What an interesting day we had today. We covered everything needed for a great adventure: a road trip fueled by old fashioned donuts, a delightful learning experience, a very nice hike, an kiddie ice cream as we walked a city street and a soda on the way home. Now, what could be better? The goal was Hot Springs National Park in Hot Springs, AR. We started our drive about 8:30 by stopping at a local donut shop where, wonder of wonders, they actually had old fashioned donuts. Now, these are not common in Iowa but both Gary and I discovered them in our travels out west and decided that we prefer them. We haven’t found them in Iowa (although corn fresh from the field more than makes up for the lack of these donuts) and didn’t know if we would find them in our travels in the Southeast this winter. But, we entered the door and quickly scanned the donut trays in back of the counter. Aha, there they were, old fashioneds: plain, glazed and chocolate. I took a chocolate and Gary took two glazed. What a great start to the day!!
Great day for a road trip with the sun shining brightly, the temps hitting the 80’s and the air crisp with fall. Our first stop was at the VC which was one of the more spectacular bathhouses in Hot Springs in 1915. I suppose I really didn’t know anything about Hot Springs NP and so was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was a great learning experience. During the Golden Age of Bathing, over 1,000,00 visited the park to take the baths, drink the water and stroll the Grand Promenade. Today, many more come, some for the baths, some for the water, some for the restaurants, some to hike (guess who?) but all for the Hot Springs experience. OK, if you don’t want to read the history of Hot Springs, skip this blog and head right for the next one about our tour of the bathhouse.
HISTORY
Obviously, the Native American tribes, the Cotto and the Quapaw tribes, knew all about the hot springs and bathed in the springs in the 1700’s and 1800’s. But, it wasn’t until the Louisiana Purchase that America got interested in them and President Jefferson sent two explorers out (nope, not Lewis and Clark) to explore and report back on the Arkansas and Red Rivers. The expedition was led by William Dunbar of Natchez, MS and Dr George Hunter from Philadelphia. They set out in 1804 traveling down the Mississippi. They made observations about plant life, wild life, natural resources available and make astrological observations to map the area. The most important discovery that they made was Arkansas novaculite, a type of rock which the Native Americans had used for making tools and weapons. This became the primary source for whetstones from the mid-1800’s all the way up to 1970 when artificial whetstone was manufactured.
But they also discovered the Hot Springs and their report to Jefferson about these was widely reported and people started flocking to the area. Soon a bustling town grew up around the hot springs to provide services for health seekers. The resultant bathing industry led to Hot Springs becoming known as the "American Spa." As more and more people came, the idea that this should be a protected area became popular and finally in 1832, President Jackson set aside 4 sections of land. This makes Hot Springs National Park the oldest unit in the national park system, 40 years older than Yellowstone National Park. But, oops, no money was set aside to protect this land and no defined boundaries. were established And, sure enough, individuals began to build on the springs and file claims to the land. It wasn’t until 1877 that the boundaries were set, money was set aside, a superintendent was named and finally the government had firm control. Blueprints were approved for private bathhouses and the growth of Hot Springs soared. ‘Uncle Sam Bathes the World.’ was a popular slogan.
The NPS describes early Hot Springs this way: ‘The first bathhouses were crude structures of canvas and lumber, little more than tents perched over individual springs or reservoirs carved out of the rock. Later businessmen built wooden structures, but they frequently burned, collapsed because of shoddy construction, or rotted due to continued exposure to water and steam. Hot Springs Creek, which ran right through the middle of all this activity, drained its own watershed and collected the runoff of the springs. Generally it was an eyesore-dangerous at times of high water, and mere collections of stagnant pools at dry times. In 1884 the federal government put the creek into a channel, roofed over it over, and laid a road down above it. Much of it runs under Central Avenue and Bathhouse Row today. This allowed room for sidewalks and landscaping in front of the bathhouses, creating the Bathhouse Row you see today.’
But these rudimentary structures were all replaced - many times and by the early 1900’s, Bathhouse Row was a series of elegant bathhouses catering to vacationers and those seeking health remedies for their ailments. Here’s a picture of Bathhouse Row with its row of bathhouses. Note all the steam rising out of the hot springs in the mountain. Today, the 47 springs are covered, chained and locked to protect the water. The NPS does not guarantee the therapeutic value of the water but they do guarantee that it is clean and pure.
Today there are only a few left and only 1, the Buckstaff,
which still offers baths in the traditional way while another, the Quapaw offers co-ed bathing.
One of the most elaborate, the Fordyce,
built by Samuel Fordyce in 1915, has been renovated (asbestos removed, lead paint scraped off etc) and is now the headquarters for the National Park Service. It is open for touring and we took the tour led by Sharon.
But, first a bit about Samuel Fordyce. Born in Ohio, he joined the First Ohio Volunteer Cavalry to fight for the Union in the Civil War. He quickly became an officer. He’s pretty dashing, isn’t he?
During the war he was shot several times and also contracted malaria. Growing weaker and weaker by the day he finally left the army and went to Hot Springs where he heard he might be cured. A while later he was and he returned to Huntsville AL where he had originally been stationed, married the sweet young thing he had met while in the army and started several businesses. Later, in 1873, he again grew sicker and sicker and, after being given only several months to live, he returned to Hot Springs to ‘take the cure’ again. And, again, he felt better. He returned with his family in 1877 and, as a born entrepreneur, he began to invest in hotels, the opera house, the railroad and other businesses. Finally he built the Fordyce, the finest, most exclusive bathhouse on the Row. It cost $212,000+ and was extremely elegant with stained glass windows, tiled floors and statuary. Here he is in front of the Fordyce.
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