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Garland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 96,024. The county seat is Hot Springs.
and John Percival, two trappers from Alabama, joined him. Cates was mostly concerned with trapping but Percival foresaw a great potential for the area and built log Garland County cabins in order to rent to comprises the visitors to the springs. Hot Springs, AR In 1828, Ludovicus Metropolitan Statistical Belding came with wife Area. The county and children to visit the includes Hot Springs hot springs. After a few National Park. months they built a small Garland County is hotel for the visitors of the springs. Arkansas’s 68th county, was formed on April 5, 1873, from portions of Saline County. It was named for Augustus H. Garland, eleventh governor of Arkansas.
The first settler was Jean Pierre Emanuel Prudhomme. In 1807, Prudhomme, the sickly owner of a plantation at Red River, heard of the healing hot springs of the Indians. He built the first real settlement by the springs and lived there two years. Isaac Cates World Views Guides
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1. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 735 square miles (1,900 km2), of which 678 square miles (1,760 km2) is land and 57 square miles (150 km2) (7.7%) is water.
2.
Adjacent counties
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Perry County (north) Saline County (east) Hot Spring County (south) Montgomery County (west) Yell County (northwest)
• • • • 3.
National protected areas
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Hot Springs National Park Ouachita National Forest (part)
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As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 88,068 people, 37,813 households, and 25,259 families residing in the county. The population density was 130 people per square mile (50/km²). There were 44,953 housing 1. Major highways units at an average • U.S. Highway 70 density of 66 per square • U.S. Highway 270 mile (26/km²). The racial • Highway 5 makeup of the county • Highway 7 was 88.85% White, • Highway 88 7.80% Black or African
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2. Towns 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 21.20% • Fountain Lake who were 65 years of • Lonsdale age or older. The median age was 42 years. For 3. C e n s u s every 100 females there designated places were 94.40 males. For • Hot Springs Village every 100 females age • Lake Hamilton 18 and over, there were • Piney 90.80 males. There were 37,813 • Rockwell households out of which The median income 25.10% had children for a household in the 4. Unincorporated community under the age of 18 living county was $31,724, and with them, 53.20% were the median income for • Royal married couples living a family was $38,079. together, 10.10% had a Males had a median 3. Townships female householder with income of $28,117 Townships in Arkansas no husband present, versus $20,421 for are the divisions of a and 33.20% were non- females. The per capita county. Each township families. 28.80% of all income for the county includes unincorporated households were made was $18,631. About areas; some may have up of individuals and 10.50% of families and incorporated cities 13.50% had someone 14.60% of the population or towns within part living alone who was were below the poverty of their boundaries. 65 years of age or older. line, including 22.70% Arkansas townships The average household of those under age 18 have limited purposes in size was 2.28 and the and 8.60% of those age modern times. However, average family size was 65 or over. the United States Census 2.78. does list Arkansas 2. Communities In the county the population based on population was spread townships (sometimes 1. Cities out with 21.30% under referred to as “county • Hot Springs the age of 18, 7.30% from subdivisions” or “minor • Mountain Pine 18 to 24, 25.20% from civil divisions”). American, 0.61% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.72% from other races, and 1.49% from two or more races. 2.56% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
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Townships are also of value for historical purposes in terms of genealogical research. Each town or city is within one or more townships in an Arkansas county based on census maps and publications. The townships of Garland County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/ or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township. Hot Springs is the eleventh-largest city in Arkansas and the county seat of Garland County. The city is located deep within the Ouachita Mountains among the U.S. Interior Highlands, and is set among several natural hot springs for which the city is named. The center of Hot Springs is the oldest federal reserve in the United States, today preserved as Hot Springs National Park. The hot spring World Views Guides
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water has been popularly believed for centuries to possess medicinal 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 in January 10, 1851, the city has been home to Major League Baseball spring training, illegal gambling, speakeasies and gangsters such as Al Capone, horse racing at Oaklawn Park, the Army and Navy Hospital, and 42nd President Bill Clinton. The city contains a population of 35,193 according to the 2010 United States Census. Today, much of Hot Springs’s history is preserved by various government entities. Hot Springs National Park is maintained by the National Park Service, including Bathhouse
Row, which preserves the eight historic bathhouse buildings and gardens along Central Avenue. Downtown Hot Springs is preserved as Hot Springs 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 Spring’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 features the Hot Springs Music Festival, Hot
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Springs Documentary Film Festival, and the Valley of the Vapors Independent Music Festival annually. Hot Springs is the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Garland County, registering a population of 96,024 in 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau. The metro was ranked by Forbes as one of the top “small places for business and careers�, citing a low cost of doing business, high job growth and an educated workforce. 1.
