Hot Springs

[Faulkner]

I recently finished reading the book “Hot Springs” by Stephen Hunter. I only recently came across the saga of the Swagger’s, Earl and Bob Lee, and have now devoured three of the fast paced novels. I really enjoyed “Hot Springs”. If you’ve read the book or are familiar with the history of the city of Hot Springs, Arkansas, you may find this thread of interest.

Though I hale from the Ozarks which are in the northern part of Arkansas (and southern Missouri), I’m not necessarily unfamiliar with the Ouachita Mountain region that ise south of the Arkansas River. The Arkansas river basically bisects the state in the middle. As a teenager, one of my best friends and his family owned several tracts of land in the mountains west of Hot Springs near many of the areas that Hunter mentions in the books. I’ve also conducted business on a number of occasions in and around Hot Springs through the years, and as a motorcycle rider, it’s an occasional riding destination because of the beautiful scenery in and around the Hot Springs National Park.

After finishing the book “Hot Springs”, I decided to gas up my Harley and take a spin down to the city of Hot Springs and check out some of the landmarks mentioned in the book. Though the time period of the novel was 1946-1947 I knew a number of landmarks mentioned in the book still existed. I worked my way over to Scenic Arkansas Highway 7 and rode south on one of the best motorcycle roads in the country. (RoadRunner magazine listed it in the top 10 a few years back). I left early morning as it’s well over a hundred mile ride to Hot Springs.

The first landmark from the book I wanted to see was Coy’s Steakhouse. Coy’s opened in 1945 and has been a destination for top steaks ever since and was THE happening steak house in Hot Springs. It resides up on a hill on the south of town with a big COYS sign overhead that can be seen a ways off. I had eaten at Coy's 20 or so years ago and it lives up to it's reputation as a premier steak house. When I pulled up to the parking lot I was disappointed to see there was nothing left but a concrete slab. Unbeknownst to me, Coy’s had burned down in 2009, and after some checking, I found there are no plans to rebuild. Wasn’t nothing left but the sign and it had been covered up.

I continued into town on E. Grand and turned off on Malvern Avenue, mentioned several times in the book as the seedy section of down. As soon as I turned onto Malvern I passed by the new Hot Springs Police Department. Some may recall that one of the most famous gunfights from the 1800’s occurred in Hot Springs in 1899 between the Hot Springs Police Department and Garland County Sheriff’s deputies with five killed and two wounded. (google Hot Springs Gunfight for more information.)

As I approached downtown Hot Springs I cut left onto Central Avenue at the beginning of what is known as Bath House Row. Hot Springs is traditionally best known for the natural hot springs that give it its name, flowing out of the ground at a temperature of 147 °F. Hot Springs National Park is the oldest federal reserve in the USA, and the tourist trade brought by the famous springs have made it a very successful spa town for 150 years. The bath houses on Bath House Row are of fine architecture and were built between the late 1800’s through the mid 1920’s.

I pulled out my iPhone and snapped some pictures as I cruised down Central Avenue. Several of the bath houses play prominent parts in Hunter’s book.

As I continued down Central Avenue I came to the slow curve which contains the Southern Club on the left, and across the street on the right is the Arlington Hotel. Fictional character Owney Maddox owned the Southern Club in the book and had a regular suite at the Arlington across the street. Both were very much in real life as they are portrayed in the book, though the Southern Club was shut down in the ‘60’s and is now a Gangster Museum. The Arlington Hotel is still open for business as the grand old hotel of downtown Hot Springs.

The Southern Club - today

The Southern Club as seen from the veranda of the Arlington Hotel across Central Avenue - today.

The Arlington Hotel as seen from the Southern Club – today

For those who’ve read the Hunter’s book, crime boss Owney Maddox had a suite at the Arlington Hotel on the front side so he could look out the window and view the Southern Club. I parked my Harley in front of the old Medical Arts Building just down from the Southern Club and walked across the street into the Arlington Hotel. It is still quite a grand place.

iPhone snapshots of the Arlington Hotel - today

After touring the Arlington Hotel I walked back across Central Avenue to the Southern Club, and walked down the main drag that used to be one gambling establishment after another. Now, they are tourist shops of one type or another, and as I mentioned above, the Southern Club is a gangster and wax museum of well repute. I also ventured by the Ohio Club which reports to be the oldest bar in Arkansas.

One of the turning points in the novel “Hot Springs” is when Frenchy Short broke into the telephone company one night to do some snooping in the phone company records. The building is right where Hunter said it was and is now owned by AT&T. The two toned brick building in the picture below is the telephone company building and is about three blocks from the Southern Club.

If you've not read "Hot Springs" by Stephen Hunter, I highly recommend it.

