The Hot Springs Are Still Flowing In Arkansas

There is a mountainside in Arkansas, below Little Rock, where dozens of hot springs have spewed out for an estimated 4,000 years.

The location is so unique that several prospectors staked their claim to this mystic mountain, and the dispute went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The high court did not decide for those local claimants, but declared that the springs should be the property of all U.S. citizens.

Rangers at the small Hot Springs National Park still protect and oversee those amazing springs.

At the base of the springs, a line of elaborate bath houses were built, where those seeking the cure for various ailments would soak in the hot water. Several of the bath houses are still open, and one is in use as the park headquarters.

Several hotels were also built at the foot of the hot springs including the Arlington, which has its own section for taking the baths and looks much as it did when Babe Ruth and other celebrities visited.

A huge Army and Navy Hospital was built above the springs, and it still remains in service.

The national park still collects 700,000 gallons a day for use in the bathhouses and public drinking fountains. There is often a line of those who come with various containers to fill a supply of the Hot Springs outflow.

A race track, where Triple Crown winner American Pharoah raced and won in the Arkansas Derby earlier this season, is at Hot Springs. 

There are several state parks nearby, including Lake Catherine State Park to the south.

Hot Springs Village, described as the country's largest planned development, is north of Hot Springs. Its Home Plate Cafe, with its baseball theme, is an attraction itself.