Discovery settlement
and
Members of many Native American tribes had been gathering in the valley for untold numbers of years to enjoy the healing properties of the thermal springs. In
1673,
Father
Marquette and Jolliet explored the area and claimed it for France. The Treaty of Paris 1763 ceded the land to Spain; however, in 1800 control was returned to France until the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.
and adjoining mountains be set aside as a federal reservation. Twelve years later, in 1832, the Hot Springs Reservation was created by the US Congress, granting federal protection of the thermal waters. In December 1804, The Reservation was Dr. George Hunter and renamed Hot Springs William Dunbar made an National Park in 1921. expedition to the springs, 2. Civil War finding a lone log cabin and a few rudimentary The outbreak of the shelters used by people American Civil War visiting the springs for left Hot Springs with their healing properties. a declining bathing In 1807, a man named population. After the forces Prudhomme became the Confederate first settler of modern suffered defeat in the Hot Springs, and he was Battle of Pea Ridge in soon joined by John March 1862, the Union Perciful and Isaac Cates. troops advanced toward the Confederate city of On August 24, 1818, the Little Rock. Confederate Quapaw Indians ceded Governor Henry M. the land around the hot Rector moved his staff springs to the United and state records to States in a treaty. After Hot Springs. Union Arkansas became its forces did not attack own territory in 1819, Little Rock, and the the Arkansas Territorial government returned to Legislature requested the capital city on July in 1820 that the springs World Views Guides | June 2014
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14, 1862. Many residents of Hot Springs fled to Texas or Louisiana and remained there until the end of the war. In September 1863, Union forces occupied Little Rock. During this period, Hot Springs became the prey of guerrilla bands loosely associated with either Union or Confederate forces. They pillaged and burned the near-deserted town, leaving only a few buildings standing at the end of the Civil War. 3.
Rebuilding
After the Civil War, an extensive rebuilding of bathhouses and hotels took place at Hot Springs. The yearround population soared to 1,200 inhabitants by 1870. By 1873 six bathhouses and 24 hotels and boardinghouses stood near the springs. In 1874, Joseph Reynolds announced his decision to construct a narrow gauge
railroad from Malvern to Hot Springs; completion in 1875 resulted in the growth of visitation to the springs. Samuel W. Fordyce and two other entrepreneurs financed the construction of the first luxury hotel in the area, the first Arlington Hotel which opened in 1875. During the Reconstruction period, several conflicting land claims reached the U.S. Congress and resulted in an April 24, 1876 United States Supreme Court ruling that the land title of Hot Springs belonged to the federal government. They couldn’t do anything about the federal government so they tried protesting and fight for rights. To deal with the situation, Congress formed the Hot Springs Commission to lay out streets in the town of Hot Springs, deal with land claims, define
property lines, condemn buildings illegally on the permanent reservation (now the national park) and define a process for claimants to purchase land. The commission surveyed and set aside 264.93 acres (1.0721 km2) encompassing the hot springs and Hot Springs Mountain to be a permanent government reservation. Another 1,200 acres (4.9 km2) became the Hot Springs townsite, with 700 acres (2.8 km2) awarded to claimants. The townsite consisted of 196 blocks and 50 miles (80 km) of streets and alleys. The remaining portion of the original four sections of government land consisted of hills and mountains which were mostly unoccupied, and Congress acted on the commission’s recommendation in June 1880 by adding those lands to the permanent reservation. World Views Guides | June 2014
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4.