 

[Faulkner]

One of the big attractions in Hot Springs are the “Duck Rides”. They tour the historic sections of Hot Springs and then take short cruise in Lake Hamilton. I remember back in 1999 there was a serious incident involving one of the tour Ducks that killed 11 people. The World War II-vintage boat sank in 51 feet of water on Lake Hamilton, south of Hot Springs. Seems like there were lawsuits galore, but it appears they have recovered and are still in business.

And, of course, while strolling through downtown Hot Springs there are a number of reminders of the city’s favorite son.

I made my way back to my Harley and rode up to the top of East Mountain just behind the Arlington Hotel. It is a wonderful switchbacked motorcycle ride to the top that generally offers a great view of the area. Unfortunately, today low laying clouds obscured the view.

I took a different route back home as I wanted to make a stop in Conway, Arkansas. I took a water break at the foot of the Toad Suck Lock and Dam in Perry County. The story of Toad Suck Ferry is a interesting story, but I’ll save that one for another time.

 

[shouldazagged]

Damn, Faulkner, you're a man of many skills! LEO, travelogue writer, photographer...do you do taxes? Plumbing? I'll bet you're also a good cook, if the truth were known.

 

[Faulkner]

I was actually a little disappointed that my Nikon DSLR didn't make it from the kitchen table to the Harley for the trip so I had to make do with my iPhone for pictures.

I can do taxes, don't do plumbing, and I actually am a pretty good cook.

 

[Rgoodwin]

Another great story. I'm just north of you and get down to Eureka Spgs. a few times a year as well as the Buffalo. Beautiful highways for a MINI Cooper run as well. Stay safe!

 

[hsguy]

Faulkner, very interesting post. Hot Springs also has an art walk one day a month that is great fun. There are many art galleries downtown and they offer glasses of wine and nibbles during the walk. Many of the artists represented are in attendence and it is a very enjoyable evening. Highly recommended.

 

[Faulkner]

Faulkner, very interesting post. Hot Springs also has an art walk one day a month that is great fun. There are many art galleries downtown and they offer glasses of wine and nibbles during the walk. Many of the artists represented are in attendence and it is a very enjoyable evening. Highly recommended.

I saw a number of art galleries in my stroll downtown today, but what came to mind was a police report I saw not long ago about a whitetail deer busting through the plate glass window of one of the high dollar art galleries right there on Central Avenue in downtown Hot Springs. From what I read in the report the deer got cut up pretty bad and sprayed blood all over the place and even on some expensive artwork.

Now, according to the police report I was reading, to add insult to injurty, a few days after the art gallery got the mess cleaned up and the window replaced from the deer incident, a pickup truck lost control on Central Avenue and rammed into the same store through the same plate glass window that the deer had come through.

 

[MK]

I'll have to read that if I ever get the chance. My dad was from
Hot Springs, and I've been going there all my life visiting my
grand parents, and various other relatives.
I like going up on the downtown mountain drive, and also West
Mountain drive.
Want to see a weird coincidence shot?
I ran across this old picture taken around the turn of the 20th
century. I saw it and thought, danged.. that sure looks familiar.
Then it dawned on me. I had taken a shot of the same location,
from almost the same spot as the old picture. And it was not
planned at all. I took my picture before I saw the old one.

I took this picture of the Arlington from up on West Mountain.
Al Capone used to rent a whole floor when he was in town.
The fourth floor, if I remember right. Lots of history in that town,
and a lot of high rollers used to hang out there. Even Rose Kennedy
liked to go there for extended periods of time.

Of course, everyone knows the Clinton connection. He went to the
same high school my dad did.. Hot Springs High.
My grandmother used to know Clinton's mother back around the
40's or so when my grandparents lived on Summer St. for a while.

A wider view of the town from about the same spot. The red brick
building at the far right of the picture is the old Hot Springs High.
You can click on these for full res.

Nice lakes around there. A view from a lakefront condo I stayed in
a couple of years ago.

 

[Faulkner]

I took this picture of the Arlington from up on West Mountain.

A wider view of the town from about the same spot. The red brick
building at the far right of the picture is the old Hot Springs High.
You can click on these for full res.

Thanks for the follow up MK, very cool picture of the switchback. Riding my motorcycle to the top of East and West Mountains is one of my favorite things to do in Hot Springs. East Mountain must have close to twenty 180 degree switchbacks. West Mountain overlooks the Hot Springs airport and I just happened to be up there once in the '90's and saw Air Force One come in for a landing with the Clinton's on board. I didn't even know they were coming to town.

A note on your picture above, that's not the Arlington Hotel. Your picture is of the old Army-Navy Hospital that's behind and a few blocks down from the Arlington, just on the other side of East Mountain. They were built around the same time and I've heard they used the same brick producer out of Malvern, Arkansas. They are the same color and are of similar design. The easiest way to tell them apart is The Army-Navy Hospital has one tower in the front and the Arlington Hotel has two.

