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| View from the lodge at Queen Wilhelmina State park |
When I was about to leave Texas I debated between taking
the direct route diagonally crossing Arkansas to get to Tennessee – the next
state on my genealogy journey. But, Kim Butt, an architect at Interactive
Resources in Richmond had urged me to visit the new art museum in Bentonville,
Arkansas. She gave it such an enthusiastic review I was very tempted.
Unfortunately, Bentonville is in the very northwest corner of the state – not at
all on my direct route. Then I read about two or three other places in the same
area that sounded very appealing, so I decided to take the scenic route through
Arkansas.
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| View from my campsite at Queen Wilhelmina SP |
Trying to plan ahead for a change, I made a point of
researching state parks in Arkansas. Queen Wilhelmina State Park had an
interesting history so I made a reservation. From Jefferson the drive north
along highways 59/71 was beautiful marked by miles of lush mown grass, dense
stands of vibrant deciduous trees, roadside wildflowers and an intense blue sky
with crisp white clouds. It was beautiful for miles and miles.
This park was originally built “in 1898 by the Kansas
City & Pittsburg Railroad as a mountain resort and retreat for passengers”,
according to the park brochure. It was known as the “Castle in the Sky” because
it is built on top of Arkansas’s second highest peak – nearly 3000 feet! It is
in the Quachita Mountains and on the Talimena Scenic Drive which is 13 miles
from the town of Mena near Arkansas western border. The name Queen Wilhelmina
was chosen because the financing for the property came primarily from Dutch
investors who wanted to honor their new Queen.
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| Red headed woodpecker |
So, the Queen never came
for a visit and the resort fell into ruin just three years later. In 1957 it
was acquired by Arkansas State parks. They built a new building in 1963 that
was destroyed by a fire in 1973. A new lodge was built in 1975 and was
renovated in 2015. The lodge and park are designed to attract families and
offer camping, picnicking, hiking, pee wee golf, a playground and even a very
small train ride surrounding the park.
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| New lodge building, rehabilitated in 2015 |
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| Another shot of the fabulous view from the top of the mountain |
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One of the family attractions is a miniature train that travels
around the Queen Wilhelmina developed site |
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| Yes, I could not resist and took a ride on the Glory train |
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| Historic train on display at the top of the mountain |
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So far all of the campsites in Texas and Arkansas have been
very nice and include water and electrical hookups. Wish
we had that in California |
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| View out the back of my motorhome |
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