The early 1900s
During the early 20th century, Hot Springs was known for baseball training camps. Many of the Major League clubs brought their teams to Hot Springs to get the players in shape for the coming season. Teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, and Boston Red Sox made Hot Springs their home base. Baseball great Babe Ruth could be seen walking the streets, visiting the bath spas, and gambling at the nearby horse track. 5.
1913 fire
On September 6, 1913, a fire broke out on Church Street a few blocks southeast of Bathhouse Row, near the Army and Navy Hospital. The fire burned southeast, away from the hospital, until the wind reversed an hour later. Racing toward the business section, it destroyed the Ozark World Views Guides
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Sanitarium, and the high school on its way across Malvern Avenue. Along the way it consumed the Public Utilities plant, which destroyed the firefighters’ water supply. A wide front then was blown toward Ouachita Avenue which destroyed the Garland County Court House. The Hot Springs Fire Department fought alongside the Little Rock Fire Department, which had rushed over on a special train. Despite their efforts numerous homes, at least a hundred businesses, four hotels, the Iron Mountain Railroad facilities, and the Crystal Theater were destroyed. A rainstorm finally quenched the blaze at Hazel Street. Although CentralAvenue was ultimately protected (primarily by desperate use of dynamite), much of the southern part of the city was destroyed. Damage was estimated
at $10,000,000 across 60 blocks. 6.
Gangsters and illegal gambling
Illegal gambling became firmly established in Hot Springs during the decades following the Civil War, with two factions, the Flynns and the Dorans, fighting one another throughout the 1880s for control of the town. Frank Flynn, leader of the Flynn Faction, had effectively begun paying local law enforcement officers employed by both the Hot Springs Police Department and the Garland County Sheriff’s Office to collect unpaid debts, as well as to intimidate gambling rivals. This contributed to the March 16th, 1899 Hot Springs Gunfight. Of the seven Hot Springs police officers that have been killed while in service of the department, three died during that gunfight,
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killed by deputies of the Garland County Sheriff’s Office. One part-time deputy sheriff was killed also, by the Hot Springs officers. Along with its Bathhouse Row, one of downtown Hot Springs’ most noted landmarks is the Arlington Hotel, a favored retreat for Al Capone. Hot Springs eventually became a national gambling mecca, led by Owney Madden and his Hotel Arkansas casino. The period 1927–1947 was its wagering pinnacle, with no fewer than ten major casinos and numerous smaller houses running wide open, the largest such operation in the United States at the time. Hotels advertised the availability of prostitutes and off-track booking was available for virtually any horse race in North America.
Local law enforcement was controlled by a political machine run by long-serving mayor, Leo P. McLaughlin. The McLaughlin organization purchased hundreds of poll tax receipts, many in the names of deceased or fictitious persons, which would sometimes be voted in different precincts. A former sheriff, who attempted to have the state’s antigambling laws enforced and to secure honest elections, was murdered in 1937. No one was ever charged with his killing. Machine domination of city and county government was abruptly ended in 1946 with the election of a “Government Improvement” slate of returning World War II veterans led by Marine Lt. Col. Sid McMath, who was elected prosecuting attorney. A 1947 grand jury indicted several
owners and promoters, as well as McLaughlin, for public servant bribery. Although the former mayor and most of the others were acquitted, the machine’s power was broken and gambling came to a halt as McMath led a statewide “GI Revolt” into the governor’s office in 1948. Illegal casino gambling resumed, however, with the election of Orval Faubus as governor in 1954. Buoyed into 12 years in office by his popular defiance of federal court desegregation orders, Faubus turned a blind eye to gambling in Hot Springs. Gambling was finally closed down permanently in 1967 by two Republican officeholders, Governor Winthrop Rockefeller and Circuit Judge Henry M. Britt. Rockefeller sent in a company of state troopers to shutter World Views Guides | June 2014
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the casinos and burn their gaming equipment. Until other forms of gambling became legal in Arkansas four decades later, Oaklawn Park, a thoroughbred horse racing track south of downtown, was the only legal gambling establishment in Hot Springs and one of only two in the state of Arkansas; the other was the Southland Greyhound Park dog track in West Memphis. Both Oaklawn and Southland remain in operation. 7.
