Part 7

This region is traversed by two crystal rivers, the White and the Kings, and numerous smaller spring-fed streams. It is interesting to know these streams and visualize their scenic attributes on the calendar of the year.

The Eureka Springs country has many scenic oddities. Pivot Rock, two miles north of town, is a natural curiosity, featured in Ripley's "Believe It or Not." It stands 15 feet high, is 30 feet in diameter at the top, and has a stem or base that measures about 16 inches. Nearby is a Natural Bridge, small but perfectly formed.

In the Hog Scald country, ten miles south of Eureka Springs, and Penitentiary Hollow, a few miles beyond, there are 16 beautiful waterfalls, several of which are not seen by tourists because of their isolated location. Jim Oliver's Revilo Ranch south of town is a beauty spot in the sheltered hills which tourists enjoy. "The Narrows" and the village of Beaver on White River provide views that are worth going to see.

Inspiration Point, six miles west on U. S. 62, is one of the most scenic views in the Ozarks. Other views along the Skyline Drive have similar attraction. Blue Spring, a mile from the Point, is a beauty spot that almost defies the pen of man to describe it. Onyx Cave is a must for the tourist who enjoys subterranean scenery. It is located 7 miles northeast of Eureka Springs and is open all year.

The town of Eureka Springs itself is a scenic attraction that never grows old. The views from East Mountain, Trail's End and the top of the Crescent Hotel on West Mountain all help add to the town's reputation as the "Switzerland of America."

XXVIII THE BASIN PARK HOTEL

The Daily Times-Echo of Eureka Springs on April 24, 1905, carried the following announcement:

"The first grand opening of the Basin Park Hotel, now nearing completion, will take place July 1, and the event promises to be one of the grandest in the history of Eureka Springs. T. J. Brumfield, under whose management the Hotel Wadsworth has been so successful, and who has earned the reputation of being one of the best caterers in the South, has been selected as manager for this splendid hostelry, which is an assurance of a large patronage.

"This grand structure was built by W. M. Duncan and his associates, and contains one hundred guest rooms in addition to spacious parlors and dens.... The hotel will be conducted strictly on the European plan, in connection with a first-class cafe on the second floor, occupying the entire depth of the north end of the building on this floor.... A special feature and a most attractive one is the feasible plan of easy fire escapes, as from each story to the Basin Park reservation, back of the hotel, iron bridges will be built so that in case of fire the entire house, were it crowded, could be emptied in three minutes. There is complete fire protection throughout the building, although it is practically fire-proof.... The cost of this hotel in its entirety, including furnishings, will exceed $50,000...."

The grand opening mentioned above took place July 1, 1905, forty-nine years ago and the hotel has been in continuous operation since that date. If it were built today it would cost several times as much as it did half a century ago.

The Basin Park occupies a central position in the down-town section of Eureka Springs and is adjacent to the Basin Circle Park which contains the famous Basin Spring. The structure has been featured in Ripley's "Believe It or Not" as "An eight story hotel with every floor a ground floor." Bridge-walks at the rear of the building lead to the Basin Park Reservation, a wooded tract owned by the city and originally containing twenty-eight acres. The top floor contains the popular Roof Garden and Ball Room. The hotel is strictly modern throughout with automatic elevator and bath facilities.

The Basin Park changed ownership several times in the half-century, but the man most closely associated with its operation through the years is Claude A. Fuller, attorney and former mayor and congressman. The hotel was owned and managed by Joe Parkhill, nephew of Mr. Fuller, from 1945 to 1954. Early this year it was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Pat Mathews. Mrs. Mathews is the former Dorothy Fuller, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Fuller. The Mathews have added new furnishings and made other improvements since assuming management.

XXIX THE CRESCENT

Although upon a summer day, You'll lightly turn from me away, When autumn leaves are scattered wide, You'll often linger by my side. But when the snow the earth doth cover, Then you will be my ardent lover.

