Hot Springs National Park is a national park in central Garland County, Arkansas, near the city of Hot Springs. The Hot Springs Reservation was created by the United States Congress on April 20, 1832, to protect the area for future recreation. This was the first time the federal government set aside land to preserve it for public use, even before the idea of national parks existed. Part of the park includes old-growth forests, which are recognized by the Old-Growth Forest Network. For many years, people have believed the hot spring water has healing properties, and Native American tribes shared stories about its powers. After federal protection in 1832, the city of Hot Springs became a popular spa town.

The city was officially formed on January 10, 1851. In the early 1900s, it was known for hosting Major League Baseball spring training, illegal gambling, speakeasies during Prohibition, gangsters like Al Capone, horse racing at Oaklawn Park, the Army and Navy Hospital, and 42nd President Bill Clinton. The area became a national park on March 4, 1921. Until 2018, when Jefferson National Expansion Memorial was renamed Gateway Arch National Park, Hot Springs was the smallest national park in the United States. As the oldest park managed by the National Park Service, it was the first to appear on a US quarter in April 2010 as part of the America the Beautiful Quarters coin series.

The hot springs flow from the western slope of Hot Springs Mountain, which is part of the Ouachita Mountain range. In the park, the hot springs are not left in their natural state. Instead, they are managed to ensure the water remains clean and available for public use. The mountains in the park are also protected to help maintain the water system that supplies the springs.

The park includes parts of downtown Hot Springs, making it one of the easiest national parks to reach. There are many hiking trails and camping areas. Visitors can bathe in spring water at approved facilities for an additional fee. The Bathhouse Row area is a National Historic Landmark District and features the largest collection of bathhouses in North America, including examples of Gilded Age architecture. The Fordyce Bathhouse serves as the park’s visitor center, and the Buckstaff and Quapaw bathhouses were still operating in 2015. Other buildings on the row are being restored or used for other purposes.

Discovery and protection

For many years, this area was visited by leaders and groups from many Native American tribes. They named it the "Valley of the Vapors" when Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto arrived in 1541. He was the first European known to see the hot springs. People from many Native American tribes had visited the valley for more than 8,000 years to use the healing waters of the thermal springs. In the 18th century, the Caddo settled in the area, followed later by the Choctaw, Cherokee, and other tribes from the Southeast who crossed the Mississippi River. The tribes agreed to leave their weapons behind and enjoy the healing waters in peace while in the valley. The Quapaw lived in the Arkansas River delta and visited the springs.

In 1673, Father Marquette and Jolliet explored the area and claimed it for France. The Treaty of Paris in 1763 gave the land back to Spain, but in 1800, control was returned to France. This changed again in 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase.

In December 1804, William Dunbar and George Hunter traveled to the Ouachita Mountains and the springs at President Thomas Jefferson’s request to study Native American people and the local plants and animals. They found one log cabin and a few simple shelters used by visitors seeking the healing waters. In 1807, Jean Emmanuel Prudhomme, a man of French descent, became the first European-American settler in modern Hot Springs. After spending two years bathing in the hot water and eating local foods, he returned to his plantation on the Red River in Louisiana. Soon after, trappers John Perciful and Isaac Cates arrived; Perciful built more cabins for visitors.

On August 24, 1818, the Quapaw Indians gave up the land around the hot springs to the United States in a treaty after being forced to move to a reservation south of the site. They were later moved to Indian Territory in the 1830s. After Arkansas became a territory in 1819, the Arkansas Territorial Legislature asked in 1820 for the springs and nearby mountains to be protected as a federal reservation. In 1832, the 22nd United States Congress created the national reservation, protecting the thermal waters and making Hot Springs the first area designated for federal government protection. The Hot Springs Reservation was set aside as a public park on June 16, 1880.

National park

In 1921, Congress officially renamed the area from the Hot Springs Reservation to Hot Springs National Park. The government added more land, increasing the park’s size to over 900 acres (360 hectares). This included Hot Springs Mountain, North Mountain, West Mountain, Sugarloaf Mountain, and Whittington Lake Park. Later, the park expanded to 5,839 acres (2,385 hectares).

The hot springs are located near the base of Hot Springs Mountain, with more than 500,000 gallons of water flowing from them each day. This hot water is used in bathhouses, and the money from fees paid by visitors goes to the U.S. Treasury. The park has many roads and trails that cross the mountains. The park is open all year long.