World War II
The military took over the enormous Eastman Hotel across the street from the Army and Navy Hospital in 1942 because the hospital was not nearly large enough to hold the sick and wounded coming in. In 1944, the Army began redeploying returning overseas soldiers; World Views Guides
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officials inspected hotels in 20 cities before selecting Hot Springs as a redistribution center for returning soldiers. In August 1944 the Army took over most of the hotels in Hot Springs. The soldiers from the west-central states received a 21-day furlough before reporting to the redistribution station. They spent 14 days updating their military records and obtaining physical and dental treatment. The soldiers had time to enjoy the baths at a reduced rate and other recreational activities. The redistribution center closed down in December 1945 after processing more than 32,000 members of the military. In 1946, after the war, the Eastman was demolished when the federal government no longer needed it.
4. Geography Hot Springs is located at 34°29′50″N 93°03′19″W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 33.0 square miles (85 km2), of which 32.9 square miles (85 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (0.36%) is water. 1.
Natural springs
The city takes its name from the natural thermal water that flows from 47 springs on the western slope of Hot Springs Mountain in the historic downtown district of the city. About 1,000,000 US gallons (3,800,000 L) of 143 °F (62 °C) flow from the springs each day. The flow rate is not affected by fluctuations in the rainfall in the area. Studies by National Park Service scientists have determined through radiocarbon dating that the water that reaches the
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surface in Hot Springs fell as rainfall in an as-yet undetermined watershed 4,400 years earlier. The water percolates very slowly down through the earth’s surface until it reaches superheated areas deep in the crust and then rushes rapidly to the surface to emerge from the 47 hot springs. A small channel of hot spring water known as Hot Springs Creek runs under ground from an area near Park Avenue to Bathhouse Row. 2. Climate
temperature was 115 °F (46.1 °C), recorded in 1986. The lowest temperature recorded was −5 °F (−20.6 °C), in 1989 Precipitation is weakly seasonal, with a bimodal pattern: wet seasons in the spring and fall, and relatively drier summers and winters, but some rain in all months. The spring wet season is more pronounced than fall, with the highest rainfall in May. Hot Springs precipitation is impacted by the orographic effect of the Ouachita Mountains.
Hot Springs lies in the humid subtropical 5. Demographics climate zone (Köppen Historical population Cfa). The climate in this Census Pop. %± 1860 201 — area is characterized by 1870 1,276 534.8% 1880 3,554 178.5% hot, humid summers 1890 8,086 127.5% 1900 9,973 23.3% and generally mild to 1910 14,434 44.7% 1920 11,695 −19.0% cool winters. July and 1930 20,238 73.0% August are the hottest 1940 21,370 5.6% 1950 29,307 37.1% months of the year, with 1960 28,337 −3.3% 1970 35,631 25.7% an average high of 93 °F 1980 35,781 0.4% 1990 32,462 −9.3% (34 °C) and an average 2000 35,750 10.1% 2010 35,193 −1.6% low of 70.5 °F (21.4 °C). The city’s highest As of the census of World Views Guides
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2000, there were 35,750 people, 16,096 households, and 9,062 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,086.9 people per square mile (419.7/km2). There were 18,813 housing units at an average density of 572.0 per square mile (220.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 78.86% White, 16.87% Black or African American, 0.55% Native American, 0.79% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.02% from other races, and 1.86% from two or more races. 3.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 16,096 households out of which 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.7%
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are classified as nonfamilies by the United States Census Bureau. Of 16,096 households, 690 are unmarried partner households: 580 heterosexual, 78 samesex male, and 32 samesex female. 38.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.80. In the city the population was spread out with 20.2% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 23.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was
$26,040, and the median income for a family was $32,819. Males had a median income of $25,861 versus $20,155 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,961. About 13.7% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.7% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over. 6. Arts and culture The city has been a tourist mecca for generations due to the thermal waters and attractions such as Oaklawn Park, a thoroughbred racing facility; Magic Springs and Crystal Falls theme parks; a fine arts community that has earned the city the No. 4 position among “America’s Top 100 Small Arts Towns”; the Hot Springs Music Festival; and the Hot Springs Documentary
Film Festival, held each October at the historic Malco Theater, one of the top documentary festivals in the world, attracting numerous Academy Awardwinning films and producers. 1.
