Photo courtesy Lenore Shoults
This camel was carved by Dan Stewart and Jim Nelson--we don't yet know who carved which figure--for the Nativity that is featured at the Arkansas State Capitol each year. Local lore has it that when the camel was being transported from Mountain View to Little Rock back in the 1980s, someone took a photo of the camel as it passed in front of the Stone County Courthouse! If you have that photo, let us know and we can add that to the history. ofccommitteeof100@gmail.com
During the winter, as the Nativity Scene characters were carved, the catalpa shavings and slabs were loaded into Dan Stewart's pickup and taken to his creek for disposal. The next spring Dan brought in a slab from which a little catalpa sprout had taken root. The tree is growing across from the Root Cellar. Known as the Holy Catalpa, it has blessed fisherfolks with Catalpa worms!
Absolutely beautiful!