The first bathhouses were simple structures, such as brush huts and log cabins, built over natural rock formations to collect hot water from the springs. Business owners later created more advanced facilities, including wooden troughs that carried water from hillside springs to bathhouses along the east side of Hot Springs Creek. Some rock on the hillside was removed to make space for these buildings. A narrow street on the west side of the creek was connected to the bathhouses by small bridges.

After the federal government took control in 1877, major changes were made. Stone arches were built over the creek, and a 100-foot-wide (30-meter-wide) street was constructed above it. All unauthorized residents were removed, trash was cleaned up, and a central plumbing system was started. This system was completed around 1890. In 1950, cooling towers were added to reduce the temperature of the springs to a safe level, so individual bathhouses no longer needed their own cooling systems.

The park has a public campground at Gulpha Gorge, located about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from downtown Hot Springs.

City of Hot Springs

The city of Hot Springs, which became an official city in 1851, follows state and local laws. In the 1870s, African American residents in the city lived in an area called Happy Valley, which is north of Hot Springs Mountain. There were churches of different types, including Baptist churches for both white and Black communities.

The National Park Service does not manage or oversee any city matters. The city is located on the opposite side of Central Avenue from Bathhouse Row. Over time, the city has grown beyond the narrow valley where the hot springs are found, spreading across the open area to the south and east. The city has a good climate all year. It is located 600 feet (180 meters) above sea level, with hills around it rising an additional 600 feet. In the early 1900s, the city was mainly a summer resort, but hotels have remained open year-round because many visitors from the north come to avoid cold winter weather.

During the time when hot springs were most popular, until the 1950s, many patients stayed in the city for three weeks, six weeks, or longer. These patients were a major source of business for hotels, boarding houses, doctors, and drugstores. Since daily treatments at the springs only took an hour or two, visitors had free time, which led to more businesses opening in the town.

Bathing customs

It was believed that the waters helped treat skin and blood diseases, nervous system issues, rheumatism, and other similar conditions, as well as various diseases affecting women. However, for tuberculosis, lung diseases, and acute or inflammatory illnesses, the use of the waters was considered harmful and, in many cases, very dangerous.

The earliest bathing method involved lying in natural hot spring pools and cool creek water for long periods. In the 1820s, crude vapor baths were placed over the springs, and people inhaled the steam for extended times. By the 1830s, wooden tubs were added to some bathhouses. Physicians began visiting in the 1850s, though many visitors did not use their services. Visitors typically stayed for one week to two months. After the Civil War, a tub bath lasting 15 to 20 minutes became common.

In the 1870s, bathing routines became more varied, and doctors prescribed different types of baths for patients. Tub baths were shortened to six to ten minutes, and steam baths were limited to two minutes, with only one bath per day.

The treatment involved drinking the water and bathing in it to produce heavy sweating, which was seen as helpful in fighting disease. A doctor familiar with the waters was needed to avoid harm. In some cases, medicine was required before using the waters, though the amount of medicine given was sometimes enough to make a healthy person sick.

Hot baths were usually taken once daily for three weeks, followed by a rest period (often at the sulphur springs near the Ouachita River). A second three-week course was then taken, followed by a few days without bathing. Most visitors stayed at the springs for one to three months, though some stayed for a year or longer.

In 1878, the process included a hot bath at 90 to 95 °F (32 to 35 °C) for about three minutes (measured with a glass filled with sand). This was followed by three minutes in a steam box, with only the head exposed, or, if a milder treatment was needed, sitting in the steam box covered with a blanket. During this time, the bather drank hot water from a coffee pot. After eight to ten minutes of treatment, the bather was rubbed dry and then walked briskly back to their room to rest for at least 30 minutes to return to a normal body temperature. Sleeping at this stage was considered dangerous.

Vapor cabinets were introduced around 1884. The bather sat inside the cabinet for 10–20 minutes with the lid tightly closed around the neck. Hot water vapor rose from the floor, creating temperatures of 110–130 °F (43–54 °C). By the late 1880s, Russian and Victorian Turkish baths were available, and in the 1890s, German needle baths and Scotch douches (a concentrated stream of hot or cold water, often used on the back) were added.

Although bathhouse operators decided the details of services, the Park’s superintendent set rules. In the 1930s, tub baths were limited to 20 minutes, and showers to 90 seconds. By the 1940s, shower time was reduced to one minute, with temperature limits for certain services. After a bath at about 98 °F (37 °C), a person might spend 2–5 minutes in a vapor cabinet, receive 15 minutes of packs (wet, hot, or cold), followed by a tepid needle shower, and a light massage with alcohol rubs.

