Arkansas, part two (June 2021)

Written by ceddammit

…and now…The Rest of Arkansas (continued from part one).

I departed Hot Springs early one morn, and made my way through a massive road construction project to the city of Little Rock, which I must say had a much more impressive downtown than I expected – once again, I found myself wishing I had planned time for myself to just walk around and photograph the downtown area. Seems like this happens on every trip I take (every trip I take, every vow you break, I’ll be watchin’ you). But I only went downtown in search of lunch. The real reason for my visit to Little Rock was the city’s Central High School.

Little Rock’s Central High is well-known for being the site where desegregation ran into a brick wall in 1957. The high school is now designated as a National Historic Site, complete with a visitor center / museum across the street. The museum does a great job of explaining what happened in excellent detail. Suffice to say, the situation was more complex than I had ever known, and took place over a longer period of time than I had thought. Note that the visitor center / museum is not located inside the high school, as the school is still an active city high school. As such, tours of the school’s interior are not available, but anyone can stroll the school grounds, which I found very worthwhile. Y’see, the school had already garnered national attention a few decades before desegregation. When it was constructed in the 1920’s, no expense was spared, resulting in what some proclaimed to be America’s most beautiful high school. I would tend to agree, but take a look and decide for yourself…

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalyse…
Ambition, Personality, Opportunity, and…the Other One.
Looks alot like a guy I used to work with.
Preparation! That’s who it was!

Most of the next day was spent just driving from Little Rock to Eureka Springs, though I also stopped for a couple of cave tours along the way. My first stop was Toad Suck. Why? BECAUSE IT’S A TOWN CALLED “TOAD SUCK”! How could I resist?! Here’s your proof…

This was the Toad Suck Ferry from 1939 through the late 1940’s. Seriously.
Looking down the Arkansas River from Toad Suck
This bridge had billions of mud swallows nesting on it.
A few pics from the town of Toad Suck, Arkansas

Next up was a drive through the Ozark Mountains. I did not see the Chicken Train (or any trains for that matter). The Ozarks are bigger and more beautiful than I recalled in my vague childhood memories. Have some examples…

This tree is my hero!
A petrified alligator!

Late that afternoon, I checked into the Basin Park Hotel in the town of Eureka Springs. This hotel and its antique decor are pretty sweet! Built in 1905, the front of the hotel towers over the street, while the back of the hotel is up against a mountain – all seven floors are ground floors if you go out the back (though sadly, the back doors are all emergency-only exits these days). Check this old place out:

Basin Park Hotel, opened in 1905
Pineapple bed posts!
Art Deco lamp
Art Deco lamp switched on
Art Deco floor lamp
View from my hotel room
A true wash basin
The hot tub seems a bit out of place, but it was enjoyable.
Apparently, guests at the Basin Park Hotel are seriously paranoid folks.
Every hour on the hour, a troll would pop his head out of this little door and giggle maniacally.
Basin Park Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas

During my stay in Eureka Springs, I went to another cave (Cosmic Cave – the best one of the three I saw on this trip), went on a guided walking tour of the town (“Downtown-N-Underground” which does NOT actually take you into the tunnels under the town, but is enjoyable nonetheless) and took a very few photos of a couple of notable structures. The first of these was Thorncrown Chapel. This place is heavily photographed, so you’ve probably seen it before. I was seriously in need of my next round of Parkinson’s meds, which I had left at the hotel, so I only took a couple quick snaps before leaving…

Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas

I tried taking a shortcut to get back to my hotel, but it didn’t work. I ended up at the town’s only other grand old hotel. Upon its opening, the Crescent was billed as “America’s newest and most luxurious hotel”. And luxurious it was; it featured electric lighting, steam heat, and even an elevator – all of this in 1886! Unfortunately, I still needed to get to my meds so I didn’t stick around long, but I did get a few quick pics (not lottery tickets).

Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas

One fine June morning, I checked out of the Basin Park Hotel, and drove to the city of Fort Smith, Arkansas. Prior to my arrival, my knowledge of Fort Smith came entirely from the recent remake of the movie True Grit. Fort Smith sat right at the border between Arkansas and the Indian Territories (which later became Oklahoma). Unfortunately, the main building at the fort (the old barracks/courthouse) was closed for remodeling when I visited. But I was still able to wander around the grounds. Let’s see if I found anything worth photographing…

See? I told you it was at the border!
This is where I learned that I have always mispronounced “Osage”.
Parade grounds at Fort Smith
Originally the fort’s barracks, this building later served as a federal courthouse.
Eventually, the courthouse was embiggened.
Prisoner transport in the good old days
This building, tucked into a corner of the fort, served many purposes over the years. It was a military supply storehouse during the Mexican-American War. It later served as offices for a couple U.S. government agencies, and as housing for Federal judges and their families.
Fort Smith, Arkansas

And with that, I am finally finished sifting through my backlog of photos from the Old Cheap-n-Crappy(TM) camera. But fear not! This is not the end of ThrowBack Thursday. Nay, I shall carry on with the TBT posts, as I have a separate backlog of photos from my Good Camera.

When I bought the Good Camera, I decided to get to know it by taking it for a stroll, before taking it on any trips. At the time, I lived in a suburb of Denver, Colorado. So, it looks like next week’s TBT post will feature a walk in and around downtown Denver.

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