This homely verse, carved in stone above the fireplace in the spacious lobby of the Crescent Hotel, is a reminder that comfort is an outstanding feature in a hotel. In this "Castle in the Air High Atop the Ozarks" we find comfort combined with convenience in a big way. This magnificent hostelry requires but little introduction to people familiar with Summer Resorts. It stands on a high point overlooking Eureka Springs and the view from the Lookout, a-top the hotel, is one of the finest in the Ozarks. The Crescent is a five story stone, fire-proof building with twenty-seven acres of grounds. It represents an investment of over $300,000 in 1884-1886 and would cost three or four times that amount to build it today. It has large rooms, wide verandas, and sun parlors and can easily accommodate two hundred and fifty guests. It is equipped with swimming pool, tennis courts, shuffle board, horseshoe courts, bowling alley, pool and billiard tables, recreational rooms, and provides scenic bus trips, horseback riding, hay-rides, barbecues, wiener roasts, and dancing for the entertainment of guests. The food served in the dining room has been famous for more than half a century. The Crescent is popular with both convention groups and the general public.

The Crescent Hotel was erected by the Eureka Improvement Company in 1884-1886. The board of directors was composed of Powell Clayton, R. C. Kerens, C. W. Rogers, Logan H. Roots, John O'Day, James Dunn, B. Baker and D. A. Nichols. Powell Clayton was president of the company, Logan H. Roots, treasurer and H. Foote, secretary. Isaac S. Taylor was the architect. It had its grand opening May 1, 1886. In 1902 when the Frisco Railroad took it over it was remodeled with Guy Crandall Morimer as architect.

Some of the board of directors of the Crescent Hotel Company were stockholders in the Frisco Railroad and it was probably through their influence that the Frisco leased the hotel in 1902 for a period of five years. One of the conditions of the lease was that at least $50,000 be spent on furnishings and improvements. This was done and the hotel was widely advertised by the railroad company.

During the first twenty-two years of its existence, the Crescent was operated as a year-round hotel but in 1908 the Crescent College for girls was organized and the building became a school from September until June and continued as a hotel during the three summer months. A. S. Maddox was the first president of the college. R. R. (Dick) Thompson became president in 1910 and continued in this capacity until the middle twenties. The institution was then taken over by Claude Fuller, Albert Ingalls and W. T. Patterson and operated for a few years. A. Q. Burns became president of the college in 1929 and served for three or four years. The college was closed permanently in 1933.

In 1936 the property was sold to Norman Baker who turned it into a hospital. This institution lasted about two years and when it folded up the building remained vacant until 1946. In the spring of that year it was bought by four Chicago men--John R. Constantine, Herbert E. Shutter, Herbert A. Byfield, and Dwight Nichols. It was reopened July 4, 1946 with Mr. Nichols as manager.

The Crescent Hotel now specializes in "package tours" from Chicago and other cities and remains open from April 1 to December 1. It is again associated with the Frisco Railroad for most of the guests come to Monett, Missouri by train and are transported by Crescent buses through the scenic hills to Eureka Springs. The regular "package" tour is of six days duration and provides room, meals and entertainment.

We wonder why this hotel was named "The Crescent." The word, crescent, refers to the shape of the increasing or new moon when it is receding from the sun. It is often used as an emblem of progress and success. The symbol was popular in heraldry and was used by at least three orders of knighthood, first instituted by Charles I of Naples and Sicily in 1268; the second instituted at Angiers by Rene of Anjou in 1464; the third instituted by Selim, Sultan of Turkey in 1801 in honor of Lord Nelson. It is both a religious and military emblem of the Ottoman Turks. In architecture, the word refers to a range of buildings in the form of a crescent or half-moon. Some of the stone work of the Crescent Hotel is in the form of a crescent and this may have given the building its name. Personally, we like to think of it as an emblem of progress and success in the hotel world.

XXX HOTEL HISTORY

Eureka Springs entertains 150,000 or more tourists annually and it has need of numerous hotels, motels and courts to provide adequate housing for these guests. During its seventy-five years as a resort, it has had more than 100 establishments of this class. One of the first of these hotels was the St. Charles on North Main Street, opened by Powell Clayton in 1882. It was first called the Clayton House. The Grand Central was opened in 1883. Two years (1884-1886) were spent in building the Crescent which opened May 1, 1886. The Palace opened in May, 1901. The Wadsworth was dedicated February 14, 1902. The name was changed to The Allred a few years later. In 1949 it was purchased by Cecil Maberry and renamed The Springs. In August, 1954, it was purchased by Gale Reeves and many improvements made. The Basin Park Hotel was opened for guests May 5, 1905 and had its "grand opening" July 1. The site was formerly occupied by the Perry House, which was destroyed in the big fire of 1888. The building that housed the Lansing Hotel (Carthage House) still stand on Center Street. The Landaker is another of the older hotels now used as an apartment house. The Southern, just south of the Basin Circle, was destroyed by fire in 1935. The Thach, popular with Texans, was destroyed by fire in 1932. The Belden at Lion Spring was once a popular hotel.

