Hot Springs grew out of the Dunbar-Hunter Exploration that was sent by Thomas Jefferson in 1804 to explore the southern portion of the new Louisiana Purchase. Settlers first came in 1807, and, by the 1830s, cabins and stores had been built. In 1832 the thermal springs and surrounding area were designated a reservation to protect them from further development. In spite of these protections, the first bathhouses were built in 1880-88 eventually replaced in the 1920s by more luxurious structures. National Park status was achieved in 1921.
Three very early visitors are seen here in an 1871 photo.
Fifty plus years later, these three other visitors appeared, but this time on mule back and, what do you know, that’s Al Capone on the right.
Entrance to the Government Reservation (as it was known) is seen here in a photo dated ca.1900.
The town of Hot Springs is seen here in an early, undated photo.
The Fountain Court Hotel was built in the 1930s and is still in business.
Clubs became popular, beginning with the Southern Club, which was established in 1893 and is seen here in a 1900 photo.
It now houses the Gangster Museum of America.
The Ohio Club opened in 1905 making it Arkansas’ oldest, continuously operated bar. In 1919, liquor was outlawed so the name was changed to the Ohio Cigar Store. It had a fake wall behind which was the bar on the first floor and gambling on the second. The first photo is dated 1926.
