Sunday, July 19, 2009

Petit Jean for a day........

Yesterday Bobby and I went for a short day trip to Petit Jean State Park. the weather was wonderful....not too hot and humid. We only had time for a few short hikes, but did get to see the Cedar Falls that I had been told about.....it was worth the hike, but not very photographable due to all the people behind the falls.....makes picture taking kinda hard. Lots of people enjoying the same hike as us =). Out of sheer stupidity I suppose I wore my fat baby boots for hiking thinking boots would be good for that....NOT.....so I wore blisters on my feet in a short 2 hour hike so that kinda put a damper on any further hiking yesterday.....Maybe we will go again with hiking shoes on next time............... Bird in flight.....
This is an old water tower.....I love the door!
The Cedar Falls hike was worth going for........
Bobby at Cedar Falls
Lots of hikers visiting the same spot as us............... made for a very busy trail.
I'm thinking this is kind of the half way mark on the trail.....seemed like it to us anyway! I liked this little bridge for some reason.....
This was the forst trail we took......very deceptive.....we thought we would save ourselves the actual hike to the falls if we could see the falls from here......ummmmm....not really, just a very small view of the very top of the falls, but not enough to get a good picture.....maybe in the late fall or winter you might be able to see it from this trail but not in the summer.....was a nice walkway though....
Petit Jeans grave.........such a sad story
The Legend of Petit Jean, and how the mountain received its name, begins in the 1700's with the story of a young French Nobleman, Chavet, who lived during the period of the French exploration of the New World. He requested permission to explore a part of the Louisiana Territory, and for a grant to claim part of the land. The King granted Chavet’s approval. Chavet was engaged to be married to a beautiful young girl form Paris, Adrienne Dumont. When told of his plans, she asked that they be married right away so she could accompany him. Thinking of the hardship and danger on the journey, Chavet refused her request, telling her upon his return if the country was good and safe, they would be married and go to the New World. Adrienne refused to accept his answer, and disguised herself as a cabin boy and applied to the captain of Chavet's ship for a position as a cabin boy, calling herself Jean. The girl must have been incredibly clever in her disguise, for it is said that not even Chavet recognized her. The sailors called her Petit Jean, which is French for Little John. The ocean was crossed in early spring; the vessel ascended the Mississippi River to the Arkansas River, to the foot of the mountain. The Indians on the mountain came to the river and greeted Chavet and invited the sailors to spend time on the mountain. Chavet, Petit Jean, and the sailors spent the summer atop Petit Jean Mountain until fall approached and they began preparations for their voyage back to France. The ship was readied and boarded the evening before departure. That night, Petit Jean became ill with a sickness that was strange to Chavet and his sailors. It was marked with fever, convulsions, delirium, and finally coma. Her condition was so grave at daylight that the departure was delayed. During the illness, Petit Jean's identity was, of course, discovered. The girl confessed her deception to Chavet and begged his forgiveness. She requested that if she died, to be carried back to the mountaintop that she had spent her last days on, and be buried at a spot overlooking the river below. The Indians made a stretcher out of deerskins and bore her up the mountain. At sundown, she died. Many years later a low mound of earth was found at the point we now call Petit Jean's Grave. Her legend, her death, is said to give the mountain and the overlook an enchanting and delightful quality that draws visitors back again and again.
View from Petit Jean gravesite area..... Another view from the same area........
It was nice to get away....we really enjoyed ourselves on this mini trip!

1 comment:

Jessica said...

That is one of the saddest stories that I have heard in a long time. :( That made me cry. :( You did get some beautiful pictures, though. I think she chose a beautiful place to be buried. :(