Other hotels and boarding houses that once served the public, are: The Antlers, Barretts, Baker House, Crim House, Calef, Calohan, Corrs, Callender, Chautauqua, Crescent Cottage, Dieu, Davey, Drains, Dell Mont, Glenwood, Gable, Guffey's, The Gables, Holman, Hancock, Harvey House, Hodges, Illinois, Josephine, Kimberlings, Lindell, Lawrence, Main, Mountain Home, Maplewood, Magnetic, New National, New St. Louis, Phoenix, Piedmont, Pickards, Pence, Reynolds, Sweet Spring, Sweet Springs Home, Sweet Spring Flats, Silver, Swankey, Sawyer, St. Louis, Tulsa, Tweely's, Valley, Vestal Cottage, White Elephant, Wards, Williams Cottage, Washington and Waverly.

Eureka Springs visitors now have choice of hotels (European or American plan) or motels and motor courts. A big percentage of our tourists patronize the motels and courts of which there are twenty or more in Eureka Springs and vicinity. They range all the way from comfortable modern cabins to deluxe motels and resorts which are the last word in comfort and convenience. Most of them are conveniently located on U. S. Highway 62.

XXXI "BACKWOODS BARON"

In my opinion, the man most closely associated with Eureka Springs in a business and political way during the past half century is the Hon. Claude A. Fuller. He has always had the interests of his hometown at heart and his leadership is outstanding. Born in Springhill, Illinois January 20, 1876, he came westward with his parents when a young lad and, at the age of fifteen, settled at Eureka Springs. His first job was with pick and shovel at Sanitarium Lake, now Lake Lucerne. When the street car line was constructed from the Auditorium (now Harmon Playgrounds) to the Basin Spring, he was employed as waterboy. He carried all the spikes that coupled the rails. Upon completion of the line he became mule driver, then conductor. Later he was the attorney for the road.

Claude attended the Eureka Springs High School and graduated in the class of 1896. He decided upon law as his profession, attended the Kent Law School at Chicago and was admitted to the bar in 1898. On December 25, 1899, he married Miss May Obenshain, his hometown sweetheart. The Fullers have had three children; a son who died in infancy, and two daughters, Ruth Marie (Mrs. John S. Cross), and Dorothy M. (Mrs. Pat Mathews). They have five grandchildren.

Mr. Fuller began his official career as city clerk at Eureka Springs in 1898 and served four years. He was then elected state representative for Carroll County and served from 1902 to 1906. In 1907, he was elected mayor of Eureka Springs by a handsome majority. He served in this capacity until 1910, and again from 1920 until 1928. During his terms of office many improvements were made in the city such as the building of the municipal auditorium, the extending of the dam at the city reservoir, the erection of filter basins, and the extension of water and sewer mains. He served four years as prosecuting attorney (1910-1914).

During all these years, Mr. Fuller was ambitious to represent his district in Congress. He tried in 1914, but was defeated by a small margin. In 1928 he was successful and served ten years as Congressman. He was a member of the Ways and Means Committee which is one of the powerful committees of the House. Through his efforts Lake Leatherwood was built as a government project. In 1938 he returned to his private practice of law at Eureka Springs and has kept his office open ever since. He is one of the best known attorneys in Arkansas.

Claude A. Fuller's rise in the business world was rapid. He was a good trader and knew how to invest his money. He and his brother purchased the Eureka Springs Railway which they held for one year and sold for a profit of $10,000. In 1925, he purchased the Crescent Hotel which he held for four years and sold. In 1926 he became owner of the Basin Park Hotel but sold it when he went to Congress. In the banking business, he became president of the Bank of Eureka Springs, a position he still holds. His pet project is his ranch on White River where he raises thorobred white face cattle. Mr. Fuller is a member of the Baptist Church, belongs to the Elks Fraternity, and is an active Rotarian.

