Meeting Online Friends

Petite Jean State Park, Arkansas

Mrs. Phred has been spending a lot of time online with a social networking site called "The Woman's RV Forum". We have pushed the RV down this way for a GTG (Get together) with her online friends..Wiki has the following information about the legend of Petite Jean:

According to legend Petit Jean was actually a young French woman. When she discovered that her fiancee had signed on with De Soto to explore the area, she cut her hair, disguised herself as a boy and managed to find a position as a cabin boy. She survived the voyage and the expedition began their exploration. Once they had reached the area of the mountain, the young woman became ill, on her deathbed she revealed herself to her fiancee, and was buried on the mountain, not under her own name, but under the name she had been known by on the ship "Little John". The grave of "Petit Jean" atop Petit Jean mountain.

 

There are many versions of the legend of Mt. Petit Jean, but the legend told on the mountain itself and featured on the plaque at Petit Jean's grave is much different from Dr. Woodard's. Dr. Lee W. Woodard has written a book entitled, "Petit Jean's Mountain: The Origin of the Legend." He provides many historical evidences that suggest that the old glamorized oral legends about "Petit Jean" (an assumed or nickname) are traceable to known historical records about the drowning of a young French Noble variously called De Marne or De Marle.

This youth drowned while bathing on Saint Jean Baptiste Day, June 24, 1687, while fleeing with six other survivors of horrendous assassinations and murders involved with Robert Cavelier De La Salle's tragic French Colonization attempt during 1684-1687. This young French noble's death and burial were described by two French companions, Father Anastase Douay (who was an officiate at the burial) and a French soldier named Henri Joutel.

We're only about 70 miles from Little Rock. One of our objectives is visiting every Presidential Library. I wonder what Bill Clinton's library will have to say about Monica Lewinski? I wonder if the dress will be on display? Probably not....

Maybe there will be some other Little Rock museums...We'll find out Wednesday...The ladies on the RV forum refer to their male companions ( if they have one) as DH (Dear Husbands). after learning what this means,  I insist on being referred on her forum to as tGM (the Great Man)...Mrs. Phred humors me in this regard...