Attachment_G___HOSP_Park_Brochure__two_pages_.pdf

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Hot Springs National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

Hot Springs National Park Arkansas

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Rain and m elted snow trickle into cracks in brittle rock (novaculite and chert) along the ridges of the O uachita M ountains.

G ravity pulls the w ater slow ly dow nw ard through a netw ork of cracks in Earth’s rock crust. The rock tem perature increases w ith depth and the w ater em erges from the springs at an average tem perature of

143° F (62° C). W hen the w ater reaches a m ajor fault on the w est slope of H ot Springs M ountain, pressure propels it upw ard. The hot spring w ater does not result from a volcanic process. Its roundtrip journey— from the recharge zone along the m ountain ridges to the park— takes over four thousand years.

A round the sam e tim e that the pharaoh K hufu built the G reat Pyram ids of G iza, ca. 2500 BCE, the w ater that em erges on H ot Springs M ountain fell as rain and snow

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T he spa tow n of H ot

Springs offered w ellness and healing to people from all w alks of life, at early rustic ‘dugouts’ like C orn

H ole (above) and at later, ornate bathhouses like the

Fordyce and the Q uapaw

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A visit to the hot springs w as designed to treat not just the body but the m ind and spirit as w ell. V isitors bathed in the therm al w ater and received m assages and other therapies. A fterw ard, they could relax, drink spring w ater from tin cups (below right), exercise in w ell-appointed gym s, or hike a series of fi tness trails.

W ooden club for exercise, 1914.

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H ydrotherapy offered treatm ent for condi-tions such as arthritis or rheum atism and even stress or im m une disorders, before m odern advancem ents in m edicine. Therapies includ-ed w hirlpool baths, m assages, and m ercury rubs. Though the w ater held no m agical cure, such treatm ents offered som e relief for pa-tients w ho w ere suffering and in desperate need of help. Treatm ent in “A m erica’s First

Resort” often served as patients’ last resort for healing.

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Patients and therapists, M aurice Bathhouse, 1938.

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The spring w ater carries particles of calcium carbonate that, over m illennia, built up porous, soft rock (tufa) around m any spring openings.

D elicate plants and m icroscopic life form s

(therm ophiles) live in and near the hot, m ineral-rich springs.

D elicate lip ferns grow on m oist tufa.

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W oodland stonecrop has fragrant w hite fl ow ers.

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Fordyce gym , restored to ca. 1915 appearance.

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Bath tow el.

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Tufa outcropping, A rlington Law n.

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Collapsible tin drinking cup, ca. 1900.

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P Paleoindians quarry novaculite in the O uachita M ountains for tools and w eapons.

3 The Louisiana Purchase m akes the O uachita region part of the U nited States.

–5 H unter-D unbar team explores the area and prepares report for President Jefferson.

A rkansas Territory asks Congress to reserve the hot springs for public use.

A sa Thom pson builds the fi rst bathhouse near today’s Fountain Street.

32 President A ndrew Jackson establishes H ot Springs Reserva-tion.

A rkansas becom es the nation’s 25th state.

The D epartm ent of the

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I) is established and the reservation placed under its control.

77 Benjam in K elley is nam ed fi rst reservation superintendent.

H e orders people to leave m ake-shift cam ps and directs the open-ing of the fi rst free governm ent bathhouse.

3 Construction begins on a stone archw ay enclosing H ot Springs Creek.

7 A rm y and N avy G eneral

H ospital opens.

2 W ork begins on the form al entrance to the reservation and to W hittington Park.

1 To protect the therm al w ater and retain heat, a w ater collection and distribution system is installed and all springs are enclosed.

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O I requires that w ooden bathhouses m ust be replaced w ith safer, m ore sanitary m ason-ry structures.

O ertel Fitness Trail netw ork for prescribed exercise is built on H ot Springs M ountain.

N ational Park Service is established and the reservation placed under its control.

21 The reservation is nam ed a national park.

25 The park begins m anaging G ulpha G orge cam pground.

Congress expands the park boundary by over 4,000 acres.

7 In this peak year, bathers took m ore than 1 m illion baths.

2 The Fordyce becom es the fi rst bathhouse on Bathhouse Row to close as interest declines and operating costs increase.

Bathhouse Row is listed in the N ational Register of H istoric

Places.

5 The Lam ar closes. The Buckstaff is the only bathhouse on the row that rem ains open.

7 Bathhouse Row is nam ed a

N ational H istoric Landm ark.

The Fordyce reopens as the park visitor center and m useum

–p resen t The park begins a new leasing pro-gram and partners w ith business ow ners to restore and reopen the bathhouses.

W hile tw o continue to offer bathhouse services, others have been adapted for new purposes.

hen W illiam

D unbar and G eorge H unter explored the nation’s new territories in 1804, they found several crude huts near a steam ing spring in the O uachita M ountains. T heir guides explained that people cam e to the area to soak in the hot w ater and recover their health. A s w ord of the springs spread, C ongress declared a four-square-m ile reser-vation in 1832 to protect the w ater for public use.