In 1951, Frank L. Beals published a biography of Claude Fuller entitled, "Backwood's Baron." Mr. Beals said: "In Claude's realistic approach to life, the law, and politics go hand in hand. He never aspired to purify any of the three, he just took them as he found them and bent them to his own purposes. He never swam against the current, he floated with it, taking advantage of the flotsam and jetsam that were going his way to make secure his own passage."

Mr. Fuller has received many honors during his long, eventful life. One that he is especially proud of is the Distinguished Citizenship Award presented to him by the Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce on March 31, 1951, in recognition of his efficient service as a director of the organization. The award is signed by the Awards Committee: Harry Wilk, Dwight O. Nichols, Joe A. Morris, Paul Smart, Cecil Maberry and Richard Thompson.

At the end of the book, "Backwood's Baron," Mr. Beals says: "Oliver Wendell Holmes (Jr.) in a radio address on his ninetieth birthday, might well have been speaking of Claude Albert Fuller when he said:

'The riders in a race do not stop short when they reach the goal. There is a little finishing canter before coming to a standstill. There is time to hear the kind voice of friends and to say to one's self, 'Thy work is done.' But just as one says that, the answer comes: 'The race is over, but the work never is done while the power to work remains.' The canter that brings you to a standstill need not be only coming to rest. It cannot be, while you still live. For to live is to function. That is all there is in living.'"

XXXII WRITERS AND ARTISTS' MECCA

Eureka Springs probably has more writers than any other town of its size in the nation. Since World War II an astonishing number of books have been authored by residents of the "Stair-Step-Town." Some of these writers have been producing novels, short stories, feature articles and poetry for a quarter of a century; others have appeared only recently on the literary horizon.

Vance Randolph, Ozark folklorist, is the author of fifteen major books and hundreds of pamphlets and feature articles. His books on the Ozarks, as listed in "Who's Who in America," are "The Ozarks: An American Survival of Primitive Society" (1931); "Ozark Mountain Folks" (1932); "From an Ozark Holler" (1933); "Ozark Outdoors" (1934); "The Camp on Wildcat Creek" (1934); "The Camp-Meeting Murders" (with Nancy Clemons) (1936); "An Ozark Anthology" (1940); "Ozark Folksongs" in four volumes (1946-50); "Ozark Superstitions" (1947); "We Always Lie to Strangers" (1951); "Who Blowed Up the Churchhouse" (1952); "Down in the Holler: A Gallery of Ozark Folk Speech" (1935).

Glenn Ward Dresbach is recognized as one of America's leading poets. He has produced a number of books and contributed to leading national magazines for a number of years. His latest book: "Collected Poems, 1912-1948," was published in 1950. Beverley Githens (Mrs. Glenn Ward Dresbach) writes both poetry and prose. Her "No Splendor Perishes" won the Dierkes Poetry award in 1946.

Major Frank L. Beals is author of "The Ancient Name" (1937); "Look Away Dixieland," a novel (1937); The American Adventure Series of books (1941-45); "Boswell in Chicago" (1946); The Famous Story Series (1946-50); "Backwoods Baron" (1951).

Marge Lyon has produced four books on Arkansas and the Ozarks. They are: "Take to the Hills" (1942); "And the Green Grass Grows All Round" (1943); "Fresh from the Hills" (1945); "Hurrah for Arkansas" (1947). Her "And So to Bedlam" (1944) is set in Chicago. Mrs. Lyon has a column entitled "Marge of Sunrise Mountain Farm" in the Sunday Chicago Tribune.

Everett and Olga Webber, a husband and wife writer-team, have authored two novels: "Rampart Street" (1948) and "Bound Girl" (1949). "Rampart Street" sold more than a million copies in all editions. The Webbers contribute short stories to a number of magazines, including the Saturday Evening Post. We expect a new book from them soon.

Frances Donovan, retired school teacher from Chicago, writes on sociological subjects. Her books are: "The Sales Lady" (1929); "The School Ma'am" (1938) and "The Woman Who Waits." At the present time she is working on a sociological study of Eureka Springs.

