Little Rock

Yes, there is actually a little rock for which the city was named. The first outcropping of rock above the mouth of the Arkansas River was known to explorers and pioneers traveling the river in the early 19th century as “La Petite Roche” to distinguish it from a big rock upstream. These rock bluffs were the first in the 700-mile journey upriver from the Gulf of Mexico, French explorer Benard de La Harpe noted, and the little rock marked the transition from level land in the east to rugged hills and mountain ranges to the west. It also offered a natural landing for those traveling by boat, leading the settlement of what would become the city of Little Rock. Subsequent development—namely railroad tracks—largely obstructed the site through the 19th and 20th centuries until recently, when a railroad bridge was converted for pedestrian use and a place called “La Petite Roche Plaza” was built around the city’s namesake rock formation. Walkways leading to the rock offer beautiful views of the Arkansas River and include plaques explaining key events in the city’s history.