Our tour of the central part of America was ending in early May 2017 and we looked east to Arkansas to determine what to explore next.  Much to our delight we found Hot Springs National Park and headed to the the first piece of Federal Land set aside for recreation in 1832.  For over 8000 years the indigenous peoples had enjoyed the unique hot springs before the Spanish and the French had claimed the area.  The first American settlers were no different and this small part of Arkansas became a destination for many people troubled by sickness, pains, invalids, and others.

A resort community grew out of the initial log cabins that had troughs of hot spring water flowing from the mountain springs to nurture those that needed healing.

The Visitor’s Center of the National Park (formerly the Fordyce Bathhouse) is a fascinating walk back in time to see what a resort in the early 1900s would look like.

So what exactly came out of the ground to bring people from all over the world to bathe or drink it for thereputic value?  The traces of minerals and the average termperature of 143F seemed to work on a variety of maladies and drinking the cooler springs containing different minerals helped in a similar manner.   We did not hear any discussion that would explain how the water helped.

At first the rich and poor could come to the hot springs and avail themselves of the waters using primitive facilities but as the bathhouses started to cater to the wealthier clientele, the government created a a bathhouse for the indigent people.  The government facilities in the late 1800s were sexually and racially segregated.  African Americans were the main workforce at the private bathhouses even if they couldn’t use the private facilities  (only the government subsidized one).

The Bathhouses provided many treatments, not just the use of the hot springs, but also rubbing mercury compounds on the body to cure syphilis.  The water and steam treatments from the springs were applied in many different complex ways:

At various times the city of Hot Springs was declared as “The American Spa” and catchy phrases such as “Uncle Sam Bathes the World” or “The Nation’s Health Sanitarium” were used to describe this wonderful destination in Arkansas.  Professional Baseball Teams conducted Spring Training in the area, a large Army/Navy Hospital was built here, and  President Clinton’s childhood home was here.

The Visitor’s Center encouraged us to take some of their spring water home for free, indicating they were the only National Park that encouraged visitors to take a key resource home with them, lol.

The visit to the area was enriching to us in another important way.  We met Janey and Bill at our campground and have kept in touch since, visiting them in Quartzite AZ this winter.

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John and Roni

April 19, 1995 a truck bomb exploded in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City OK, killing 168 men, women, and children and injuring over 680 others.  Try to fathom this death and destruction and if you are like us, you won’t be able to.

We are not sure exactly why we visited all the 9-11 memorials around the country or why we ended up in front of the Oklahoma City National Memorial on a lovely afternoon in May 2017.   I think we were looking for answers, “why do people cause mass destruction?” , “what effect did this disaster have on the community?”, “how did it happen?”, etc…

The combination of pictures, videos, documents, artifacts from the blast, and so much more made the museum amazing.  It told a story from the start of a normal day for normal people at the Federal Building.  Children being dropped off at the daycare in the building, water resource board hearings starting across the street, and so many little things in many lives until 9:02am when the explosion changed the lives of so many.

The museum then does an excellent job at portraying the confusion and chaos after the blast, the stories of the survivors, the fate of the victims. the heroic efforts of the rescue and recovery teams and the impact on not only America, but on the world.  There is one room that took our breath away, a memorial to all the victims with personal pictures and memorabilia.  Each person a precious life that was taken from us due to the terrorist attack.

Life in the years after the explosion were difficult for the community and so many people were involved in the process of healing while treating the memories of the event with respect.

The investigation and steps taken by law enforcement to catch the perpetrators and put them behind bars was also detailed.  The FBI’s exhaustive and intensive investigation led to the apprehension of the two domestic terrorists and we are thankful America is protected by such a fine organization.  This was the worst homegrown act of terrorism in the history of America.

Oklahoma City has been rebuilt around the explosion and we felt the positive sense of community as we walked about on a nice sunny day.  Somehow they have built “hope” into the Memorial and the Survivor Tree is certainly one example of their attempts to focus on life, not death.  An American Elm tree that photos show was growing in the 1920s survived the blast, the shrapnel of glass, metal and stone, the burning autos parked beneath it, and then the forensic destruction of the tree to collect evidence, all was not enough to kill it and now it is an intrinsic part of the Memorial.

We are thankful that America preserves our history through the efforts of the National Park Service.  We also appreciate the efforts of so many American communities to tell and preserve the personal stories that our history is woven from.

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