Hot Springs NP

Here's a fun fact: Bill Clinton's boy hood home was Hot Springs Arkansas. There's a big sign advertising that fact as you drive into town. The park and the town are sort of intermingled. The hot springs were deemed important enough that they were put on some sort of protected status in the 1800's. Way before there was a Dept. Of the interior or even before Yellowstone was protected. Commercial interests moved in and monetized the springs because the government was clueless about how to do it. There were 2 fires that burned everything and one flood before some government official was able to clean up the mess and take control. The springs were considered so therapeutic that the Army had a hospital here. There is a lot of heavily forested land behind the bathhouses that is what we would consider typical National Park. There are alot of trails, many of them were made in the beginning to facilitate the healing that was supposed to take place here. It was kind of a health resort. Today we rode an elevator up 282 feet to the top of that tower. There was some information about the parks history at the top. We did a scenic drive, stopped at the campground. There is a creek flowing through it. We ate lunch at the oldest bar in Arkansas (1911). There was a significant amount of graft and organized crime in early years of the towns development. The Ohio Club was involved in most of it. We head further East tomorrow. We have 3 one nighters and should be home on the 4th. Pat, we will be staying with you on the 3rd.