Visiting Bathhouse Row at Hot Springs National Park

Taking the Baths at the Buckstaff

Hot Springs National Park is one of the oddest parks in the National Park Service. While most visitors to national parks envision broad vistas of scenic beauty, acres and acres in which to tramp, and opportunities for physical activity, Hot Springs NP seems to take up a few blocks on Main Street of an Arkansas city. While the park does include over 5,000 acres (compare to 2.2 million acres at Yellowstone) of hiking trails, a mountain, and 47 hot springs, the bathhouses on Main Street are its main emphasis. Hoping to restore Bathhouse Row to its former splendor of the 1920s, the government is now trying to interest private developers in leasing the former bathhouses for commercial ventures. While Hot Springs NP joined the list of national parks in 1921, much of the restoration work has been recent; the Fordyce Bathhouse was completely redone in the late 1980s.

During the early part of the 20th century, Hot Springs was a popular destination for visitors who needed treatments for health problems. Hot springs bubbled up out of the mountain there; soothing mineral water that stayed at a temperature of 143 degrees caused people to flock to the baths. Doctors that specialized in the treatment of many illnesses recommended the hot springs, and after trains began to reach Hot Springs almost a million visitors a year made the trip to the bathhouses, seeking cures for their ailments.

The U.S. government began regulating the hot springs in 1832 after crowds of people began going to the waters. At first visitors just sat in the hot springs, but later simple bathhouses were constructed over the springs, mostly built of wood or canvas. A creek ran along the hot springs, and many problems occurred with the water from the creek and springs becoming unsanitary; the buildings often collapsed from flooding, fires, or from constantly being exposed to steam. The creek was finally covered by a road to alleviate some of the problems.