Eighteen miles north of Little Rock on Highway 300 is the community of Natural Steps, which takes its name from an unusual geological formation called “Natural Steps.” The Natural Steps are two parallel, vertical sandstone walls that stand about 20 feet apart. The rocks form natural steps that rise about 51 feet above the bank of the Arkansas River. The Natural Steps still stand today and are used as a marker for river runners. Unfortunately, the Natural Steps are now on private property and not open to the public.
Local legend states that French explorer Bernard de la Harpe spent time in the area. La Harpe is most famous for discovering the sandstone outcropping known as “La Petit Roche,” or "the Little Rock." La Harpe and his party were returning from their trip up the Arkansas River and back down to the little rock when they spotted the Natural Steps.
Naturalist Thomas Nuttall wrote “A Journal of Travels into the Arkansas Territory During the Year 1819” about his travels from 1819–1821 along the Arkansas River. Nuttall noted in his journal that he encountered Native Americans, mostly Quapaw, in the Natural Steps area in 1819.
Beginning in 1822, the "Natural Steps" provided a convenient stop for visitors by riverboat to disembark for their hike to nearby Maumelle Mountain, which is now known as Pinnacle Mountain. Visitation to the mountain from Natural Steps increased with the construction of the local railroad in the 1890s. With common use of the automobile and improved roads in the early 20th century, climbing the pinnacle became even more popular and accessible.
The Natural Steps were first written about by Arkansas’ state geologist, David D. Owen, in his Second Report of a Geological Reconnaissance of the Middle and Southern Counties of Arkansas, which was commissioned by Gov. Elias Conway in 1859. Owen also made detailed sketches of the Natural Steps that he included as his report.
In 1870, Col. John Macomb and S.T. Abert of the Little Rock District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, set out to map the Arkansas River and show low-water depths and other features important to river travel. In their maps, a drawing and location of the "Natural Steps" were included.
A small skirmish in the Brooks-Baxter War took place on the Arkansas River at Natural Steps in May 1874, when the steamboat “Hallie” was deployed to intercept a flatboat reportedly coming down the river carrying weapons for the supporters of Joseph Brooks, whose loyalists along the bank were successful in disabling the steamboat.
Many stories and legends are associated with Natural Steps. One legend has it that Jesse James and his gang spent the night in Natural Steps and robbed a Benton stagecoach the following day as they traveled to Hot Springs. Another says that Confederate forces sunk one of their gunboats at the Natural Steps to keep Union soldiers from getting the gold on board. In the late 19th century, a man waiting to catch a steamboat at the foot of the steps found a $5 gold piece. But no gold has been found in the Natural Steps area since.
Natural Steps also has its own ghost story. Supposedly, a young woman named Martha married Gustavus Sanders in October 1888. But Gustavus died shortly after. The grief-stricken widow, known as the “Woman in White,” vanished a few days later, and it was thought she committed suicide by jumping off the Natural Steps into the Arkansas River. It has long been claimed that Martha can be seen each year in late October wandering the Natural Steps Cemetery.
I hope the Natural Steps are opened to visitors someday, as I would love to see this unusual geographic formation that has been at the heart of several important events in our great state’s history. I’ll keep my fingers crossed!
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