By Cody Besett, Student Success Archivist, UA at Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture

Visited on: 8/11/2019

I visited Petit Jean State Park once before. I came with my wife and her friends to hike the Cedar Falls Trail and see the waterfall. That is one of the more popular destinations in the park. For this trip, I focused on the CCC-built cabins, water tower, and trail. I parked near Mather Lodge, another CCC-built structure, and immediately saw a collection of cabins. The cabins were a mixture of original CCC rustic-style and 1960s architecture. I shot images of the stone and wood structures. Two cats were spotted along the back of the first cabin I walked to. It was about 2:00 pm on a Sunday and the heat index was over 100 degrees. The cabin parking was only about half-full.

I moved from the cabins to the CCC-built water tower. The stone structure remains and the door was open to look inside. Support beams were still present inside the water tower. I walked across the street to begin the CCC hike and bike trail. I passed a modern water tower and a water treatment facility. With the heat, I did not see much wildlife on the trail. I made a quick detour to visit the pioneer cabin at the Cedar Creek Trailhead. This structure dates back to the 1840s and was moved by CCC workers in the 1930s. The cabin doors were locked, but I was able to take photos through the wire door. From there, I traveled back up the CCC hike and bike trail to Mather Lodge. A few visitors swam in a nearby pool as I took photos of the lodge. With the heat, I decided to call it a day but will plan a return trip to explore more of the park.