T he prom ise of im proved health drew

C ivil W ar veterans and others w ith disabling conditions to crow ded cam ps near the open springs. T hey form ed tem porary com m unities of people w ho sought to ease their pain in the therm al w aters. E arly settlers ignored federal claim s to the land. T hey built cabins and provided am enities to lure travelers to the fam ed springs. In 1876, the U S Suprem e C ourt ruled against their private land claim s and affi rm ed the nation’s interest in m aking the therm al w ater available to all.

A fter the court’s ruling, the federal governm ent began regulating private bathhouses and took active control over im provem ents that led to better sanitation and distribution of the w ater. D espite their role in ensur-ing public access, by the 1880s federal offi cials fol-low ed state law s requiring racial segregation and lim ited A frican A m ericans’ use of the bathhouses.

U ltim ately, A frican A m erican business ow ners built and m aintained their ow n elaborate ones nearby until facilities desegregated in the 1960s.

B y the 1900s, H ot Springs w as am ong the m ost visited health and w ellness resorts in the U nited States. E ntrepreneurs prom oted it as a place

“w here crutches are throw n aw ay.” Since 1921 the springs and historic bathhouses have form ed the heart of a national park. T he park’s 5,500 forested acres surround the city’s dow ntow n w here urban m eets w ild. Today you can soak in the therm al w aters, drink spring w ater from the fountains, and hike densely w ooded slopes— just as m illions of others have over the centuries.

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The Fordyce and Q uapaw on Bathhouse Row

(left).

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Bathhouse Row on the tow n’s m ain artery, Central A venue (above).

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A rkansas native.

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National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

National Designation State

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The sm allest bathhouse on the row , it offered affordable hydrotherapy and m assages.

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Cracks in the outcroppings of novaculite and chert along the ridges trap rainw ater and channel it dow nw ard. It eventually em erges as hot spring w ater. Changes in land use in the recharge zone out-side the park (right) could redirect the w ater and interrupt the cycle.

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The oldest surviving bathhouse on the row , the

H ale has a sauna in a therm al cave carved from the m ountainside.

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A third-fl oor lounge has a stone fi replace, painted m ural, stained glass skylight, and an expansive view of the row

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The elegant Fordyce houses the park visitor center.

M any of the room s have been restored to their original state.

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A tiled dom e crow ns a decorative schem e w ith an

A m erican Indian m otif, scallop shells, and fi sh.

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Sculpted m ythical creatures hold urns of w ater, encouraging passersby to sam ple the healing w aters.

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This is the only bathhouse on the row to operate con-tinuously for over a century.

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The Lam ar offered m arble bathtubs of different lengths for greater com fort.

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Built as park headquarters, it w as never a bathhouse.

A fountain greets visitors w ho enter the park from the south.

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To protect public safety, the federal governm ent stopped renew ing leases for fi re-prone w ooden bathhouses in 1911. The structures that you see here today are built of stone or brick.

Bathhouse Row H o t Sp rin g s N atio n al Park, 50 m iles southw est of Little Rock, straddles a horseshoe-shaped ridge form ed by Sugarloaf M ountain (north), M usic

M ountain (w est), and W est, H ot Springs, and N orth m ountains (south).

V ehicles use U

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Find parking at m eters or paid lots near the park. H ot Springs M unicipal and

Little Rock N ational airports provide air service. Taxis and buses offer ground transportation.

V isit the park w ebsite for inform ation about program s and tours. Request signed or guided group tours at least tw o w eeks in advance.

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N S A t G ulpha G orge you’ll fi nd 40 cam psites (your stay m ay not exceed 14 days per year), grills, picnic tables, and electric and w ater hookups, but no show ers. N o advance reservations;

call the park for availability. Cam p only at cam psites. You can also fi nd lodging in the city and at nearby lakes; call H ot Springs Convention and V isitors Bureau, 1-800-SPA

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FETY

U se caution w hen w alking or cycling on park roads • A lw ays w ear seat belts. • V ehicles longer than 30 feet are prohibited on H ot Springs M ountain D rive.

• W ear sturdy shoes, and w atch for poison-ous plants, stinging insects, ticks, and snakes. • Stay hydrated in hot w eather.

• Store your valuables out of sight in parked vehicles. • D o not enter caves, crevices, or m ineshafts. • To reach a Law Enforcem ent Ranger call 888-692-1162.

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N S V ehicles, bicycles, skate-boards, scooters, and skates are prohibited on sidew alks and trails. • Build fi res only in grills. • Leash your pets and clean up after them

. • O btain perm its for w eddings or events. • A ll w ildlife is protected in the park. Federal law prohibits rem oving plants, anim als, rocks, or other natural or historic features. • Report vandalism to a ranger or the visitor center. • For fi rearm s regulations check the park w ebsite.

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CCESSIBILITY

W e strive to m ake our facilities, services, and program s accessible to all. For inform ation go to the visitor center in the Fordyce, ask a ranger, call, or check our w ebsite.

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:ˆ— xxx-xxx/xxxxx N ew in 20xx Prin ted o n recycled p ap er.

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101 Reserve St.

H ot Springs, A R 71901 hosp_park_inform ation@ nps.gov

501-620-6715, TTY

501-624-2308 w w w

.nps.gov/hosp

H ot Springs N ational Park is one of over 400 parks in the N ational Park System . To learn m ore about national parks, visit w w w

.nps.gov.

At Once Urban and Wild

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