Overlooking the Arkansas River
Wednesday, November 22nd, 2006
On my flickr
Further interest in Arkansas in the eighteenth century stemmed more from speculation and adventure than it did in economic and political planning. In 1719 French explorer Barnard La Harpe made a trip up the Arkansas River to identify the resources of the region, including the wild animal population. He hoped to establish a center for supplying food to New Orleans.
As La Harpe made his way up the river, he learned about a rumor from the Indians of a giant emerald embedded in a rock somewhere upstream. In anticipation of that, La Harpe eagerly searched the banks of the Mississippi and the Arkansas rivers look for rock formations that might have the desired emerald. Unfortunately, he was unable to find any rock formation from the time he left New Orleans until he ascended the Arkansas River to a point of near present day Little Rock.
La Harpe was so anxious to make this discovery that upon seeing this small outcropping of rock on the south bank of the river, he excitedly recorded in his journey about the “point of rocks” on the Arkansas River”.
Seven miles upstream he encountered a giant cliff on the north side of the river which he named “Big Rock.” In eager expectation of finding the emerald, he and his men went ashore and scaled the rocky cliff to the top, but searched in vain for the precious stone.
