Van Buren Press-Argus March 22, 1918 THE STORY OF HOT SPRINGS Hot Springs seems a peculiarly appropriate place for American women to hold a war work convention for the ground is Government Reservation and the first National Park set aside by the United States for the use of all its people. Internationally it has the reputation of being the world’s greatest health resort and this reputation would seem to be not unmerited for in all the world’s history of beneficient waters there is nothing to compare with the record of the Arkansas Hot Springs. Admitted to be one of the wonders of the world, they gush their one hundred million gallons of water daily at an average temperature of 135 farenheit. The famous baths are all under the government control and direct supervision of the Secretary of the Interior. Free baths are provided for the poor and profits from the baths of the rich go to improve the Reservation. Just how many years this 365,000,000 gallons of the only known radioactive waters in the ground have been pouring of course is not known. Since the beginning of time, perhaps. Records, however, go back no further than 1512 when Ponce de Leon called them the Fountain of Youth, the well of living waters. They were forgotten until 1541 when they were rediscovered by Hernando de Soto, an other Spaniard and later found by the French and Canadian missionaries and called by them "the waters which keep away the hand of death". Durbar and Hunt, trappers came upon the springs in 1804, and later Manuel Prudhomme and John Perciful and Isaac Cates camped near them, renewing their health while they established hunting headquarters. Medical profiteers began to come victimizing people suffering from disease and hunting cures. In 1832 the United States, recognizing the almost magical powers of the waters and desiring to protect the health seeking public too over the springs, preserving them for all time and establishing the General Hospital for the U S Army and Navy, the greatest institution of its kind in existence. Hot Springs has a resident population of 16,000 and an annual visiting population of 150,000. It is a town of hotels and outside of New York it is doubtful if better hotel service can be found in the country. Fran Alverson Warren e-mail: alverson@valuelinx.net 479-369-2703 http://www.crawfordcountyarkansas.net/