stretcher and carried her up the mountain and buried her in a grave overlooking the Arkansas River. Many years later, a low mound of dirt was found at the point now referred to as Petit Jean's Grave.

             Another tale is that in the early 1800s, Petit Jean Mountain was known as Impassable Mountain because it blocked passage along the west bank of the river during periods of low water. John Walker, a French pioneer and veteran of the War of 1812, obtained a grant of acreage in the newly acquired Louisiana Territory as part of his military service.

             When Walker filed the petition to buy the mountaintop land, he identified himself as John Walker of Petit Jean Mountain. He was granted the land, and in 1844, when the maps were redrawn, the Impassable Mountain had been renamed Petit Jean Mountain, possibly at John "Petit John" Walker's request.

             Finally, there’s the story that the popularly told tale about Chavet and Adrienne was created in the early 1900s by the William C. Stout Family, who owned two hotels on the mountain. They advertised their resort hotels as romantic places for newlyweds and completely made up the Petit Jean story as a promotional tool.

             In order to lend some credibility to the tale, Stout paid three men in 1912 to go to the mountaintop, break up some rocks, and pile them into a cairn to create the grave of Petit Jean.

             Personally, I know which story I want to believe, but I also know which story is probably true. But I'll let you, dear reader, make up your own mind.

             A proud sixth-generation Arkansan, Darrell W. Brown is a lover of all things Arkansas. He served several years with the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, and worked in all three divisions. He lives in Saline County with his wife, Amy, and two beloved Boston Terriers. Find him on Facebook and Instagram at AllAroundArkansas.

All Around Arkansas: Brownsville, Arkansas

 

                I’ve had many jobs in my life: political aide, high school government teacher, living historian, state park visitor center manager and, believe it or not, pastor of a small Southern Baptist church in Lonoke County.

             The church’s name was Brownsville Baptist Church and the joke was that the members loved me so much they named the church after me. While the congregation did love me (at least I think they did), the church wasn’t named after me, rather the town that once existed where the church stands today.

             The community of Brownsville is just a couple of miles north of Lonoke (which was named after a lone oak tree — we’ll get to that someday) and at one time was the county seat of Prairie County. The town was named for Major Jacob Brown of Little Rock (no relation), who was one of the first American casualties of the Mexican-American War.

             Brownsville was located on a federally constructed road that connected Little Rock to Memphis and later a major railroad, The Memphis and Little Rock Railroad. After the road’s completion in 1824, more settlers began moving to the area. A wooden building used as a courthouse and for other government business was constructed, as was a brick jail.

             The town of Brownsville was officially incorporated in December 1856, and by 1860, Brownsville had about 2,000 citizens. Several businesses including a hotel served the community. A couple of churches, a primary school and a Masonic lodge were built as well. In 1858, I.C. Hicks started the town’s first newspaper, The Echo, which was later sold and renamed The Brownsville Banner.

             Unfortunately, in August 1863, the American Civil War came knocking at Brownsville’s door. The Battle of Brownsville involved about 7,000 combined Union and Confederate forces. After a brief artillery exchange, Confederate forces fell back and then pushed back a Union attack before retreating down Military Road toward Reed’s Bridge near Jacksonville. The battle was the first of a series that ultimately led to the fall of Arkansas’ capital city of Little Rock by Union forces in September.

             The town of Brownsville never quite recovered from the destruction of the battle. A new survey was made for the completion of the Memphis and Little Rock Railroad in 1867. When tracks were laid three miles south of Brownsville near Lonoke, the population began moving along with the railroad. And in 1867, Lonoke County was created, encompassing Brownsville and making the town almost irrelevant.

             Today only three churches and a cemetery founded in 1851, where many members of my former flock have been laid to rest, remain. Several Civil War veterans are also buried in the cemetery. There are three historical markers that mark the site of the original Prairie County Courthouse and two at the Brownsville Cemetery that interpret the Battle of Brownsville.

             On a personal note, I would like to dedicate today’s column to the memory to a few of the brothers and sisters that made my time as the pastor of that little church in that little community such a wonderful experience: Geneva Evans (my former song leader) and three of the greatest deacons a pastor could ever hope to serve with: Merle Evans, Limuel Simpson and Bob Frizzell. Like the town of Brownsville, they might be gone but they will never be forgotten.  

            A proud sixth-generation Arkansan, Darrell W. Brown is a lover of all things Arkansas. He served several years with the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, and worked in all three divisions. He lives in Saline County with his wife, Amy, and two beloved Boston Terriers. You can email him with questions, comments, and story ideas at AllAroundArkansas@Yahoo.com.