On the Road Again New Albany, Mississippi

One of the CCC members was George Gordon Snyder, an older artist who lied about his age to enter the Corps. He lived at Petit Jean for two years, painting 20 landscapes and buildings, such as the Mather Lodge, Jones explains. Snyder’s artwork was shipped to Washington, D.C. for storage but later thrown away. One employee saw its beauty and plucked it from the garbage. Today, the Smithsonian owns one of Snyder’s paintings. The other, once dismissed to the garbage pile and rescued, lies behind the front desk of Mather Lodge. After a series of owners, the discarded painting was discovered to have been a Snyder original and was returned to Mather Lodge, Jones says. Petit Jean is also a certified Trail of Tears National Historic Site since members of the Cherokee tribe traveled through the area in the 1830s during their forced migration to Oklahoma.

The Park Today Petit Jean State Park is located near the town of Morrilton, about a 45-minute drive northwest of Little Rock. Visitors will find a variety of amenities, in addition to the relaxing, historic accommodations and campsites for RVs and tents. Rent a kayak or canoe to enjoy Lake Bailey and fish from its waters. Miles of hiking trails run the gamut, including the easy Bear Cave Trail and its fun rock formations, the descent to the dramatic 95-foot Cedar Falls, or hikes to archeological sites. And don’t forget that lovely natural bridge. The park hosts weekly events, from guided hikes to discussions about nature. The new visitor’s center opened in December 2020, with the grand opening in April due to the pandemic. This expanded space overlooking Lake Bailey details what Hardison experienced on his first trip to Petit Jean Mountain: the natural beauty, the animals that call the region home, and the unique geological formations scattered throughout the park. Hardison’s statue graces the front of the new visitor’s center, a guardian over those trees he saved from axe and saw, now growing freely for generations to come.

DeSoto Editor Cheré Coen loves visiting Arkansas state parks.