Medicinal Springs Lurk Just Beyond The Calm Exterior Of Hot Springs Arkansas Hidden Inside Its Rising Mountain
For thousands of years, the warm, soothing medicinal waters flowing from the base of Hot Springs Mountain in Arkansas have enticed visitors, both indigent and wealthy, with their healing powers. Now, as a national park, the breath of the springs' power is undeniable with over forty seven hot springs all on the west side of the mountain and housed in a half mile long area.
Once called the "Valley of Vapors" by the chiefs and tribes of the native people, the hot springs were made of legends. They were believed to treat various ailments including diseases of the skin, blood and nervous system as well as rheumatism. There was even a myth that an agreement existed among the different native tribes to put aside their weapons while in the valley to allow everyone to partake in the gentle powers of the springs.
“The hot springs have been here flowing for thousands of years,” explains Tom Hill, Park Curator. “We know for at least 6,000 years the Native Indians were coming to quarry rocks around the hot springs [as well as] to use the [flowing] water."
The Native Americans were not the only population to "discover" the healing waters. European Americans, particularly the Spanish, are believed to have stumbled upon the hot springs around 1541. However, it wasn't until 1804, when then President Thomas Jefferson asked prominent figures William Dunbar and George Hunter to explore territories after the Louisiana Purchase that attention was drawn to this area pulling people in droves. Hill notes "they [Dunbar/Hunter] had heard the legend the waters had healing properties [and had] found evidence people had been coming here seasonally. No permanent settlement [though] existed at the time of their expedition. [But] after1805, people came to settle permanently."
In1832, Hot Springs Reservation was created by an act of Congress to be preserved for recreational use. This was actually the first time a piece of land was set aside by the federal government to use as an area of recreation. From that point, the area quickly developed into a successful spa town earning the nickname "The American Spa." It was officially made into a national park in March 4, 1921 making it the smallest national park by area in the U.S.
For thousands of years, these waters and settlements were unregulated and people bathed in the soothing waters looking for cures and ends to various aches and ailments without regiment or restriction. Hill notes that "bathhouses began as businesses around the 1860s." As the 1870s approached, bath regimens became more diverse as doctors prescribed various types of processes necessary for patients to cure a wide variety of ailments, most commonly as therapeutic baths with specific timing regiments for bathing and cooling off periods. Hill continues "the hot springs were considered a medicine treatment by physicians all over the country. It was not a spa treatment back then, but a medical treatment."
As bath regiments became more regulated so too did the hot springs. In 1877, major improvements were made to the hot springs and its surrounding area. Squatters were evicted, trash cleaned up, and a centralized plumbing system was begun. Bathhouses sprung up and at first were no more than rudimentary huts and log cabins. Entrepreneurs and outsiders quickly developed more elaborate bathing facilities as the hot springs and spa became increasingly more and more popular. This included wooden troughs that delivered water from springs on the hillside to bathhouses and a narrow street along the west side became connected to the bathhouses by bridges making walking and access easier for patrons.
Samuel W. Fordyce was one such individual. A businessman and railroad giant, Fordyce was a huge force in the early development of Hot Springs into an international resort. Visiting the site first in 1873, Fordyce sought to heal health issues received serving in the Civil War. He was so moved by the soothing waters, he moved his family there permanently in 1876 and invested heavily in building the infrastructure of Hot Springs and various amenities in the surrounding community, including helping with the construction of several area hotels, the city opera house, the street railway system, a local country club, and of course, several bathhouses. Hill describes the scene. "Fordyce was so weak by the time he got to the hot springs he had to be carried from the train to the hotel. He claimed the hot springs cured him."
The pull of the peaceful hot springs is not something of the past. Hot Springs National Park of today draws visitors in record numbers with the park averaging 1.5 million visitors a year. The park offers much to see and do that RV adventurers should take note. Hill notes "this is water straight from the source" so RV adventurers may want to consider a stop where the curving waters have been drawing people in for thousands of years. You can tour the historic Fordyce Bathhouse, stroll past historic bathhouses, hike trails, drive mountain roads, picnic, camp, and of course take a hot springs bath.