By 1980, one reporter described a treatment that included a 20-minute bath, two minutes in a steam bath, 15 minutes wrapped in hot packs, and 20–30 minutes of rest in a cooling room. Today, modern facilities focus on spa-style or pool services.

• Lamar Bathhouse
• Ozark Bathhouse
• Buckstaff Bathhouse
• Quapaw Bathhouse

Pay bathhouses

About 24 pay bathhouses operated at the same time, with about nine of them located in the park’s "Bathhouse Row." Over the years, the facilities have changed, and the Quapaw bathhouse now includes two former separate bathhouses. Nine of the bathhouses were connected to hotels, hospitals, or health centers. All used the same water, but prices for baths differed based on the equipment, comfort, and services each facility provided. The cost for attendants’ services was the same, but they did not include towels, blankets, bathrobes, laundry, rubbing mercury, or help for people who were sick.

The area was popular with baseball players in the early 1900s, and some teams used it for spring training. In 1929, a single bath cost between $1 and $1.40, while a series of 21 baths cost between $16 and $24. Facilities were separated by race until civil rights laws in the 1960s changed this. Bathhouses for white visitors included the Arlington Hotel, Fordyce, Buckstaff, Eastman Hotel, Maurice, La Mar, Majestic Hotel, Quapaw, Hale, Imperial, Moody Hotel, Ozark, St. Joseph’s Infirmary, Superior, Rockafellow, and Alhambra. Bathhouses for people of color included the Pythian, Woodmen of Union, and National Baptist Hotel and Sanitorium.

Today, only the Buckstaff and Quapaw operate as bathhouses on Bathhouse Row. The Fordyce is now a visitor center where staff offer tours of the restored buildings. The Ozark houses the Museum of Contemporary Art and can be rented for events. The Arlington Hotel, Austin Hotel and Convention Center, and The Springs Hotel & Spa also provide hot spring baths using water from the park.

• Fordyce Bathhouse
• Maurice Bathhouse
• Hale and Superior Bathhouses
• National Baptist Hotel and Sanitorium (bathhouse for people of color)

Army and Navy Hospital

The former Army and Navy General Hospital received water from the springs. It is located behind the south end of Bathhouse Row near the base of Hot Springs Mountain. The War Department managed the hospital to help military members, Public Health Service officers, and honorably discharged veterans. The hot spring waters were known to help people with illnesses. Admission to the hospital was only for serious and difficult-to-treat cases that might improve with the use of the spring water.

The current facility was built in 1933 as the second Army-Navy hospital. For over 60 years, the state used it as the Hot Springs Rehabilitation Center, then briefly as the Arkansas Career Training Institute, and later as the Arkansas Career Development Center until May 2019.

After enrollment at the Arkansas Career Development Center dropped, the building was abandoned in 2019. It is not clear who owns the property now.

The building was originally built by the U.S. Federal Government for the city of Hot Springs to use as a hospital. Some argue that the Army and Navy Hospital building must be used for that purpose by future occupants. People who want to preserve the building estimate it would cost about $1 million each year to maintain. They suggest that both the state and federal government may be avoiding responsibility for the property because of the high costs.

The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the "Army and Navy General Hospital Historic District."

Disasters

In November 1864 during the American Civil War, a large part of "the valley" (the central area of the city near Hot Springs Creek) was burned. Union troops are believed to have caused the fire.

As in many cities, fire has been a danger, especially before city services were established. On March 5, 1878, a large fire burned for eight hours, destroying nearly 150 buildings, including hotels, bathhouses, and restaurants. On February 26, 1905, a fire started at the Grand Central Hotel on Chapel Street and burned 25 blocks in the southern part of Hot Springs. On September 5, 1913, a laundry worker accidentally started a fire while ironing at 424 Church Street. Strong winds caused the fire to spread quickly, burning 50 blocks in the business district.

Flooding has also been a problem because of the narrow valley. On May 14, 1923, a heavy rainstorm hit the city. Water from the surrounding mountains flowed down slopes and into Central Avenue, reaching a depth of nine feet. A lightning strike during the storm caused a fire that damaged several businesses in downtown Hot Springs. On February 15, 1956, a severe flood covered Central Avenue with three feet of rushing water, causing major property damage. On May 19, 1990, storms brought more than 13 inches (330 mm) of rain, leading to flash floods. A six-foot wave of water swept through downtown, causing widespread damage. During the flood, Carpenter Dam Bridge was destroyed.

On February 27, 2014, a fire broke out at the Majestic Hotel on Park Avenue, just outside the national park. It took 75 firefighters 22 hours to put out the fire in the hotel’s oldest section, made of yellow brick.

