Day 2 was a bit of an early start – but not nearly as early as the day before. It was our busiest day which wasn’t ideal coming off of our busy travel day but sometimes it just works out that way.
Bentonville Temple
Mark, Jacob, and Sarah got up and went to the Bentonville Temple to do baptisms. Mark and I have dreamt of this since we started these state trips. Our first trip (Arizona – 2011) we went to the Mesa Temple and did sealings together and loved that. And ever since then we have visited a temple in every state that has had one on each of our trips. But this was the first time since 2011 that we were able to go inside the temple again. I was so glad Mark and the older kids were able to do this. They had such a special experience.
I stayed at the hotel with the littles. Benjamin was OUT sleeping and Lydie was happy as could be listening to her Tonie while I got ready and packed ourselves up. Once they came back from the temple, they changed and we loaded up the car – it was only a one-night stay in Bentonville.
But we drove back to the temple (we were only staying about 5 minutes away so it was really easy) so that the rest of us could see the temple grounds. It was so beautiful and there were many things that reminded us of the Fort Collins Temple.
Some fun facts about the Bentonville Temple: it is the 181st Temple and was dedicated in 2023 by Elder David A. Bednar. The primary design is dogwood blossoms – one of the first spring flowers in the area. Sunbursts and diamond designs are also featured, recognizing Arkansas as home to the only diamond mine in the United States (more on that later!). Red, yellow, and blue patterns are also symbolic of a quilt, speaking to Bentonville’s small-town American heritage.
Pea Ridge
Next, we drove up to Pea Ridge National Military Park. This was a standout place for a lot of the family. It was really beautiful and very interesting. It has been so neat to go to these various Civil War sites over the years. It feels like a puzzle that just keeps slowly getting filled in more and more. This site had a lot of overlap with people and history we experienced at Wilson’s Creek in Missouri a couple of years ago.
This is known as the battle that saved Missouri for the United States. This was a huge objective of the United States government during the first year of the Civil War. It was the reason for the battle at Wilson’s Creek (that I mentioned earlier) in August of 1861 and was one of the big reasons for this battle at Pea Ridge in March of 1862.
The battle lasted two days and over 23,000 soldiers fought here to decide the fate of Missouri. It is considered the most pivotal Civil War battle west of the Mississippi River.
The visitor’s center was really well done and very engaging. They had a light up map and video that helped you visualize the battle. After the visitor’s center we did the driving tour around the site.
Trail of Tears
We were able to see many sites that covered the Trail of Tears in Arkansas. This was the horrible journey that was taken by thousands of Cherokee and other Native Americans who were forced from their homelands.
“One will not hear the anguished voice of a forgotten and broken people. Instead one might hear the pride of people who faced overwhelming adversity and persevered.”
Cherokee Nation
General Curtis’s Headquarters Site
The US Army commander, Samuel R. Curtis, located his headquarters here just before the battle. He believed the Confederate attack would come two miles south – he was wrong.
Leetown
The bigs and I ran down a short trail to try and catch a glimpse of Leetown. This was where a village once stood that was used as a hospital during and after the battle. We didn’t really see anything – but we tried!
Leetown Battlefield
The Confederates attacked through the woods but failed to defeat the Union. Two Confederate generals, Ben McCulloch and James McIntosh, were killed, leaving the Confederates severely lacking in leadership.
Armies Collide
The Cherokee had joined sides with the Confederates and about 1,000 of them routed with two companies of US cavalry. Union cannon fire eventually forced them to take cover in the woods. Pea Ridge was the only major Civil War battle in which Native American troops participated.
West Overlook
This overlook was so beautiful, and you could see the Boston Mountains in the distance. It was here that 16,000 Confederate attempted to march north to Missouri but were blocked by Union troops.
East Overlook
Another stunning overlook – the vultures were so creepy and interesting to look at. We saw MANY vultures on this trip.
Elkhorn Tavern
Mark and the boys ran up to explore Elkhorn Tavern. This had long served travelers on the Telegraph Road until the war came to Arkansas. During the battle it was used by both sides as a field hospital. Confederates later burned it to the ground.
Confederate Sunset
At dusk on the first day, Confederates charged across the field in an attempt to smash the regrouped Union troops. The Union musket and artillery fire drove them back into the woods and both sides took the night to regroup.
Federal Line
US artillery waited here on the following morning. Their cannon fire forced the Confederates to withdraw from the Elkhorn Tavern area. The Confederate army was crippled and their defenses were broken. The Confederates ordered a retreat and the battle was over. Most of the Union and Confederate troops moved east of the Mississippi River to fight other campaigns. But the United States maintained physical and political control of Missouri for the rest of the Civil War.
Little Sugar Creek Trenches
The last stop was a ways away from the rest of the park. The Union had dug trenches along these bluffs (it was even hard to tell there were bluffs here because of how dense the trees were) and awaited a Confederate attack from the south. However, the Confederates attacked further north.
While we were at the trenches, we had our lunch. Then we were on the road again!
Buffalo National River
The Buffalo River was established as a national park site in 1972 and flows freely for 135 miles. It is one of the few remaining undammed rivers in the lower 48 states. It drives through the beautiful Ozark Mountains.
There were many places we could have stopped at, but we went to the Tyler Bend section of the river. We got there about 15 minutes before the visitor’s center closed. It was getting late and we knew we couldn’t linger for too long.
River View Trail
We decided to divide and conquer! Mark, Sarah, and Benjamin hustled up the River View Trail to catch a glimpse of the river. It looked beautiful from the pictures!
Collier Homestead
Jacob, Lydie, and I stayed in the car. But Jacob and I took turns walking down the path a little way to visit the Collier Homestead. Jacob told me I could go first, so he sat in the car with Lydie while I went exploring.
I consider myself a nature girl, but for some reason, I felt so uncomfortable on this little walk. It just gave me the heebie-jeebies. The Collier family homesteaded one of the last parcels of land available along the Buffalo River when they moved from Kentucky in 1928. Solomon “Sod” Collier, his wife Ida Mae, and two of their sever children built the cabin and a life here on the river. Sod and Ida Mae stayed until 1962.
Normally, I love old homes, but this one just didn’t feel good to me. I quickly moved from room to room and in one of the rooms, something fell in the ceiling right above me and you better believe I ducked and covered like my life depended on it!
I did not linger but hustled back to Jacob and Lydie. I told Jacob about it and he just laughed and went off exploring. When he came back about 15 minutes later, he told me how he had seen a large snake in the house in a wall. I was so creeped out as I looked back at my pictures and saw that the snake was in my picture and I hadn’t even noticed it! Uggg!
The Root Café
We then had to drive another two hours to get to Little Rock. It was MUCH later than we were hoping to get there but it was such a great, full day. We ate dinner at The Root Café and it was a good farm to table restaurant. They had excellent burgers, salads, and the sweet potato fries were delicious! Mark tried the pimento cheeseburger (but he said it was only okay).
We finally rolled into our hotel about 8 that night, ready to be settled in Little Rock for a few days.
