The Almost Intrepid Adventures of LibraryAnn: Valley of the Vapors

The Vapors by David Hill
(the book cover really is oriented this way)

Hot Springs, AR is know as The Valley of the Vapors due to a unique geological formation that allows water to seep so close to the earth's core that it returns to the surface heated, steaming, and full of minerals once thought to be healing. It takes rain water 4400 years to complete the full cycle and it is against the law to bottle this water for commercial purposes. Instead, both hot and cool springs of water are directed through public taps where anyone can bring a bottle and help themselves. Because the water's healing properties were once deemed so valuable, the US government held the land "in reserve" long before there were national parks. Hot Springs may now be the nation's smallest national park, but it is the first land held by the government for the benefit of its citizens. Unlike other parks, the park service doesn't manage the land for natural preservation, rather the land is managed to preserve and protect the natural supply of spring water. In addition to people of wealth and celebrity coming to Hot Springs, professional baseball teams for years held their spring training in Hot Springs so that players could access the healing baths. A few bath houses still operate as spas, but modern medicine has provided more reliable treatments and the health spa heyday is well past.

One of the hot springs

In addition to its history as America's Spa, from 1936 to 1968, Hot Springs was the nations premier

Old and New

location for gambling and entertainment. Unlike Nevada, where gambling is legal, Arkansas never allowed gambling, but local entrepreneurs and the mob teamed up to placate local authorities and create a Mecca of casinos, elegant hotels, fine restaurants and performance venues for the nation's top entertainers that operated unfettered for over 30 years. A recent book, The Vapors by David Hill, provides an engaging documentary of Hot Springs during these years. My daughter, Jessie, and I have both passed through Hot Springs--over 50 years ago for me, right after the casinos were shut down, and three years ago for Jessie. We both were struck by the sense of an incredibly wealthy place fallen on hard times. For her 30th birthday, I offered to bring her back.

Hot Springs has been through several periods of boom and bust. It is full of incredible buildings of wide architectural diversity, modern and historic often side by side, and sadly, with few exceptions, mostly in decay or some, simply abandoned. The park service is preserving the bath houses on Bath House Row, the main street in town and has landscaped it with gorgeous magnolias. The Fordyce House is open to the public as a museum. The mountain behind Bath House Row is maintained by the park service with many of the original walking trails and an observation tower at the summit.

Storm that just missed us

The night we arrived, wicked storms passed just to the north of us and the tower was closed due to a power outage. Several of the paths were blocked by downed trees. But the Fordyce House was open and Jessie enjoyed poking around the local wax museum and several of the shops. After that, an employee of the campground directed us to a spectacular overlook in the Ozarks--Hickory Nut Mountain Vista overlooking Lake Ouachita, a hydroelectric lake home to over 300 islands.

So it's been a lovely trip. We head home tomorrow. Hopefully the storms have all played out. Enjoy the pictures and know that the best part of the adventure is coming home to share it with friends.