As the 20th century began to discover it's huge...
Today the Arkansas tourist city of Eureka Springs is a typical, deceptive punishment for Victoria tourists with many Bible attractions.
But knickknack shops and family-friendly theaters are actually the natural end of a long history as a “holiday” going back to Native Americans.
Eureka Springs, unsurprisingly, has a number of natural mineral-rich springs, which have long been thought to have healing properties. In 1856 a European settler named Drs. Alvah Jackson took Indian legends and used some water from Eureka's springs to "cure" the unexplained eye ailment her son had.
The disease that cured her son's recovery was aptly described as spring water. This led to the establishment of Dr. Jackson's Cave Hospital, where many young men were "treated" with Eureka's spring water during the American Civil War, and Dr. Jackson's Eye Water business that followed later.
In 1879 Judge J. Excited about the change in his fragile lifestyle, the influential judge began advertising the Eureka Springs nationwide. Before the end of the year, the city of Eureka Springs had a population of 10,000, and in 1881 it became the largest city in Arkansas.
Eureka Springs soon became famous for its luxurious baths in Baths. In 1889 the Basin Spring Bath House was built on Main Street; it was 4 floors high, there is a bridge to the top 2 houses that meet above the road and provide plumbing.
The baths of the 1901 Palace Hotel use water from Harding Spring, and include an electric lift, electric lights, and steam heating in all the rooms, making it a century-old equivalent to a 5-star hotel.
In these and other bathrooms, guests can come out of their union bags hot or cold or showered, massages or different types of baths: hot air, electricity, medicine, light, steam, and more. The palace and the Basin house still stand.
As the 20th century began to discover its huge, bloody, steel wheels rising rapidly, interest in mystery began to decline, and this included the belief in "healing water". The springs began to be on the larger side than the big event, and most of the Bathhouses were closed.
But Eureka Springs hung there, keeping up with the times, to remain one of Arkansas' most popular tourist destinations. Sure, no one is coming to be healed, but now they are coming in.
Eureka Springs has become the Las Vegas Ozark when it comes to fast weddings no blood tests are required, with more than 4,000 weddings taking place there every year. Also, there are plenty of shopping opportunities for holiday shoppers to enjoy.
For the faithful it is worth a trip to Eureka Springs to see a 70-foot 70 statue of Jesus, called the Christ of the Ozarks, rising above the city. Eureka Springs has been wearing them for over 150 years, now. Who can say why people will visit the other 150?
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