From its rise in the 1800s until well into the twentieth century, Hot Springs was a famed resort known worldwide. The grand hotels and world-class bath houses that sprang up around the government-protected springs drew countless visitors, ranging from the famous and wealthy to those of humble means, all seeking the health and pleasure promised by the Spa City's promoters. In the words of a railroad tourist guidebook from about 1910, "A stay at Hot Springs, be it ever so brief, always remains a pleasant memory afterward. It was the writer's good fortune to spend a few days at this popular resort--not as an invalid, I am happy to say, but as a tourist--and I certainly never bathed in more delightful water than that which flows so abundantly from the hot springs of Arkansas. There is buoyancy, a magnetism about it that is simply indescribable." Such has been the experience of countless visitors over the years. Readers will find much of the history of this storied resort in Hot Springs, Arkansas, which is profusely illustrated with vintage postcards and photographs, all carefully interpreted by the authors, Ray and Steven Hanley, with research assistance from Mark Blaeuer of the Hot Springs National Park staff.
During the Golden Age of Postcards, a craze that swept the nation in the early 1900s, postcard photographers captured images of everyday life in small towns all over the country. In this tradition, its creators unknowingly produced an invaluable archive of historical data that gives us a glimpse of the way life used to be.
Arkansas seceded from the Union in 1861, opening a chapter in the state's history that would change its destiny for decades. An estimated 6,862 Arkansas Confederate soldiers died from battle and disease, while some 1,700 Arkansas men died wearing Union blue. Total casualties, killed and wounded, represented 12 percent of the white men in the state between the ages of 15 and 62. Bloody, hard-fought battles included Pea Ridge, Helena, Little Rock, and the rare Confederate victory in southwest Arkansas at Jenkins' Ferry. Following the war, the event that included the largest parade ever in Arkansas, the 1911 United Confederate Veterans Reunion, is presented in picture and word. The event has largely been neglected by history books. From the monuments and veterans to the loyal reenactors still gathering today, the story of the Civil War in Arkansas is remembered and preserved for coming generations.
Sebastian and Crawford Counties are among Arkansass most historic areas with their location on what was once the edge of the frontier. In this book, the authors capture the transition of both the large and the small communities from the 1800s into the middle of the 20th century through historic postcards. With carefully researched interpretation of the images, the book offers a fascinating walk through time along the streets of bustling Fort Smith and Van Buren, tiny hamlets, and even a trip up historic Highway 71 to Mount Gaylor.
Throughout the years, the way people make a living has changed dramatically, beginning with farming and agriculture, and ending with the age of computers. This new postcard history showcases images of the state at work in the first 25 years of the twentieth century. Images show farmers in the rice fields, using horses and steam tractors, and harvesting cotton, hay, and corn. Later cards focus on the loggers who radically changed the landscape forever. Merchants and bankers of business, including pharmacies, were popular postcard fare as well; these establishments served the farmers who traveled into town, especially on Saturdays when the streets were filled with wagons, and later, cars.
Little Rock, the bustling capital of Arkansas, boasts a rich and fascinating history. Starting out as a convenient fording site on the Arkansas River, the town quickly became an important stop for early pioneers and soon grew into a modern metropolis.
View the resort town of Hot Springs, Arkansas from 1900-1960 in postcard images. From the 1890s to the 1920s, the postcard was an extraordinarily popular means of communication, and many of the postcards produced during this "golden age" can today be considered works of art. Early in the century, Hot Springs was among the most noted resorts in the nation. Its Victorian wonders drew thousands of visitors to partake in the hot mineral waters that bubbled from the earth. In the words written on one card in 1910, "Many people of wealth are here from Chicago and New York. Uncle Billy went to the horse show ball at the Eastman Hotel with an ex-wife of a millionaire. Andrew Carnegie and young Jay Gould were at the ball. " Showcased in this fascinating collection are over two hundred postcards from 1900 to 1960. The images are accompanied by the actual penned messages of visitors and extensively researched historical facts.
Hot Springs, with its grand hotels and world-class bath houses, has a rich and fascinating history. Known as a premier tourist destination on the edge of the American West, Hot Springs boasted both healing waters and a gay social scene that flourished throughout the nation's Victorian age.
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