Welcome back to the Travel Arkansas series with Stop #3. As many may know, I grew up in Clark County. In recent years, the DeSoto Bluff Trail was created in Arkadelphia. The DeSoto Trail provides a nice overlook of the Ouachita River in any Arkansas season. On any given clear day you can look out across for miles. The trail is only about a quarter of a mile in length on paved surface. This makes for an easy walk through the wooded timber. If you have small children walking with you, please use caution as you reach the overlook point. The cliffs are high but marked with signs and protective fencing. The trail also features informative panels along the way that tells the story of local Native American groups who once called the area home. George Hunter and William Dunbar are also known for traveling up the Ouachita River through Arkadelphia as part of President Jefferson’s Expedition of Discovery. If you call Clark County home or simply pass through the area, I recommend visiting. Below are a few pictures of the DeSoto Trail and overlook of the Ouachita River. Until next time, Jason To find out more about DeSoto Bluff visit AllTrails.
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Welcome back! A few weeks ago, I wrote about Powhatan State Park. This entry is going to another historic location in Arkansas that many are not aware of. It is the Rohwer Relocation Memorial and Internment Museum. These are two separate locations in Desha County. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942. This order authorized the creation of areas within the United States which led to the forced removal of Japanese Americans to these locations. Two of these locations are within Arkansas, the Rohwer and Jerome Relocation Centers. Rohwer saw over 10,000 incarcerees with over two-thirds being American citizens. I recommend you start your visit at the WWII Japanese American Internment Museum at 100 S. Railroad Street in McGehee, Arkansas. There is an admission cost of $5, but it is worth the money. The museum features articles, artifacts, and video interviews with those who were interned in Arkansas. After the museum you should then travel north to the Rohwer site. This site is also a memorial cemetery. You will find several monuments along with various headstones. When you arrive at the site you will travel on a dirt road leading to the small group of trees within the field. There is no cost to visit the site but it is important to plan ahead for this trip. Please be respectful of the memorial while visiting. This is a moving and emotional location to visit. As stated this is a location and part of Arkansas history that is not commonly known but it’s my hope that more will learn of this memorial and time in United States History. Below are two pictures from my visit to the site in 2017. Until next time, Jason For more information, please see the following websites.
Welcome back! The next few posts will be dedicated to my favorite spots to visit across Arkansas! Some you may have heard about; others may be new. The first location to highlight is Powhatan Historic State Park! This state park is one that I find fascinating from the start because the buildings are all still located in their original locations. That may sound strange to some; however, there is something worthwhile seeing a historic building in its original location. As a history teacher, I then wonder why was it built there? Yes, I enjoy historical analysis.
Powhatan is settled on the banks of the Black River. First settlers were in the area around 1829. I made my visit to the park in 2017. Upon visiting, you find the courthouse is the main focal point with other buildings (such as the jail) surrounding it. The pictures below give a small glimpse at the courthouse and its interior. If you are in Northeast Arkansas or want to take a road trip, I highly recommend you to visit. There is no cost to visit the park and it is not crowded on most days. Below you will find links to the state park’s website and the Encyclopedia of Arkansas entry on the history of the park. This summer my goal is to return to Powhatan on my travels. Until next time, Jason Arkansas is home to many different historical events within all regions of our state. This past spring, I had the chance to travel to Chicot County. My visit to the area was focused on touring the Lakeport Plantation, which I hope to highlight soon). However, my reasoning took a new route when I discovered Charles Lindbergh took his first night flight at Lake Village. It is important to remember that Mr. Lindbergh was not well known in 1923; however, in 1927, he would become the first person to make a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Today a marker is found in Lake Village and marks the now vanished clubhouse where Lindbergh took his first night flight. To some this may seem as a small or unimportant event in Arkansas history, it should be a reminder that we can find historical moments (events) all around us. Until next time, Jason Sources Encyclopedia of Arkansas Spirit of St. Louis 2 Project This past November while traveling through east Texas, I drove through Carthage, Texas. Carthage is the birthplace of country singer, Jim Reeves (1923).