Annual cultural events
Other annual events in town include the Valley of Vapors Festival, free Hot Springs Jazz Festival in September, the free Hot Springs Blues Festival in September, the downtown Bathtub Races in the spring, the Big Barbecue Cook off in Spring and Fall, the World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade every March 17, and the outdoor skating rink November through January. Venues for live music are Low Key Arts, Maxine’s, The Ohio Club, The Big Chill, and the Arlington Hotel among many others. World Views Guides | June 2014
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Superlift Offroad Vehicle Park hosts the annual Ouachita Jeep Jamboree, an off-road adventure weekend that draws people and their 4x4’s from a dozen states. All come to Hot Springs to get a taste of the Ouachita Mountain trails, wildlife, and the views of the changing leaves in Arkansas.
with the winning team consisting of eight turndesigning next year’s of-the century historic game. buildings, lies within Hot Springs National 2. Tourism Park and is managed by the National Park 1. A r k a n s a s Service, Department Alligator Farm and of the Interior. Fordyce Petting Zoo Bathhouse was restored Founded on Whittington in 1989 as the park’s Avenue in 1902, the visitor center and the Arkansas Alligator beginning of restoring Farm and Petting Zoo all properties on features approximately Bathhouse Row. The 200 alligators, the zoo series of renovations and also contains cougars, leasing public spaces turkeys, chickens, wild to commercial owners boars, turtles, bobcats, became a model for and ring-tailed lemurs. similar projects across A petting zoo with goats, the nation. emus, llamas, white- Buckstaff Bathhouse tailed deer, pigs, baby has been in continuous alligators, and other operation since 1912, animals allows visitors and thus is one of to touch and feed the the best-preserved animals. An alligator structures on Bathhouse feeding show includes Row. The Buckstaff educational material Bathhouse Company about the animals. has completed the
Educational institutes and conventions are also important events in the spa city. Perhaps the most popular of these events is the Hot Springs Technology Institute (HSTI), drawing over 1300 participants each June. Hot Springs is also home to the annual alternate reality game Midnight Madness, based on the movie from which it gets its name. Teams race throughout the city at night, solving 2. Bathhouse Row, clues based on difficult Hot Springs National puzzle and physical Park challenges. Games Row, last 12 hours or more, Bathhouse World Views Guides
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majority of maintenance and renovation that has occurred without outside funding. The Quapaw was restored by
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the NPS in 2004, and the renovated structure was leased to Quapaw Baths, LLC, who now operates a modern spa with pools and hot tubs. The Lamar was renovated into offices for park staff and Bathhouse Row Emporium, the park’s official store. Superior Bathhouse Brewery and Distillery has occupied Superior Bathhouse since 2012, using hot spring water in its beers and spirits. As of February 2014, the Maurice, Ozark, and Hale bathhouses are all available for rent from the NPS. Atop Hot Springs Mountain in the park is the Hot Springs Mountain Tower, a 216 feet (66 m) observation tower built in 1982. 3.
