Yesterday, Jackie decided he wanted to drive to the Conway area to check out Cadron Settlement Park. Arkansas Matters had mentioned the park during one of their newscasts and this had peaked his interest.Cadron Settlement Park is located off of Hwy 64 on Hwy 319 approximately 5 miles west of Conway. It is one of the earliest white settlements in Arkansas and the blockhouse is a replica of a fort/fur trading business. It is also part of the Arkansas Cherokee Trail of Tears.
The park is picturesque with park benches scattered throughout, picnic tables for picnicking and trails for hiking. It's setting is at the water's edge. Even though Jackie was a little disappointed in what we found, it was still great for a short drive and history lesson.
When we arrived back in the Atkins area that afternoon, we decided to drive down to the bottoms and around Sweden Island Park. While looking for an old church, which we never found, we stopped by Galley Rock. I walked out into the Galley Cemetery and felt an immediate sense of sadness. This cemetery has been there since the early 1800's and buried amongst the tall weeds and grass are some of the earliest settlers in the Arkansas River Valley. Very few graves are visible due to overgrowth. It made me want to get a team together late fall or early winter and have a cleaning day. The term "gone but not forgotten" is not true for these individuals. Just one look at the cemetery and it seems they have been forgotten for quite some time. You can tell at one time this cemetery was well kept. Several graves seemed to be inside fenced areas within the cemetery while others had massive headstones. Sitting high above the Arkansas River, it seems the only visitors these days are those who pass by on river or the occasional person, who like me, is inquisitive and stops by to read the monument beside the road. Have a blessed and great week.
Until next time, from my lens to yours.
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