The remaining part of the Majestic Hotel was declared unsafe and later sold at auction in October 2014. After the fire, the Abandoned Atlas Foundation’s president, Michael Schwarz, began making a documentary about the hotel called Forever Majestic. The film shows two activists trying to save the hotel from being torn down.

Despite their efforts, the hotel remained empty for over two years. In 2016, the Hot Springs Board of Directors decided to demolish the building, and the remaining structure was removed that fall.

The land where the Majestic Hotel once stood was sold to a property developer. However, as of 2022, the company no longer planned to build on the site.

Government Free Baths

Congress created a free bathhouse for poor people on December 16, 1878. The Ral Hole mud pit and pool were closed, and the first Government Free Bathhouse began operating at that location. The Government Free Bathhouse was a concrete building designed to provide bathing for many people in clean and safe conditions. In 1878, the Army and Navy opened a free dispensary on the second floor, which stayed open for two years. In 1916, the Public Health Service started a clinic to examine and treat poor people who used the free baths. About 100,000 baths were given to the poor each year. People who wanted free baths had to promise they could not afford to pay for them. Breaking this rule was a crime that could lead to fines or imprisonment. Tickets were given to people who, after being checked by a doctor, were found to have illnesses that could be helped by the baths.

During the 1880s, some natural springs began to dry up. Corn Hole, a popular spring where people soaked their feet, dried up in 1882. Other open springs were covered by the National Park Service or bathhouse owners to stop them from becoming polluted.

A new free bathhouse was built in 1904, with separate areas for Black and White visitors. The materials used in construction were not of high quality. In 1922, a new bathhouse was built away from the reservation. The Park Service reminded people they had to bring their own food, lodging, and return travel tickets because many poor and sick people arrived thinking they would be cared for for free. The free bathhouse closed in 1957 because it was more cost-effective to let commercial bathhouses serve the few poor customers. Poor people applied at park headquarters, and if approved by a doctor, they were sent to a participating bathhouse, which the government paid for.

Climate

The Köppen climate classification system shows that Hot Springs National Park has a Humid subtropical climate (Cfa). The United States Department of Agriculture reports that the Plant Hardiness zone at the Hot Springs National Park Visitor Center, located at an elevation of 627 feet (191 meters), is 7b. This zone has an average annual extreme minimum temperature of 9.5 degrees Fahrenheit (-12.5 degrees Celsius).

Flora and fauna

According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. Potential Natural Vegetation Types, Hot Springs has an Oak / Hickory / Pine (111) potential vegetation type and a Southern Mixed Forest (26) potential vegetation form.

The area is mostly covered by forests. The northern sides of ridges and basins are home to deciduous forests where oak and hickory trees are most common. Pine trees are more common on the southern sides of ridges. There are 230 acres (93 ha) of forests that have not been cut down on North and Hot Springs Mountains, and 90 acres (36 ha) on Sugarloaf Mountain. These old-growth forests include shortleaf pine, blackjack oak, and white oak. Many trees are more than 130 years old, and some are more than 200 years old.

Plains bison, elk, cougar, and red wolf left the area after European settlers arrived. Today, the region is home to white-tailed deer, wild turkey, squirrel, rabbit, Virginia opossum, gray fox, coyote, skunk, raccoon, gopher, long-tailed weasel, mink, rat, chipmunk, frog, and nine-banded armadillo. Some migratory birds that follow the Mississippi Flyway spend part of the year in the area.

Geology

The thermal springs are located in the Ouachita Mountains of central Arkansas. They appear in a gap between Hot Springs Mountain and West Mountain in an area that is about 1,500 feet (460 meters) long and 400 feet (120 meters) wide. The springs are found at altitudes between 576 and 683 feet (176 to 208 meters). Most of the water comes from deep underground, where hot water mixes with some cold water from shallower areas. There are 43 thermal springs in the park that are believed to be flowing. Water from 33 of these springs is collected and stored in a central reservoir, which sends the combined water to the public for use. The area has different types of rock, including shale, which slows water movement, and fractured chert, novaculite, and sandstone, which allow water to flow more easily.

The water comes from rain that falls on mountains to the north and northeast. This rainwater moves slowly through cracks in rocks at about one foot per year. It travels to depths of at least 4,500 to 7,500 feet (1,400 to 2,300 meters), where it becomes very hot. The hot water then rises through cracks and faults in the ground. It flows upward under pressure and exits through the Hot Springs Sandstone, which is located between two large cracks in the Earth’s surface. Some rainwater from near the springs mixes with the deep hot water before it flows out. The journey from the surface to the deep underground takes about 4,000 years, and the hot water takes about one year to reach the surface.

