Arkansas-Hot Water & Hot Seats

We spent our last several days in Arkansas visiting Hot Springs and Ft. Smith.  Everyone knows about Hot Springs. Located in the ZigZag mountains directly above faults in the earth's surface.  Rain water takes four thousand years to drip down through the earth's crust until it hits the molten core and the excessive heat drives the water back up so quickly it retains a temperature of 140 degrees.  On the way up, minerals add to the water and ultimately produce the water known around the world.  Mountain Valley Spring water is constantly rated as one of the best spring waters in the world. And, the water used for relaxation is/was famously dispensed in the ornate bath houses.  The golden age of baths was the 20's to the 40's.  Bathhouse row went into disrepair until the National Park System took over the buildings. Now those buildings house a visitor center, a cultural center, a store and the only continuously in use bathhouse where you can still get all the treatments available. Two other buildings are leased to a modern spa and a micro brewery.  

 How about those buildings? The water is freely dispensed in the city from several bottle filling stations. The town was a real honkytonk and feels a little like Atlantic City. Very cool!

Our next stop was Ft. Smith. A town with real history. The first fort was built in 1817  to help stop the violence between the resident Osage tribe and the Cherokee tribe that was coming into their territory due to the precursor of the Trail of Tears. The Cherokee and dozens of other tribes were forcibly removed from the east coast at the insistence of President Trump (oops-I meant President Andrew Jackson).  The fort fell into disrepair as it was made out of wood.

The second, more permanent, fort was built in 1838 as a deterrent against Indian attack that never materialized. It was ultimately abandoned in 1871.

The Federal Court for the Western District of Arkansas took over the building in 1872.  Part was the courtroom and part was the U.S. Marshals offices. Ultimately a jail was added and then the gallows.

It became the courtroom for "hanging" Judge Isaac Parker.  He also wanted to create, "the moral force of a strong court". Although he sentenced 160 criminals to be hung, but only 79 faced the gallows. He rehabilitated convicts, reformed criminal justice, and advocated the rights of Indian nations.  His reputation was unfair in that he heard over 13,000 cases with 344 for capital offenses.

A really interesting place.

Next stop-Oklahoma!