Beaver Jim Villines Boyhood Home, located in Ponca, being prepared for structural repairs. NPS Photo
A historic structure along the Buffalo National River in Ponca is being restored to make it safe and accessible to the public again.
A historic structure along the Buffalo National River in Ponca is being restored to make it safe and accessible to the public again.
The log cabin built in 1850 was the boyhood home of famous fur trapper “Beaver Jim” Villines. Villines became legendary in Arkansas and around the country for his talents at trapping around the area. He returned to the location of the cabin in 1882 with wife Sarah to establish a homestead that included many out buildings, a celler and a farm.
Interpretive Park Ranger for the Buffalo National River, Casey Johannsen, spoke with KTLO, Classic Hits and The Boot News and says the park is in the process of removing trees, which damaged the cabin in 2022, so visitors can safely visit the structure once again.
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Johannsen says this is one of two homesteads along the river belonging to the Villines family.
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This fall, the National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Training Center (HPTC) is scheduled to send a team to the park to complete an assessment of structure and rehabilitation work is expected to begin this winter.
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