Don Higgins - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Don Higgins

Research paper thumbnail of The Man Who Saw a Ship : A Protohistoric Pictograph on Petit Jean Mountain

Field Notes, Newsletter of the Arkansas Archeological Society, 2024

A red ocher pictograph on Petit Jean Mountain in west central Arkansas appears to depict a Spanis... more A red ocher pictograph on Petit Jean Mountain in west central Arkansas appears to depict a Spanish ship of the European contact era. Due to the absence of records documenting a Spanish seagoing vessel in the area and the high probability that the de Soto entrada passed nearby, the painting may have been produced in the 1540s by one of the enslaved Native Americans de Soto captured in Florida at the outset of the expedition, one who saw Spanish ships and may have been pressed into service unloading them.

Research paper thumbnail of The First Decade of Petit Jean State Park

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2023

As established in 1923, Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas had no infrastructure, no management ov... more As established in 1923, Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas had no infrastructure, no management oversight, no appropriations to fund it, and not even a decent road to access it. Yet its first ten years were marked by expansion, scientific inquiry, and visitation by people from Arkansas and all over the country.

Research paper thumbnail of Petit Jean State Park Turns 100 Years Old

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2023

On March 1, 2023, Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas's original state park, celebrated its centennia... more On March 1, 2023, Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas's original state park, celebrated its centennial. Getting a park designated by the state government was no easy task, but country doctor T. W. Hardison and his associates were up to it.

Research paper thumbnail of Petit Jean's Graves

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2023

Petit Jean's Grave, a popular destination within Arkansas's Petit Jean State Park, is the latest ... more Petit Jean's Grave, a popular destination within Arkansas's Petit Jean State Park, is the latest in a number of supposed resting sites for the legendary little French girl who dressed as a cabin boy to accompany her sailor sweetheart to America.

Research paper thumbnail of Petit Jean Mountain Before the Park

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2023

Petit Jean Mountain in 1914 was profoundly different from the resort the public enjoys in 2023. ... more Petit Jean Mountain in 1914 was profoundly different from the resort the public enjoys in 2023. This third article in a series celebrating the Petit Jean State Park centennial presents documentary evidence of an earlier time as published in the Arkansas Gazette November 22, 1914.

Research paper thumbnail of These Walls Talked: Dating Petit Jean Mountain's Pioneer Cabin

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2023

Second in a series celebrating centennial of Arkansas's Petit Jean State Park, this article disc... more Second in a series celebrating centennial of Arkansas's Petit Jean State Park, this article discusses the tree ring dating project which determined that the park's display log cabin was built no earlier than 1857, a fact that upsets the traditional story of the cabin's construction.

Research paper thumbnail of Ancient Native American Art an Early Attraction at Park

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2023

This first article in a series celebrating the Petit Jean State Park Centennial (1923-2023) discu... more This first article in a series celebrating the Petit Jean State Park Centennial (1923-2023) discusses the history of rock art research in the park.

Research paper thumbnail of Personae Non Gratae: Misunderstanding a Humanitarian Mission at Juanchaco, Colombia

Research paper thumbnail of ‘Lost’ for 27 Years, Petit Jean Archeological Site Gives Up Its Secrets

Petit Jean Country Headlight, Perry County Edition, 2022

An ancient aboriginal pictograph site on Petit Jean Mountain, Arkansas, was documented in 1980 an... more An ancient aboriginal pictograph site on Petit Jean Mountain, Arkansas, was documented in 1980 and added to the National Register of Historic Places, but its location was forgotten. Rediscovered and renamed 27 years later, the rock shelter features 37 pictographs as well as stone artifacts and a natural pigment source.

Research paper thumbnail of Petit Jean National Park : The Centennial of a Bold Campaign by Don Higgins

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2021

The year 2021 marks the centennial of the effort to establish Petit Jean National Park in Arkansa... more The year 2021 marks the centennial of the effort to establish Petit Jean National Park in Arkansas, a movement that led to the founding of the Arkansas State Park System in 1923.

Research paper thumbnail of After a Century : The Legacy of the YMCA's Camp Petit Jean

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2020

This year, 2020, marks the hundredth anniversary of the establishment of Camp Petit Jean on Petit... more This year, 2020, marks the hundredth anniversary of the establishment of Camp Petit Jean on Petit Jean Mountain, Arkansas, by the Young Men's Christian Association. Though it only lasted 20 years, the camp left an indelible mark on the Mountain and Community.

Research paper thumbnail of Two Airmen Killed on Tom's Mountain

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2019

On March 25, 1959, a T-33A with two Air Force officers on board crashed near Houston, Arkansas, i... more On March 25, 1959, a T-33A with two Air Force officers on board crashed near Houston, Arkansas, in a thunderstorm, killing both airmen. It was the third Air Force class A accident in five years within ten nautical miles of Morrilton. This article describes that accident, and is based upon the official Air Force investigation board report.