Central Avenue
Along Bathhouse Row is Central Avenue, Highway 7, lined with historic buildings, World Views Guides
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businesses and tourist attractions. Today preserved by NRHP as Hot Springs Central Avenue Historic District, the district includes 77 contributing properties to the district between Prospect Street and Park Avenue. Included within this district are the 1924 Arlington Hotel, the Medical Arts Building, an 1929 art deco high rise, and the Wade Building, built in 1927 in the Neoclassical style. 4. G a r v a n Woodland Gardens Founded by the daughter of a lumber and brick magnate in 1985, the 210 acres (85 ha) botanical garden on Arkridge Road features native Ouachita Mountains flora among rocky streams and waterfalls. Garvan also has a Japanesethemed section with several species native to Japanese throughout. The garden is situated
on a peninsula jutting into Lake Hamilton and began as Verna Garvan’s personal garden for decades before being donated to the University of Arkansas landscape architecture department. 5.
Historic hotels and districts
Thirteen of Hot Springs’ hotels are individually listed by the NRHPwithin the city, with more being listed as contributing properties within other districts. Four of Hot Springs’ neighborhoods are preserved as historic districts by the National Register of Historic Places, and the city also contains five historically important commercial districts in addition to the aforementioned Bathhouse Row and Hot Springs Central Avenue Historic District. The city contains several historic hotels, including the Arlington Hotel, Jack Tar Hotel and Bathhouse,
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Mountainaire Hotel Historic District, Park Hotel, and the Riviera Hotel. During Hot Springs’ heyday, several tourists visiting the city stayed at motor courts, the precursor to today’s hotels. The NRHP recognizes seven of these hotels as culturally and historically significant: Bellaire Court Historic District, Cottage Courts Historic District, Cove Tourist Court, George Klein Tourist Court Historic District, Lynwood Tourist Court Historic District, Parkway Courts Historic District, Perry Plaza Court Historic District, and the Taylor Rosamond Motel Historic District. The Fordyce-Ricks House Historic District at 1501 Park Avenue includes three buildings on 37 acres (15 ha) formerly owned by Samuel W. Fordyce, a prominent businessman and railroad executive
who moved to Hot Springs in 1876. The house and outbuildings are built as log cabins with the Adirondack style. The Pleasant Street Historic District along Malvern Avenue (colloquially “Black Broadway”) contains 93 contiguous buildings associated with the city’s black community. Included within the district are the Visitors’ Chapel AME Church and the Woodmen of Union Building, along with 69 other contributing structures. A variety of architectural styles are used, with many of the structures using brick facades. The QuapawProspect Historic District contains 233 structures near downtown Hot Springs, with 139 residential houses contributing to the character of the district built between 1890 and 1950 in several architectural
styles. The Whittington Park Historic District is a residential district lining Whittington Park, a long, narrow park between two one-way streets created by the National Park Service in 1897. The 1896– 1960 district contains 60 single-family houses and ten other structures. Predominantly Craftsman, Ranch and Queen Anne style buildings, the district is northwest of downtown Hot Springs. Seven districts in Hot Springs have special historical significance to the city’s past economy. In addition to the aforementioned Bathhouse Row and Central Avenue Historic District, the Army and Navy General Hospital Historic District includes 31 buildings surrounding and supporting the former Army-Navy Hospital. Built in 1933, the six-story brick World Views Guides | June 2014
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building built in the Spanish Revival style with art deco detailing is the centerpiece of the district, and remains the most imposing figure on the Hot Springs skyline. The Forest Service Headquarters Historic District encompasses six structures on Winona and Indiana Streets built by the Civilian Conservation Corps as the headquarters of the Jessieville Ranger District of the Ouachita National Forest. The Hot Springs Railroad Warehouse Historic District preserves three brick buildings between the MissouriPacific Railroad tracks and Broadway. Almost entirely unaltered, the 1920s structures are associated with the railroad industry, which was extremely important to Hot Springs in the early 20th century. As the city grew during the early 20th century, World Views Guides
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commercial activity developed along Ouachita Avenue south of Bathhouse Row, today preserved as the Ouachita Avenue Historic District. Mostly consisting of brick commercial and multifamily buildings, the district maintains the character of an historic commercial area. The 1905 Peter Joplin Commercial Block building was the only building to survive the 1913 “Black Friday� fire, making it a remnant of early commercial activity on Ouachita Avenue when all contemporary structures have been destroyed. 6. Lake Catherine and Lake Hamilton Lake Hamilton and Lake Catherine are two reservoirs of the Ouachita River south of Hot Springs created for hydroelectric power generation and recreational uses. Both
