AR Part 6

Yesterday, I went to the Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources and was very pleased to find a large museum that was free of charge, full of interesting things look at, and had a staff of friendly employees who I spent most of the afternoon with. I found out that Smackover had a population of 190 people before oil was discovered here in abundance back in 1922. The population grew to over 25,000 during the boom, and today there are probably about 1,500 people who live in Smackover.

The oil and resulting population boom gave Smackover a colorful history, as it brought many things to the town including the problems concerning law and order. With only a sheriff and a deputy to keep the peace, Smackover had some rough areas of town back in the 20's. The most dangerous neighborhood was called, "Death Valley." There were also vigilante groups that would take the law into their own hands, and someone told me that you used to see dead folks lying on the street now and then. The town also an obvious problem with housing back then, and people say that it wasn't uncommon for someone to walk up and offer a dollar for permission to sleep on their front porch. I never tried that one, but maybe I will someday.

Monday, March 6, 2000: Camden, Arkansas

My friend from Gurdon, J.B., drove me down to Harvey's Grocery where I had left off, and I continued the walk into Camden. I had a very interesting walkingtom experience today --the first of it's kind. A van pulled over to the side of the road in front of me, stopped, and a man got out and asked me if I could spare any change. I had to laugh out loud at the absurdity of the situation, but later felt kind of bad for laughing at the guy. He proceeded to tell me that he needed gas money to get home, and that if I would give him some gas money to get home, he would take me anywhere I wanted to go. (probably not such a good idea) His answer to my question of, "Where's home?" was not a very convincing lie, and at that point I was sorry for laughing at him. At that point, I figured he was most likely an alcoholic (or trapped inside some sort of addiction) and using the old gas money routine to get another bottle (or whatever he felt he needed). I have met drunks in my lifetime that didn't have a car, but they certainly had a gas can to carry around if they were running short on booze money --sad but true. Anyway, I told him that I didn't have much money and didn't need a ride, and he dove away to go ask someone else. Hopefully he didn't waste any more gas money (now at $1.60 in Arkansas) driving around in his van asking guys that are walking down the side of the road for spare change.

I met a guy named Robert in Camden today, and he agreed to let me set up my tent in his yard. Robert and I proceeded to enjoy an evening together with good conversation and coffee. He is a retired logger, and a very nice guy. He also let me take a shower and do laundry, which was a pleasure since it reached 80 degrees today and the infamous southern humidity that everyone has been warning me about seems to be climbing up a notch everyday as my first spring and summer in the South is drawing near.

Wednesday, March 8, 2000: Frenchport, Arkansas

Yesterday I was invited to talk at an alternative high school in Camden about my journey. It seems that God would like me to share with people the incredible things that He has done in my life during this trip. I say that because I have certainly made no effort whatsoever in getting the "speaking engagements" that have been falling into my life the past few weeks. They are just happening, and I have made a decision to never say, "No, I would rather not." or "No, I don't have time." I have decided to always say, "I would love to talk with them about my trip." whether I want to or not. I do not believe that God would like me to receive His constant protection, blessings, and guidance, and continually watch Him take care of my needs over and over without telling folks what He has done. So, yesterday I had the pleasure of talking about God in public school.

Now when I was asked to do an interview for the Camden/El Dorado/Magnolia Sunday paper, I agreed to do it, but only after some careful consideration and a talk with God. You see, I believe that God will protect me as I walk down the road, but He also gave me a brain so that I would not let any crazy person that can pick up a newspaper know exactly what I am doing and where I am. I will limit that knowlege only to the crazy people who I decide to give the website address or those who obtain it from friends or surfing the internet. So there will be an article on Sunday, but I asked them to not include my future itinerary as well as the website address. I also have plans to be a few miles away from Camden, El Dorado, and Magnolia when Sunday arrives.

I am writing this update from a house built in 1899 by Captain John T. Burkett. It is an extremely large and beautiful house, and the extremely nice folks who live here and invited me into their home yesterday (Jim and Mary Jane) bought the house three years ago and are currently busy restoring it --Mary Jane adds, "If we live that long." They have entered the house into the National List of Historic Places and have also followed an interesting history of the house through archives and items they have found up in the attic. It seems old Captain John T. used to transport prisoners in the area. Underneath the house is a jail cell with bars on the windows, and out back there is a catfish pond that folks say was hand-dug with the help of John T's prisoners.

Friday, March 10, 2000: between Smackover and El Dorado, Arkansas

I've spent the past two days in Smackover, Arkansas and had a wonderful Smackover experience. I am happy to say that Smackover, Arkansas received an A+ rating on the walkingtom scale of friendly American small towns to walk through. My results are based on the 85% ratio of people who drove by me and waved, the frequency of people asking me, "Where you headin'?" or "Are you goin' campin'?" or something else in an attempt to stimulate conversation with a complete stranger walking through town carrying a large backpack, all the friendly people who shook my hand and wished me well on my journey, and internet access at the public library with a very nice librarian who didn't tell me that "time's up" when time was up because there was no one waiting to use the computer.

Friday night, March 10, 2000: El Dorado, Arkansas

As I was walking outside of El Dorado this afternoon, I began to hear the thunder. When the rain began to fall, I walked faster until I could see a few businesses up the road, and then I walked even faster. I found a pizza place and ducked inside for some shelter and an all you can eat buffet. Then the rain began to fall as hard as I have seen rain fall in quite awhile. The pizza place closed at 2pm, so I went next door to a little grocery store called The Little Grocery. The weather forecast was predicting thunderstorms all day and tonight in Union County, and I realized that I was going to need some assistance or be very wet, cold, and possibly struck by lightning this evening.

I made some phone calls to a few of the folks I have met the past couple of weeks, and my friends began to call their friends that live near El Dorado. Four hours later, a man named Perry (a friend of Mary Jane's) walked into The Little Grocery to pick me up and take me to his home. It is raining so hard right now. The thunder is shaking Perry's house, and I am so thankful to be here. God is so good. Perry is making us fried pork chops for supper. God is so good.

Monday, March 13, 2000: Junction City, Arkansas

I said goodbye to my friends in El Dorado yesterday morning and walked south out of town. I made the front page (with a color picture) of the South Arkansas Sunday News, and so the walk yesterday included many honks and waves from the folks who drove by. I reached the small community of Wesson, Arkansas and walked past a little country Baptist Church that caught my eye, but I was thinking about making it another five miles before stopping for the day. Someone that I met while asking for water had told me that there was another church five miles down the road from Wesson. I asked God to decide where I would attend church this evening, and a half-mile later, a woman ran out to greet me asking, "Are you the young man who is walking across the country?"

Her name is Patricia, and we went to that little country Baptist Church together last night. When we entered the church and Patricia began to introduce me to everyone, many of the folks already knew about me from reading the paper, and I was even greeted with a, "Hey Walking Tom!" from one of the men. The preacher asked me to share about my trip after the service, and so I did.

Patricia and her husband P.V., invited to stay in their home last night. They both work at the school in Parker's Chapel, and P.V. is the principal there. (Parker's Chapel is where I spent the afternoon at The Little Grocery on Friday.) They are extremely kind people, and I enjoyed the time I spent with them last night and this morning. Today, is the beginning of spring break for the students at Parker's Chapel as well as the beginning of a week off for P.V. and Patrichia. I asked P.V. this morning (after I took their picture) if he was going to mind a picture of him wearing a bathrobe on the internet. He said that it would be fine.