Cora Pinkley Call is author of "Pioneer Tales of Eureka Springs" (1930); "Shifting Sands" (1943); "The Dream Garden" (1944); "From My Ozark Cupboard" (1950); "Eureka Springs: Stair-Step Town" (1952). Mrs. Call is president of the Ozark Artists and Writers Guild.

Constance Wagner is a short story writer and novelist. Her latest novel, "Sycamore," came from the press in 1950. Dr. Bonnie Lela Crump writes feature stories and has published a number of booklets. Morris Hull specializes on confession and human interest stories and contributes to the leading magazines in this field. He is the author of the novel, "Cannery Annie," published several years ago. Bill Dierkes of the Dierkes Press is author of three books of poetry: "Gold Nuggets," (1928); "The Man from Vermont," (1935); and "Emerge with the Swallow," (1944).

I began writing about the Ozarks in 1925 and have written and published about one million words on the history and folklore of the region. My books, to date, are: "An Ozarker Looks at Life," (1927); "Dream Dust," (1924); "Roadside Chats," (1939); and "Ozark Country" of the American Folkways Series (1941). Most of my writing has been for magazines and newspapers and for my own Ozarkian publications: "Ozark Life," (1925-30), "Arcadian Magazine," (1931-32), "Arcadian Life Magazine," (1933-42), and "Rayburn's Ozark Guide," (1942 to the present time).

In addition to the authors who have produced books, there are a score or more of writers in Eureka Springs who write for magazines and newspapers. Some of them are professionals, others write for their own pleasure. If all the stories, articles and poems produced in this town were assembled into books and placed alongside the volumes already published, it would make a sizeable library. Not many communities can boast of such a literary output.

Eureka Springs has been a mecca for artists for many years. Several years ago, Louis and Elsie Freund bought Hatchet Hall, the old home of Carry A. Nation, and made it into an art center. For several years they conducted a summer art school. Other Eureka Springs artists, whose works I have observed are: William Farnum, Fred Swedlun, Glenn Swedlun, Lester M. Exley, W. F. Von Telligan, Mr. and Mrs. L. V. Orsinger, Verne Stanley, Virginia Tyler, Art Foster and Bonnie Lela Crump. I am sure there are others who deserve mention but I have not seen their work. Most of the above are professional artists who work with oils and water colors. Some do pen sketches. Thousands of paintings and drawings have been made of the scenery and quaintness of Eureka Springs during its seventy-five years of history. If all of these creative products could be placed on exhibition at one time it would make a row of pictures miles long.

XXXIII THE OLD AND THE NEW

Time marches on and not many of the men and women of the pioneer eighties are with us today. Among those who are native born or who came in their youth when the town was a booming spa are: Mrs. Annie House, Jim Bradley, Mrs. Fred West, Mrs. Wilma Jarrett Ellis, Mrs. C. A. Fuller, Mrs. Louis Haneke, Mrs. May S. Miller, Mrs. Chrystal Lyle, Wallace McQuerry, Otis McGinnis, Joe Hoskins, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Porch, Sam Riley, E. A. Jordan, Tom Walker, Walter Burris, T. L. Hawley, Mrs. Claude Pike, Charlie Perry, Mrs. Maud Woodruff, Frank Pickard, Mrs. Alice Campbell, Mrs. Lida Mae Roberts, and perhaps a few others. Most of these older residents now live in retirement, but a few are active in business.

Early in the twentieth century we find F. O. Butt on the stage of action as a practicing attorney. Mr. Butt served his district as senator in the state legislature, was mayor of Eureka Springs for two terms and newspaper editor for a number of years. He is still on the job as a practicing attorney.

R. R. (Dick) Thompson came to Eureka Springs in 1908 as a teacher in Crescent College and later became president of the institution. In the middle twenties he established his Lake Lucerne Resort and the Ozarka Water Company and now devotes his time to the management of these two concerns.

Claude A. Fuller began practicing law in 1898 and has been closely connected with the business interests of the town since that date. Mrs. Annie House, "the oldest newspaper woman in Arkansas," came to Eureka Springs as a child in 1880. Sam A. Leath, our guide and historian, has had an active part in civic affairs since 1898. He has been connected with the Chamber of Commerce for many years. Jim Bradley, Joe Porch and Tom Walker are all old-timers who continue in business.