The heat comes from the natural warming of rocks as they go deeper underground. The water’s composition shows it is heated rainwater that has not come into contact with volcanic sources, so volcanic activity is not involved in forming the springs. The water is mildly alkaline and has a pleasant taste due to dissolved calcium carbonate.

The rocks near the springs are sedimentary rocks formed between 350 and 500 million years ago, except for younger igneous rocks (formed about 100 million years ago) found in two small areas about 6 and 11 miles (9.7 and 17.7 kilometers) southeast of the springs. These igneous rocks are found in dikes and sills, which are narrow rock formations. Most dikes are less than 5 feet (1.5 meters) wide. About 80 dikes have been found near the Ouachita River, but no igneous rocks are found where the springs discharge.

The sedimentary rocks near the springs include shale, chert, novaculite, sandstone, and conglomerate.

• The Stanley Shale is a dark, clay-like rock with layers of sandstone. When fresh, the sandstone is hard and grainy, but it becomes soft and crumbly when exposed to air. Much of the low-lying land in Hot Springs is made of Stanley Shale, and it surrounds Hot Springs Mountain on the south, east, and west sides.
• The Hot Springs Sandstone is a type of sandstone found within the Stanley Shale. It is gray, hard, and made of quartz, with layers of shale and conglomerate. It can be up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) thick.
• The Arkansas Novaculite has three layers: the bottom layer is a thick, broken rock found on Hot Springs Mountain; the middle layer is a black shale mixed with novaculite; and the top layer is a light gray to black rock with a lot of calcium.
• The Polk Creek Shale and Missouri Mountain Shale are dark, soft rocks that sit above the Bigfork Chert. These rocks contain thin layers of quartz-rich sandstone.
• The Bigfork Chert is made of layers of chert and silty chert, separated by thin layers of black shale. This rock is very brittle and broken from folding.
• The Womble Shale is the oldest rock layer in the area. It is dark, hard, and made of clay-like material.

During much of the Paleozoic Era, the area that is now the Ouachita Mountains was the bottom of a shallow sea. Layers of sedimentary rock formed there. About 500 million years ago, the collision of the South American Plate with the North American Plate caused the rock layers to crack and fold, forming mountains. The thermal springs flow from the top of a large folded mountain structure called an overturned anticline in the Zigzag Mountains of the Ouachita anticlinorium. This structure slopes toward the southwest into the Mazarn Basin. Two major faults define the northern and southern edges of the area where the springs discharge. The northern fault runs northeast for about 9,200 feet (2,800 meters) and dips 26 degrees north. It is thought to form where the Hot Springs Sandstone meets the Stanley Shale. The southern fault runs northeast for about 9,000 feet (2,700 meters) and dips 44 degrees north. A natural ravine follows the path of a smaller fault that connects the northern and southern faults. Cracks and fractures in the Bigfork Chert, Arkansas Novaculite, and Hot Springs Sandstone allow water to flow through the springs. Minerals in the water form white to tan rock called travertine or "tufa rock" near the spring openings.

Composition of the water

The water from all the springs comes from the same deep underground source, but the way the springs look on the surface is different. A spring called Mud Spring had warm, thick water that was not hot enough to cause burns. Other springs were named Magnesia, Big Iron, and Arsenic. The water from Big Iron Spring had a lot of dissolved iron, which caused orange-colored crusts and stains to form. Arsenic Spring, however, does not have any detectable amounts of arsenic in its water. Today, water from many springs is combined into one supply, with the total amount of water changing daily between 750,000 and 950,000 US gallons (2.8 to 3.6 million liters). The average water temperature is about 143 °F (62 °C). The highest temperatures recorded have decreased by about 5 °F (2.8 °C) since records began.

In 1905, people believed radium had healing properties, and Bertram Boltwood from Yale University studied the water. The water has a measurable level of radioactivity, mainly because of dissolved radon gas and some radium. At that time, equipment was designed to keep radon gas inside, but modern equipment allows it to escape. The radiation exposure from bathing in the water is about the same as sitting in the sun for the same amount of time. The water in the park is considered safe and similar to other natural waters around the world.

Drinking water is available from several hot water fountains. The hot water is naturally safe to drink. Two cold water springs, Happy Hollow and Whittington Springs, are treated with ozone filtration. Rules prevent private individuals from selling the park’s water.