created by Arkansas Power & Light (AP&L), Lake Catherine formed following the construction of Remmel Dam in the 1920s. Following a donation of over 2,000 acres (810 ha), the state created Lake Catherine State Park in 1935. Today, the park features fishing and water recreation as well as camping to visitors. Lake Hamilton was created following the construction of Carpenter Dam in the 1930s. Built during the Great Depression, the power produced by the dam is credited with allowing AP&L to survive the difficult economic times. Following construction, resorts, businesses, and homes have been built along the lake in contrast to Lake Catherine. Due to the economic importance of the dam to Hot Springs, Carpenter Dam was placed on the National Register of
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Historic Places in 1992. Fishing is popular on Lake Hamilton, and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission operates a fish hatchery to stock the lake with bass and other species. 7.
Oaklawn Park
Oaklawn Park has been in operation since 1904. (An additional horse racing park was once within the city limits, but was eventually closed). The meet, which is annually held from January through mid-April each year, is sometimes referred to as the “Fifth Season” and features the “Racing Festival of the South” during the last week of the racing season each April. Many Triple Crown contenders compete in the Arkansas Derby, which is the big finale each year of the meet. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, his half-brother Roger,
and Billy Bob Thornton, all Hot Springs natives, have been known to frequent Oaklawn Park in the past. Government Hot Springs operates under the councilmanager form of city government, one of the two most common forms of local government in the United States, and common in smaller municipalities. The city is divided into six districts, which elect a city director to the seven-member board of directors. As a body, the board is the prime executive branch of Hot Springs government whose duties include making policy, creating a budget, and passing resolutions and ordinances. The seventh member is a mayor elected at-large by Hot Springs. The mayor presides over city functions in an official capacity and manages the municipal
government, without legislative authority. City director elections are held every four years, but are staggered such that elections for three districts coincide with the election of the President of the United States and four occur in November of “off years”. 7. Education Hot Springs public secondary education includes five school districts, ultimately leading to graduation from five different high schools. The majority of Hot Springs is included in the Hot Springs School District, which leads to graduation from Hot Springs High School. The northern section of the city is within the Fountain Lake School District, leading to graduation from Fountain Lake High School. East of the Hot Springs School World Views Guides | June 2014
District is the Cutter– Morning Star School District, leading to graduation from Cutter– Morning Star High School, and the Lakeside School District, leading to graduation from Lakeside High School is located southeast of town. To the southwest, students are to be enrolled in Lake Hamilton School District, which leads to graduation from Lake Hamilton High School. The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts (ASMSA), an advanced statewide program within the University of Arkansas System and National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology, is also located in Hot Springs. A two-year residential program, ASMSA was established in 1993 and is available to students from across the state following
acceptance. Hot Springs Christian School is the only private provider of K-12 education in Hot Springs. The only accredited postsecondary educational opportunity in Hot Springs is at National Park Community College. Created from a merger between Garland County Community College and Quapaw Technical Institute, the college enrolls approximately 3000 students annually in credit programs. Champion Baptist College, an unaccredited four-year Christian vocational college associated with Gospel Light Baptist Church, is also located in Hot Springs. Champion Baptist College was issued a Letter of Exemption from Certification by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education to offer church-related courses and grant church-related
degrees. 8. Media The Hot Springs newspaper is the Sentinel-Record, originally part of the Clyde E. Palmer chain, since renamed WEHCO Media. The online newspaper is www.HotSpringsDaily. com. It lists up-tothe minute concise information about the city. Seven AM radio stations and Fifteen FM stations broadcast from the area. In addition, most of the Little Rock radio stations provide at least secondary coverage of the city. Hot Springs is part of the Little Rock television market. 9. Notable people • Bill Clinton, former US President, boyhood home.