Research paper thumbnail of Rock House Vandalism

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2017

Rock House Cave on Petit Jean Mountain is the largest known prehistoric art gallery in Arkansas, ... more Rock House Cave on Petit Jean Mountain is the largest known prehistoric art gallery in Arkansas, boasting more than 200 paintings and engravings made by Native American artists over hundreds or thousands of years. It is the only state-administered rock art viewing site in Arkansas, and its paintings are under threat of destruction by vandalism.

Research paper thumbnail of Point Remove Creek and the Cherokees Part 4: The Trail of Tears

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2019

Point Remove Creek is a water feature in Conway County, Arkansas, that figured prominently in the... more Point Remove Creek is a water feature in Conway County, Arkansas, that figured prominently in the history of Cherokee people in Arkansas in the early 19th Century. This four-part series explores the creek's witness to significant events.

Research paper thumbnail of Point Remove Creek and the Cherokees Part 3: The Cherokee Reservation in Arkansas

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2019

Point Remove Creek is a water feature in Conway County, Arkansas, that figured prominently in the... more Point Remove Creek is a water feature in Conway County, Arkansas, that figured prominently in the history of Cherokee people in Arkansas in the early 19th Century. This four-part series explores the creek's witness to significant events.

Research paper thumbnail of Point Remove Creek and the Cherokees Part 2: The Point Remove Creek Landmark

Petit Jean Country Headlight, Oct 16, 2019

Point Remove Creek is a water feature in Conway County, Arkansas, that figured prominently in the... more Point Remove Creek is a water feature in Conway County, Arkansas, that figured prominently in the history of Cherokee people in Arkansas in the early 19th Century. This four-part series explores the creek's witness to significant events.

Research paper thumbnail of Point Remove Creek and the Cherokees Part 1: Prehistoric and Historic Native Americans in the Petit Jean Country

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2019

Point Remove Creek is a water feature in Conway County, Arkansas, that figured prominently in the... more Point Remove Creek is a water feature in Conway County, Arkansas, that figured prominently in the history of Cherokee people in Arkansas in the early 19th Century. This four-part series explores the creek's witness to significant events.

Research paper thumbnail of The Bicentenary of an English Naturalist’s Visit to the Petit Jean Country; Part 5: Nuttall’s Return Down the Arkansas

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of The Bicentenary of an English Naturalist’s Visit to the Petit Jean Country; Part 4: Nuttall Explores Dardanelle and Studies the Cherokees

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of The Bicentenary of an English Naturalist’s Visit to the Petit Jean Country; Part 3:  Nuttall Climbs Petit Jean Mountain

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of The Man Who Saw a Ship : A Protohistoric Pictograph on Petit Jean Mountain

Field Notes, Newsletter of the Arkansas Archeological Society, 2024

A red ocher pictograph on Petit Jean Mountain in west central Arkansas appears to depict a Spanis... more A red ocher pictograph on Petit Jean Mountain in west central Arkansas appears to depict a Spanish ship of the European contact era. Due to the absence of records documenting a Spanish seagoing vessel in the area and the high probability that the de Soto entrada passed nearby, the painting may have been produced in the 1540s by one of the enslaved Native Americans de Soto captured in Florida at the outset of the expedition, one who saw Spanish ships and may have been pressed into service unloading them.

Research paper thumbnail of The First Decade of Petit Jean State Park

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2023

As established in 1923, Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas had no infrastructure, no management ov... more As established in 1923, Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas had no infrastructure, no management oversight, no appropriations to fund it, and not even a decent road to access it. Yet its first ten years were marked by expansion, scientific inquiry, and visitation by people from Arkansas and all over the country.

Research paper thumbnail of Petit Jean State Park Turns 100 Years Old

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2023

On March 1, 2023, Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas's original state park, celebrated its centennia... more On March 1, 2023, Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas's original state park, celebrated its centennial. Getting a park designated by the state government was no easy task, but country doctor T. W. Hardison and his associates were up to it.

Research paper thumbnail of Petit Jean's Graves

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2023

Petit Jean's Grave, a popular destination within Arkansas's Petit Jean State Park, is the latest ... more Petit Jean's Grave, a popular destination within Arkansas's Petit Jean State Park, is the latest in a number of supposed resting sites for the legendary little French girl who dressed as a cabin boy to accompany her sailor sweetheart to America.

Research paper thumbnail of Petit Jean Mountain Before the Park

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2023

Petit Jean Mountain in 1914 was profoundly different from the resort the public enjoys in 2023. ... more Petit Jean Mountain in 1914 was profoundly different from the resort the public enjoys in 2023. This third article in a series celebrating the Petit Jean State Park centennial presents documentary evidence of an earlier time as published in the Arkansas Gazette November 22, 1914.

Research paper thumbnail of These Walls Talked: Dating Petit Jean Mountain's Pioneer Cabin

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2023

Second in a series celebrating centennial of Arkansas's Petit Jean State Park, this article disc... more Second in a series celebrating centennial of Arkansas's Petit Jean State Park, this article discusses the tree ring dating project which determined that the park's display log cabin was built no earlier than 1857, a fact that upsets the traditional story of the cabin's construction.

