The legend of Petit Jean
We have some amazing state parks here in the Natural State. And of course I have my favorites: Pinnacle
Mountain, Mount
Magazine, Devil’s
Den and Petit Jean.
To me, Petit Jean
State Park near
Morrilton is our most beautiful, and it has sentimental meaning:
My paternal grandfather, Bud Brown, helped build the park as part of the Civilian
Conservation Corps
(CCC) in the 1930s.
If you’ve ever been to Petit Jean, you’ve probably seen the “gravesite” of the park’s namesake, Petit Jean, or “Little John.” But who is Little John and how did “he” rank getting a mountain and a state park named for him? There are a few explanations, and I’ll let you be the judge.
The most popular tale is that in the 1700s a young Frenchman named Chavet asked the King of France to be part of an exploration of the Louisiana Territory and for a grant to claim part of the land. The king granted Chavet’s request.
Chavet was engaged to a young lady named Adrienne. When Chavet told her of his plans, she asked that they be married immediately so she could join him on the trip. But he refused her request, and told her that when he returned, the two would marry and travel back to the New World.
Unsatisfied, Adrienne disguised herself as a cabin boy named Jean and applied for a position on her fiancé’s boat. She must have had a convincing disguise, because even Chavet didn’t recognize her. The crew gave her the nickname of Petit Jean.
The ship eventually made its way up the Arkansas River to the foot of a large mountain, where it was greeted by local Native Americans. But before the ship was to set sail for France, Petit Jean became ill, suffering from fever, convulsions, delirium and finally a coma.
Petit Jean’s true identity was discovered during her illness, and she confessed her con to Chavet, who forgave her just before she died. The Native Americans built a stretcher and carried her up the mountain and buried her in a grave overlooking the Arkansas River. Many years later, a low mound of dirt was found at the point now referred to as Petit Jean’s Grave.
Another tale is that in the early 1800s, Petit Jean Mountain was known as Impassable Mountain because it blocked passage along the west bank of the river during periods of low water. John Walker, a French pioneer and veteran of the War of 1812, obtained a grant of acreage in the newly acquired Louisiana Territory as part of his military service.
When Walker filed the petition to buy the mountaintop land, he identified himself as John Walker of Petit Jean Mountain. He was granted the land, and in 1844, when the maps were redrawn, the Impassable Mountain had been renamed Petit
Jean Mountain, possibly at John “Petit John” Walker’s request.
Finally, there’s the story that the popularly told tale about Chavet and Adrienne was created in the early 1900s by the William C. Stout Family, who owned two hotels on the mountain. They advertised their resort hotels as romantic places for newlyweds and completely made up the Petit Jean story as a promotional tool.
In order to lend some credibility to the tale, Stout paid three men in 1912 to go to the mountaintop, break up some rocks, and pile them into a cairn to create the grave of Petit Jean.
Personally, I know which story I want to believe, but I also know which story is probably true. But I’ll let you, dear reader, make up your own mind.
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A proud sixth-generation Arkansan, Darrell W. Brown is a lover of all things Arkansas. He served several years with the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, and worked in all three divisions. He lives in Saline County with his wife, Amy, and two beloved Boston Terriers. Find him on Facebook and Instagram at Allaroundarkansas.