The Army-Navy Hospital is now the Hot Springs Rehabilitation Center.

 

[Chik a Boom]

Thanks, MK and Faulkner. As a former resident of Arkansas I learned a few things. Went to HS several times as a teen and young adult. Are the bath houses still being used as in the past?

 

[Faulkner]

Thanks, MK and Faulkner. As a former resident of Arkansas I learned a few things. Went to HS several times as a teen and young adult. Are the bath houses still being used as in the past?

Yes. Most of them have been restored in recent years and still offer full bath services as they did a hundred years ago. One of them has been restored and turned into a visitor center.

 

[Old TexMex]

Faulkner, thanks for the tip!
I recall the old retired outlaws that were my fathers associates. They were from many cities, but all had retired to Hot Springs. They would come to visit, always alone, for a few days to come and sit on the granite jetty, fish or just take in the salt air. These old men had names like "Crip" , "Doc","Creech", and "Tush". High waisted dress trousers, suspenders, singlet undershirts and wide banded Fedoras. Most walked with a cane, all over seventy. These were old school outlaws, retired quietly in Hot Springs.
I'll read that book.

 

[Rgoodwin]

I was once years ago speaking to my now deceased grandmother about her father-in-law. I asked what he did for a living. She replied sarcastically that he was a "Gentleman Farmer". Spent 6 months at home on the farm while his boys did all the work and 6 months lounging in Hot Springs. Smart guy!

 

[lawandorder]

Faulkner refered you to a great story about the shootout between

the Police Department and the Sheriff's Office and here is another about Hot Springs' outlaw and lawman history.

On June the 16th 1933 two Bureau of Investigation Agents, Joe Lackey and Frank Smith, accompanied by O. H. "Otto" Reed, Chief of Police of McAlester Oklahoma stopped near the White Front cigar store at 310 Central Avenue. They went inside and arrested escaped federal prisoner Frank Nash.

They left Hot Springs and drove toward Little Rock. On the Benton Highway they were stopped by a road block and after identifying themselves they were told Hot Springs PD had reported it as a kidnapping.

At the time Hot Springs was one of the safe cities for criminals and many of the PDs upper ranks were on the take. Chief of Detectives Dutch Akers was described by the FBI as the crookedest cop in America.

The Agents were allowed to proceed and they were again stopped by Officers of LRPD who had been given the same story. Again allowed to proceed after IDing themselves. They drove to Fort Smith and boarded the train for Kansas City.

On the morning of June 17th they were met at Union Station by Agents Ray Caffrey,and Reed Vetterli. Also present were KCPD Detective Frank Hermanson and Red Grooms. The group headed to the parking lot to begin the trip to Leavenworth.

As they were loading into automobiles in the parking lot a trio of gunmen opened fire. Hermanson, Grooms, Caffrey, Reed, and Nash were all killed. Lackey was wounded and Smith was not hit.

This incident became known as the Kansas City Massacre and was a landmark in the growth of the FBI as many federal laws were enacted as a result of this crime which had its origin in Hot Springs.It also marked the end of the public's love of the gangsters of the day.

Theories abound about who the shooters were and what happened during the shooting. I was privileged several years ago to visit with the family of Chief Reed and examine the Colt 1911 he was armed with that day. After looking at autopsies photos of Nash, and reading where the victims were seated in the car I remain convinced that Chief Reed shot Nash rather than allow the bid to free him to take place and that started the rest of the shooting.

 

[Faulkner]

In the first half of the 20th century, Hot Springs was what Las Vegas was in the second half. The only difference is, gambling and prostitution were not legal in Arkansas as it is in Nevada.

 

[shouldazagged]

I can do taxes, don't do plumbing, and I actually am a pretty good cook.

I knew it! A Renaissance man with a badge!

 

[hannstv]

I go to Hot Springs once or twice a year when Oaklawn is running, but saw more of the city in your post than I ever saw in person. Gonna have to allow a day for sight seeing. Probably be a lot cheaper than going to the races!

 

[Faulkner]

Another building mentioned in the novel "Hot Springs" is the Medical Arts Building across the street from the Arlington Hotel. I must have driven by this building a hundred times in the past and never paid any attention to it though I'm fond of classic Art Deco design. Completed in 1929, was the tallest building in Arkansas until 1960. Built to house medical offices, it stands 16 stories high and rises to 180 feet above the street.

Today, all but the first floor is in disrepair and closed to the public. The first floor houses a purse shop and an old time photography studio.

 

[Faulkner]

The "Aristocrat" is another swanky gambling/hotel on Central Avenue that is still there but boarded up after Governor Winthrop Rockefeller shut down gambling in the late '60s.

 

[Iggy]

Heck I thought you was talking about the "rent a room for an hour" Hot Springs Motel south of Laramie back in the 50's and 60's