A Walk On The Hill Virtual Cache

The Arkansas State Capitol was built in the early 20th century (1899 – 1915) to accommodate a growing state government and a steadily expanding capital city. As the seat of government for the state, the grounds surrounding it provide a natural setting for memorials and monuments to groups, individuals, and events that are part of the state’s -- and the nation’s -- history. Over the last century, 15 monuments and memorials have been placed on the grounds of the Capitol. This virtual cache provides a tour of four of these monuments and memorials. I hope that while visiting the four selected for this virtual cache, you will also take time to visit the others along the way. (The coordinates for these have been provided as Additional Waypoints).

During business hours, public parking on the State Capitol grounds is allowed in any parking spot that does not have a reserved sign or a number posted next to it. After business hours and on weekends, however, public parking is allowed in these restricted spots.

To claim your find, please email me through my profile OR send me a message through the Message Center and provide the required information. “Found It” logs that are not supported with an email or message within 7 days of the date of the log will be deleted. Please DO NOT post answers or spoiler photos in your online log, or your log will be deleted. Other photos of the monuments/memorials and the grounds, however, are welcome. BUT, photos of the required sites will NOT be accepted in lieu of the required information that is to be gathered and sent to me.

Posted Coordinates
The posted coordinates are for the Arkansas State Capitol building, which is an excellent spot to begin your tour. You may want to enter the building to view the rotunda and perhaps take a tour of the building while you are on the grounds for this virtual cache.

Tour Stop 1 -- C.G “Crip” Hall Marker (N 34 44.795 W 092 17.312)
A short distance east from the posted coordinates is the first monument in this tour. This is the C.G. “Crip” Hall Marker, which is located within the grand promenade in front of the capitol building and pays homage to a former Arkansas Secretary of State who served from 1937 to 1961and set a standard of service for modern-era secretaries.

Logging Requirement 1: There are three flagpoles just to the east of the monument. Near the base of the northeast flagpole is an electrical box cover flush with the ground, with a company name on the cover. Below the company name are two numbers followed by a single letter. To prove your visit to this monument, tell me the numbers and the letter.

Tour Stop 2 – Vietnam Veterans Memorial (N 34 44.689 W 092 17.298)
At the southeast corner of the Capitol grounds is a solemn memorial to those who served and died in the military during the Vietnam War. Central to the monument is a sculpture of a solitary soldier. On the walls of the monument are the names of over 400 Arkansans killed or mortally wounded during the war.

Logging Requirement 2: In the center of the memorial wall are four granite panels with the name of the monument. At the bottom of the "Arkansas" panel, on the ledge, are two names which are a continuation of the list of names on the vertical portion of the panel. To prove your visit to this memorial, tell me both names as etched on the ledge.

Tour Stop 3 – Arkansas Fallen Firefighters Memorial (N 34 44.800 W 092 17.428)
Located on the west side of the Capitol grounds, this memorial is the latest addition to the Capitol’s monuments, dedicated in 2014. It honors the men and women who have given their lives in the line of duty as firefighters. The memorial includes not only the names of the fallen men and women, but honors all who serve their community with a bronze sculpture centrally located within the memorial on a pediment water feature. The sculpture is composed of four larger-than-life figures representing a centered historic firefighter holding a nozzle which will dispense water into the fountain. This figure is surrounded by three other figures representing a modern firefighter, a forest service firefighter and a female firefighter paramedic holding a child.

Logging Requirement 3: To the north side of the sculpture is a walkway with stones showing the names of contributors who helped fund the monument. There are seven columns of names. While facing the sculpture and looking southward (the Capitol building will be to your left), find the middle column (the 4th column if counting from the right or left) and count down from the top of that column until you reach the 13th stone from the top. To prove your visit to this memorial, tell me the name of the city or town on this stone.

Tour Stop 4 – Testament: The Little Rock Nine Monument (N 34 44.869 W 092 17.344)
In 1957, nine African-American students enrolled at Little Rock’s Central High School, beginning the process of desegregating Little Rock’s public schools and marking a seminal event in America’s civil rights movement. This sculptural grouping was dedicated in August 2005 to honor the courage of those students, known collectively as the Little Rock Nine. Quotations from each of the Nine are featured around the border of the monument.

Logging Requirement 4: On the north side of the sculpture is a plaque about the monument and the Little Rock Nine, with the title "Testament". When you are facing this plaque, you will also be facing the Capitol building. Go to your left around the monument, to the second plaque from this one. (Do NOT count the "Testament" plaque as the first one!) On the plaque will be a name and a quote. To prove your visit to this monument, tell me the last name of the person shown on this plaque.

Other Monuments and Memorials on the Capitol Grounds
During your tour of the required monuments, you will pass near these other monuments/memorials and may want to take time to visit them as well:

• Kelly Bryant Marker
• Monument to Confederate Women
• Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial
• Medal of Honor Memorial
• War of 1812 Memorial Fountain
• The Eternal Flame
• War Prisoners’ Marker
• Granite Mountain Boulder
• Bauxite Boulder
• American Revolution Bicentennial Monument and Fountain
• Monument to Confederate Soldiers

Acknowledgement: The name of this virtual cache, as well as much of the information about the monuments/memorials highlighted by it, comes from the guide booklet “A Walk On The Hill” which is a self-guided tour of the Arkansas State Capitol grounds and monuments. A copy of this booklet may be downloaded in PDF format at this link. A free copy is also available at the Visitor Center in the Capitol building.

Permission: Permission to locate this virtual cache on the grounds of the Arkansas State Capitol has been provided by the Deputy Secretary of State of Arkansas and the Chief of the Capitol Police.