However, Carthage is also Reeves’ final resting place. Just outside of town you will find a memorial park to Jim Reeves. This park is the location of his grave-site as well. Jim Reeves tragically died in a plane crash in 1964. Below are two pictures from the park. Until next time, Jason Today 218 years ago in 1799, General George Washington passed away at approximately 10pm. It is reported that Washington’s last words were, “‘Tis Well.” Three days after his death, Washington would be buried in the original family tomb, as shown below. In 1831, the new family tomb was completed. The remains of George and Martha were moved. Additional family members were moved at that time as well. For the full timeline of Washington's passing, I recommend the link below from Mount Vernon. Until Next Time, Jason More Information On Death of George Washington This past week was the 153rd anniversary of the Battle of Franklin. In remembrance of the action that took place on November 30, 1864, this post shares an Arkadelphia, Arkansas, connection. A few months ago, I visited Rose Hill Cemetery in Arkadelphia to see a grave. While walking, I noticed the grave of Alexander E. Spence. Spence was a captain of the 1st Arkansas Infantry that was at the Battle of Franklin. According to research found, Alexander was a clerk prior to the war. His brother, Tom, is reportedly to have been killed at Murfreesboro, Tennessee. While the Spence’s were a well known family in Arkadelphia, Alexander’s fate was like many others. He was killed during the Battle of Franklin. Below are a few pictures from Franklin take during my visits. If you are near Central Tennessee, I encourage you to drive through Franklin. Until next time, Jason Welcome Back! It has been a few weeks since I last posted. In this post, I want to highlight one of Arkansas’ historical state parks, the Louisiana Purchase State Park. Hopefully in school you studied about the Louisiana Purchase; however, if not it was the purchase of land in the Louisiana Territory from France. President Thomas Jefferson authorized the purchase in 1803 for $15 million dollars. Jefferson in doing so doubled the size of the United States. Fast forward to October 27, 1815, by orders of President James Madison, a survey party started the task of laying out the land. This land would become 13 U.S. states, including Arkansas. The monument that you can view at the park was placed in 1926, which marks the initial point of the survey for both the baseline and meridian lines. If you visit, you will walk across a headwater swamp. According, to the Arkansas State Parks, these swamps were a commonly across the eastern portion of the state. You may find out more about the state park online here. Until next time, Jason Welcome back! In the previous entry I brought you back to Arkansas. This week, I want to stay in the state. Arkansas is a great place to explore because of the rich and diverse history throughout the state. The year 2017, marks the 160th anniversary of a tragic event that affected early Arkansans. The event, The Mountain Meadows Massacre in 1857. It began in April of 1857, with a group of Arkansans looking to move to California. In September of 1857, while in the middle of their travels the Fancher Party were ambushed by a group of Mormons and Native Americans. The massacre led to the death of approximately 120 men, women, and children. Only 17 children survived the attack. John Lee would be the only person found guilty for the massacre. Lee would be hung in 1877. The question remains why would the Fancher Party was attacked. However, one possible reason brings us to this week’s historical location, the grave of Parley Platt. The gravesite is located on the service road off of Interstate 49 in Rudy, Arkansas. Platt is considered to be one of the 12 apostles of the Mormon faith. Platt is said to have converted Eleanor McComb McLean and would become one of his wives. In planning to travel back to Utah after visiting her children in New Orleans, Eleanor and Parley were to meet in Fort Smith. Eleanor’s estranged husband, Hector heard of the planned meeting in Fort Smith. Hector would arrive in Arkansas and file charges against the two. Following the failure of charges in the courts, Hector would follow Parley north to the Zealey Wynn Property. The Wynn Property was located in the area today that is the Wynn Cemetery, I49, and Arkansas Hwy 282. It would be here that Hector shot and killed Parley. The gravesite of Parley Platt is now in the Wynn Cemetery. This cemetery is also the final resting place of the Wynn family, who were said to have witnessed Platt’s murder. While Platt’s murder maybe not be the cause of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, it happened only months before the massacre in Utah. Arkansas has two monuments to the remember those killed in the Mountain Meadows Massacre. I hope to highlight those in future posts.
Until next time, Jason For more information on the Mountain Meadows Massacre, visit here. For more information on Parley Platt, visit here. Sources: Encyclopedia of Arkansas Explore Southern History *Other information on both these items can be accessed from other sources. However, keep in mind some have suggested that view points on both the Massacre and Platt may vary. Welcome back! As you may or may not know, I love to travel around the country. When it comes right down to it, Arkansas is the best place I love to travel. As a native Arkansan, I grew up hearing of stories of the people and communities in Clark County. Research into Arkansas history for me has expanded. In the last six months, I have worked to dedicate travel time to all four corners of the state. History is all around us. I always tell my students (and others) to always look around for history. For that reason, I want to go back to Clark County, Arkansas. Morgan Cryer Sr., maybe not a well known resident of Arkadelphia but was among the earliest. Morgan and his wife, Barbara, moved to the area before his death in 1833. A native of South Carolina, he served in the American Revolution in the 6th South Carolina Regiment. Cryer owned approximately 20,000 acres of land in Clark County and additional acreage in LaFayette County. Cryer was buried in sight of the Caddo River north of Arkadelphia. Today Morgan Cryer’s home-place and gravesite are not standing. However, if you travel Highway 7 from Arkadelphia into Caddo Valley when you reach the Caddo River bridge, you are on where the Cryer home-place was located. In a perfect example of how history is all around us, a road I traveled many times growing up in Clark County has historical ties to a patriot from the American Revolution. Until next time, keep exploring! Jason |
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