During the roaring twenties and the following decade of the Great Depression, Stout's Point on Petit Jean Mountain underwent changes that influenced the history of Petit Jean State Park. In 1920, the Morrilton Chamber of Commerce acquired and donated the Hotel Petit Jean property to the YMCA. John L. Hunter, a personal friend of park founder Dr. T. W. Hardison, operated the YMCA camp there. Several facilities were constructed during this period, including College Lodge, built around 1928, which served as the administration facility and conference center. The YMCA camp continued until a fire destroyed the lodge in the 1940s. An inverted triangle, the YMCA symbol, remains in the rockwork above the fireplace mantel. Hunter and Hardison, who supported resort facilities on this plateau in the Arkansas River Valley, devoted their efforts to preserving the special places known today.