• Roger Clinton, Jr., musician, actor and halfbrother of former US President Bill Clinton, born in Hot Springs on July 25, 1956. Alan Ladd, actor, born in Hot Springs. • Gauge, actor, born in Hot Springs. • Billy Bob Thornton, actor, born in nearby Malvern. •
Springs, later opened the Merrill Lynch office in Little Rock and kept it intact during the Great Depression. • Lynn A. Davis, temporary head of the Arkansas state police during the Winthrop Rockefeller administration, cleared Hot Springs of illegal gambling in 1967.
• Adam L. Brown, distinguished and highly decorated United States Navy SEAL, born in Hot Springs on February 5, 1974.
• Cliff Harris, NFL Dallas Cowboys free safety, played quarterback at Hot Springs High School until his senior year • Alan Clark, state when he moved to Des Arc. senator from Garland, Hot Spring, Saline, • V. E. Howard, and Grant counties, is Church of Christ a businessman in Hot minister who founded Springs. the International Gospel • Bruce Cozart, Hour in Texarkana, developer in Hot Springs, Texas, was a pastor in has been since 2001 the Hot Springs early in his career. District 24 member of the Arkansas House of • Home of prominent Representatives. attorney Q. Byrum Hurst, • Fulham Davies, member of the Arkansas stockbroker in Hot State Senate from 1950
to 1972 and the Garland County administrative judge from 1947 to 1950. • Sid McMath, progressive reform governor of Arkansas 1949–1953, nationally prominent trial lawyer and combat decorated U.S. Marine major general. Closed gambling in Hot Springs as Garland County prosecutor, 1947–1949. • Marjorie Lawrence, Metropolitan Opera diva, resident for many years. • Earl T. Ricks and I. G. Brown, decorated World War II combat aviators, were Hot Springs natives who served as reform mayor and sheriff, respectively (1947–1949), before resuming their Air Force careers. • Haven for gangsters in the 1930s, including longtime residents Lucky Luciano and Owney Madden.
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• Bobby Mitchell, NFL Hall of Fame Running Back, born in Hot Springs on June 6, 1935. • The Countess Leon, the widow of Bernhard Müller, a leader of a small 19th century Utopian group, spent her last years in Hot Springs, where she died in 1881. Her work is commemorated at the Germantown Colony and Museum north of Minden, Louisiana, where she operated a religious commune from 1835 to 1871. • Cartoonist Rick London, resident of Hot Springs since 1999. He is founder of offbeat webcomics Londons Times Cartoons. The popular site has earned London a verified Twitter account @RickLondon He is the nephew of Congressman Marc L. Marks who also served in the Cabinet in both terms of U.S. President World Views Guides
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Bill Clinton. London is also a direct descendant of the Gomez/Lazarus/ Cardozo family who is commemorated on the National Register Of Historic Places in Newburgh, New York, with (Gomez Mill House) Museum. • Clergyman A. T. Powers, lived in Hot Springs from 1943 to 1948, when he was the pastor of the Oaklawn Missionary Baptist Church. He relocated to Texarkana to become director of missions. • Birthplace of James Rector, who won a silver medal at the Olympics, and was the first Olympian from Arkansas. • Paul Runyan, golfer, born in Hot Springs. He went on to win two PGA Championships, and is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. • Bill Republican
Sample, member
of both houses of the Arkansas General Assembly since 2005; businessman in Hot Springs. • George Luke Smith, who served in the U.S. House from Louisiana’s 4th congressional district, relocated to Hot Springs, where he engaged in the real estate business and died in 1884.
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