Today, we know that there are plenty of state parks to visit in Arkansas. The timeless structures inside of the Natural State's state parks have delighted generations of nature loving visitors. Truthfully, it's hard to imagine a time without these beautiful landmarks! But it wasn't that long ago that we had no state parks in Arkansas. Let's look back to the very beginning of these historic destinations. We'll start with the oldest state park in Arkansas, Petit Jean State Park, which has been around for about a century.

1. Dr. TW Hardison was the driving force behind the creation of Arkansas's first state park. The visitor center at Petit Jean is named for the influential doctor.

This photo was taken around 1907. Dr. TW Hardison worked for the Fort Smith Lumber Company, which had land holdings on Petit Jean Mountain. After realizing that the land around the mountain's seven hollows would be difficult and expensive to mine, Dr. Hardison spearheaded a campaign to deed the mountain to the federal government. Petit Jean State Park was officially established in 1923.

2. This photo is from the very beginning, when the Civilian Conservation Corps. first began work on Petit Jean State Park.

Many of the state parks in Arkansas (and across the nation) were constructed thanks to the Civilian Conservation Corps. The CCC was a work relief program created by President Roosevelt after the Great Depression. The CCC brought 77 companies into Arkansas to work on 106 forestry conservation products.

This photo is of the CCC camp 1781-V in 1933, before the mountain even had any trails. Construction for the first state park in Arkansas began in July 1933.

3. In this shot, you can see the structures at Petit Jean are finally beginning to take shape.

In 1934, the CCC was still in the early stages of the state park's construction. In fact, the majority of the work ended up lasting until 1941! Here you see workers erecting the dining room of the Mather Lodge. This was the only lodge that the CCC ever built in Arkansas. The lodge was named for Stephen Mather, the director of the National Park Service. He worked with Dr. Hardison to campaign for the creation of Petit Jean and was instrumental in the founding of the park.

4. The CCC also created the miles of trails throughout the park.

Petit Jean State Park's beloved trails were new features in the 1930s, when hiking trails in Arkansas were not as common as they are now. One of the first trails to be forged here was Cedar Falls Trail. It was later designated as a National Historic District. Nearly all of the buildings constructed by the CCC are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

5. After Petit Jean and Mt. Nebo State Park, Devil's Den is the third oldest state park in Arkansas.

Devil's Den has also been recognized as one of the best state parks to visit in Arkansas. It's been remarkably well preserved, and was also constructed by the CCC. Here's an early shot of the CCC crew working in 1934.

6. The CCC built the trails, roads, dam, campground, and offices at Devil's Den State Park.

Construction at Devil's Den didn't wrap up until 1942, which was after the CCC was already demobilized. Despite losing buildings due to poor maintenance, lack of funding, and fire, Devil's Den remains one of the most completed CCC state parks in the country.

7. Construction of Lake Catherine State Park began two years after Devil's Den.

The CCC was able to work on this area after Harvey Couch donated his many acres of land around Lake Catherine. He was the founder of Arkansas Power and Light. This is one of the nearly-completed cabins photographed around 1935.

8. On the other side of the state in northwest Arkansas, Crowley's Ridge State Park was starting to form.

Crowley's Ridge is actually the fifth oldest of all state parks in Arkansas. Because of dedication dates, you may see it listed as the fourth state park in the Natural State. All of the CCC's construction here utilized native log and stone from the area. Here's an early shot of the park, taken in 1935.

9. The native logs were quickly erected into many different structures around Crowley's Ridge.

Here's an early photo of the park's pavilion. Crowley's Ridge State Park was officially dedicated in 1937, but it had already had over 8,000 state visitors by that time, having been opened in 1935.

Do you have any family ties to the CCC history in Arkansas? Share your story with us in the comments! You can always share your Arkansas state park photos with us in our Facebook group, Arkansas Nature Lovers. You should join for your chance to be featured and to discover why there’s nothing better than Arkansas’s stunning natural surroundings.

Delve into Arkansas' forgotten state park for more interesting history.