Research paper thumbnail of Ancient Native American Art an Early Attraction at Park

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2023

This first article in a series celebrating the Petit Jean State Park Centennial (1923-2023) discu... more This first article in a series celebrating the Petit Jean State Park Centennial (1923-2023) discusses the history of rock art research in the park.

Research paper thumbnail of Personae Non Gratae: Misunderstanding a Humanitarian Mission at Juanchaco, Colombia

Research paper thumbnail of ‘Lost’ for 27 Years, Petit Jean Archeological Site Gives Up Its Secrets

Petit Jean Country Headlight, Perry County Edition, 2022

An ancient aboriginal pictograph site on Petit Jean Mountain, Arkansas, was documented in 1980 an... more An ancient aboriginal pictograph site on Petit Jean Mountain, Arkansas, was documented in 1980 and added to the National Register of Historic Places, but its location was forgotten. Rediscovered and renamed 27 years later, the rock shelter features 37 pictographs as well as stone artifacts and a natural pigment source.

Research paper thumbnail of Petit Jean National Park : The Centennial of a Bold Campaign by Don Higgins

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2021

The year 2021 marks the centennial of the effort to establish Petit Jean National Park in Arkansa... more The year 2021 marks the centennial of the effort to establish Petit Jean National Park in Arkansas, a movement that led to the founding of the Arkansas State Park System in 1923.

Research paper thumbnail of After a Century : The Legacy of the YMCA's Camp Petit Jean

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2020

This year, 2020, marks the hundredth anniversary of the establishment of Camp Petit Jean on Petit... more This year, 2020, marks the hundredth anniversary of the establishment of Camp Petit Jean on Petit Jean Mountain, Arkansas, by the Young Men's Christian Association. Though it only lasted 20 years, the camp left an indelible mark on the Mountain and Community.

Research paper thumbnail of Two Airmen Killed on Tom's Mountain

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2019

On March 25, 1959, a T-33A with two Air Force officers on board crashed near Houston, Arkansas, i... more On March 25, 1959, a T-33A with two Air Force officers on board crashed near Houston, Arkansas, in a thunderstorm, killing both airmen. It was the third Air Force class A accident in five years within ten nautical miles of Morrilton. This article describes that accident, and is based upon the official Air Force investigation board report.

Research paper thumbnail of Rock House Vandalism

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2017

Rock House Cave on Petit Jean Mountain is the largest known prehistoric art gallery in Arkansas, ... more Rock House Cave on Petit Jean Mountain is the largest known prehistoric art gallery in Arkansas, boasting more than 200 paintings and engravings made by Native American artists over hundreds or thousands of years. It is the only state-administered rock art viewing site in Arkansas, and its paintings are under threat of destruction by vandalism.

Research paper thumbnail of Point Remove Creek and the Cherokees Part 4: The Trail of Tears

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2019

Point Remove Creek is a water feature in Conway County, Arkansas, that figured prominently in the... more Point Remove Creek is a water feature in Conway County, Arkansas, that figured prominently in the history of Cherokee people in Arkansas in the early 19th Century. This four-part series explores the creek's witness to significant events.

Research paper thumbnail of Point Remove Creek and the Cherokees Part 3: The Cherokee Reservation in Arkansas

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2019

Point Remove Creek is a water feature in Conway County, Arkansas, that figured prominently in the... more Point Remove Creek is a water feature in Conway County, Arkansas, that figured prominently in the history of Cherokee people in Arkansas in the early 19th Century. This four-part series explores the creek's witness to significant events.

Research paper thumbnail of Point Remove Creek and the Cherokees Part 2: The Point Remove Creek Landmark

Petit Jean Country Headlight, Oct 16, 2019

Point Remove Creek is a water feature in Conway County, Arkansas, that figured prominently in the... more Point Remove Creek is a water feature in Conway County, Arkansas, that figured prominently in the history of Cherokee people in Arkansas in the early 19th Century. This four-part series explores the creek's witness to significant events.

Research paper thumbnail of Point Remove Creek and the Cherokees Part 1: Prehistoric and Historic Native Americans in the Petit Jean Country

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2019

Point Remove Creek is a water feature in Conway County, Arkansas, that figured prominently in the... more Point Remove Creek is a water feature in Conway County, Arkansas, that figured prominently in the history of Cherokee people in Arkansas in the early 19th Century. This four-part series explores the creek's witness to significant events.

Research paper thumbnail of The Bicentenary of an English Naturalist’s Visit to the Petit Jean Country; Part 5: Nuttall’s Return Down the Arkansas

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of The Bicentenary of an English Naturalist’s Visit to the Petit Jean Country; Part 4: Nuttall Explores Dardanelle and Studies the Cherokees

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of The Bicentenary of an English Naturalist’s Visit to the Petit Jean Country; Part 3:  Nuttall Climbs Petit Jean Mountain

Petit Jean Country Headlight, 2019