Hot Spring Areas

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The hot spring water has been popularly believed for centuries to possess healing properties, and was a subject of legend among several Native American tribes. Following federal protection in 1832, the city developed into a successful spa town. Incorporated January 10, 1851, the city has been home to Major League Baseball spring training, illegal gambling, speakeasies, and gangsters such as Al Capone, Charles "Lucky" Luciano, Frank Costello, and Bugs Moran. It also features the childhood home of the 42nd U.S. President, Bill Clinton. One of the largest Pentecostal denominations in the United States, the Assemblies of God, traces its beginnings to Hot Springs, as do horse racing at Oaklawn Park and the Army and Navy Hospital.

In Their Own Story

In 1673, Father Marquette and Jolliet explored the area and claimed it for France. The 1763 Treaty of Paris ceded the land to Spain; however, in 1800, control was returned to France until the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. In December 1804, George Hunter and William Dunbar made an expedition to the springs, finding a lone log cabin and a few rudimentary shelters used by people visiting the springs for their healing properties. In 1807, a man named Prudhomme became the first settler of modern Hot Springs, and he was soon joined by John Perciful and Isaac Cates. On August 24, 1818, the Quapaw Native Americans ceded the land around the hot springs to the United States in a treaty. After Arkansas became its own territory in 1819, the Arkansas Territorial Legislature requested in 1820 that the springs and adjoining mountains be set aside as a federal reservation. Twelve years later, in 1832, the Hot Springs Reservation was created by the United States Congress, granting federal protection of the thermal waters. The reservation was renamed Hot Springs National Park in 1921.

Reader's Guide

Much of Hot Springs' history is preserved by various government entities. Hot Springs National Park is maintained by the National Park Service and includes Bathhouse Row, which preserves the eight historic bathhouse buildings and gardens along Central Avenue. Downtown Hot Springs is preserved as the Central Avenue Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The city also contains dozens of historic hotels and motor courts, built during the Great Depression in the Art Deco style. Due to the popularity of the thermal waters, Hot Springs benefited from rapid growth during a period when many cities saw a sharp decline in building—much like Miami's Art Deco districts. As a result, Hot Springs's architecture is a key part of the city's blend of cultures, including a reputation as a tourist town and a Southern city. Also a destination for the arts, Hot Springs hosts the Hot Springs Music Festival, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, and the Valley of the Vapors Independent Music Festival.

Did You Know?

• The hot spring water has been popularly believed for centuries to possess healing properties, and was a subject of legend among several Native American tribes.
• Hot Springs was incorporated on January 10, 1851, and has been home to gangsters such as Al Capone, Charles "Lucky" Luciano, Frank Costello, and Bugs Moran.
• The city features the childhood home of the 42nd U.S. President, Bill Clinton.
• One of the largest Pentecostal denominations in the United States, the Assemblies of God, traces its beginnings to Hot Springs.
• Hot Springs is often called the 'birthplace' of Spring training baseball, first welcoming Major League Baseball in 1886 when the Chicago White Stockings brought their coaches and players to the city.