Julia Henderson was born in Frankfort, Indiana in 1841 and came west with her parents in 1853. She married Albert Henderson in 1858, and for many years they lived in nearby Fossil. She died August 11, 1928. Since 1900, the park has been the site of the annual Pioneer Picnic and has also been used for summer reunions, social events, and weddings of pioneer families from Wheeler and Gilliam counties.