We all know that Southerners, including Arkansans, are known to be story-tellers.
The rugged mountains, dense forests, swamps, and winding rivers of Arkansas provide the perfect backdrop for stories that have been passed down for generations. This is a land rich in folklore.
Most of the Arkansas legends are a blend of actual historical events mixed with a bit of the supernatural, and a tad of local exaggerations. They are an integral part of the cultural identity of my beloved home state.
Amazing Arkansas Legends
Here are some of the most popular and enduring legends from Arkansas.
I’ll let you decide which parts of these amazing stories to believe!
The Legend of Petit Jean
The legend of Petit Jean is probably the most beloved of the Arkansas legends. It has everything a good story should have including love, adventure, and tragedy.
Petit Jean means Little John in French. Petit Jean was actually a young woman who disguised herself as a young cabin boy in order to follow her explorer fiancé from France to the new world in the 1700’s.
Unfortunately she became ill while on the mountain and died and was buried there.
Petit Jean Mountain and the state park are named after her. Be sure and go here to read more of the story.
The Gurdon Lights
The Gurdon Lights are a mysterious phenomenon that have puzzled locals and visitors for decades. The lights are a real phenomenon that have been seen by many and even documented on film.
They float deep in a wooded area alongside some railroad tracks. Theories about the light’s origin range from scientific explanations, such as gases or reflections, to ghostly tales or murder and beheadings.
The lights have been the subject of numerous investigations, including one by the TV show Unsolved Mysteries. While no one has definitively explained the phenomenon, the Gurdon lights continue to draw thrill-seekers to the quiet Arkansas town.
The Legend of the White River Monster
The White River Monster, often called “Whitey,” has been a part of Arkansas folklore since at least the early 1900s. The creature is said to inhabit the White River near Newport.
Descriptions vary, but many reports describe it as an enormous creature with gray, peeling skin
The monster first gained attention from authorities and media in 1937 when a local farmer reported seeing the creature.
He was seen again throughout the years including in 1973 when the Arkansas legislature made it illegal to harm the monster within a designated area.
The Legend of The Arkansas Traveler
The Arkansas Traveler is an enduring symbol of the state and one of the most popular of the Arkansas legends.
The story originated in the 1840’s when a young politician named Sanford Faulkner got lost while traveling through the mountains of Arkansas.
He stumbled upon a ramshackle cabin where a mountain man was playing his fiddle. The Arkansas traveler asked for direction and was given increasingly humorous and evasive answers.
The traveler finally won the heart of the suspicious cabin dweller when he played the fiddle.
This tale is now a popular folk song, a painting, the Arkansas state song, and the name of one of our minor league baseball teams. It is a key piece of Arkansas culture.
The Legend of the Fouke Monster
One of the most nationally famous well-known of the Arkansas legends is the tale of the Fouke Monster who is also called the Boggy Creek Monster.
Sightings of this ape-like creature date back to the 1940s in the small town of Fouke, located near Texarkana. He is described as being around seven feet tall, with a thick, matted fur and a terrifying howl.
In 1970 the Fouke Monster gained national attention when a local family claimed to have been attacked by the creature.
The story inspired the cult-classic film The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972), cementing the creature’s place in Arkansas folklore.
Sightings of the Fouke Monster continue to this day, and some locals still believe the creature roams the swamps and forests of southern Arkansas. Whether you view it as fact or fiction, the Fouke Monster remains one of the state’s most enduring legends!
The Dover Lights
Yes, there are more ghost lights in Arkansas! The Dover Lights have been thrilling and puzzling Arkansans for generations. You can see them from a scenic overlook about 10 miles north of Dover, Arkansas.
These lights have been mentioned since the late 1800’s. We know that they exist, but we just aren’t sure what they are. They are said to bob and move. I’ve gone to try to see them but they weren’t out the night I was there.
Perhaps there is a natural cause such as swamp gas.
But some say they are the spirits of Spanish conquistadors searching for lost gold while others believe that the lights are the spectral figures of Native American tribal leaders guiding their people to the afterlife.
The Lost Treasure of the Spanish Conquistadors
The legend of hidden Spanish treasure is one that has captivated treasure hunters for centuries.
According to the tale, Spanish conquistadors buried a fortune of gold and silver somewhere in a cave in the Ozark Mountains during their exploration of the region in the 1500s.
The treasure was never recovered, and clues to its whereabouts have been lost to time. Some people claim to have found pieces of gold coins or other artifacts, but no definitive proof has ever been discovered.
Many believe that The Old Spanish Treasure Cave which is located near the town of Gravette is where the treasure is hidden.
You can actually visit the Old Spanish Treasure Cave on a tour and here are a few other commercial caves to see in Arkansas.
The Legend of Moss Mountain Farm
Moss Mountain is a beautiful and seemingly peaceful place. It is also the home of lifestyle and gardening guru P. Allen Smith and you can take tours of his home and property.
However, in 1819 a naturalist named Thomas Nutall was leading an expedition up the Arkansas River. Many in his group were suffering from malaria and they were camped on an island in the river at the base of Moss Mountain.
Nutall says that he woke to the sounds of screaming and through the mist he could see his men being slaughtered. He claims to have seen human-like figures who walked on two legs but were larger than normal.
Only Nutall and 4 others survived. What killed the men of the expedition? Some say it must have been animals but perhaps it was something…supernatural?
Oh, and by the way. The Moss Mountain Massacre happened on October 31.
The Legend of the Blowing Cave and the Shaver Mysteries
This is a crazy sounding, but persistent Arkansas legend. It centers in a cave called Blowing Cave which is located near the town of Cushman.
This cave has long been a source of fascination and some pretty wild speculation. People believe that it is a portal to an underground world.
In the 1940s, a writer named Richard Shaver claimed that deep beneath the Earth lived an ancient, technologically advanced race who were descendants of lost civilizations like Atlantis. According to the legend, Blowing Cave was one of the entrances!
Over the years, explorers, and curious locals have all been drawn to the site, hoping to find proof of Shaver’s underground realm.
These days the cave is privately owned but they do offer tours into the cave from time to time. Would you want to check it out?
Arkansas is a state with a rich history that is steeped in legends and stories. Even when they are spooky these tales are a cherished part of Arkansas’ heritage.
I hope that you enjoyed learning more about these great Arkansas legends.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
