A narrow-gauge railroad line from Malvern to Hot Springs known as the “Diamond Jo Line” was completed by Jo Reynolds in 1875. Previous method of travel to hot springs had been a 24 mile hike by foot, horse, or carriage from the National Road at Malvern. Completion in 1875 of this narrow gauge railroad, a spur of the Iron Mountain and Southern Railway, allowed health-seekers to inundate Hot Springs in steadily increasing numbers.  Literature produced by the railroads, hotels, and other interests helped promote Hot Springs, given out as souvenirs which permeated the nation and beyond.

In 1880, standard gauge rails replaced the narrow gauge rails on Hot Springs rail lines, making direct routing to Hot Springs possible. The Senate considered a bill to grant construction of a railroad through Hot Springs Reservation.  The bill proposed granting the Mountain View Railway Company of Hot Springs the right of way “beginning at such point east of the line of the bath-houses, between the Army and Navy Hospital and the Arlington Hotel.” The Superintendent would oversee construction and ensure it did not obstruct or interfere with the flow of thermal water, pipes, roads, or paths or go beyond its thirty-foot right of way.

In the post-war years, American travel patterns were shifting away from passenger railroads in favor of gasoline-powered conveyances. July 4, 1925, marked the dedication and opening of the new paved highway between Little Rock and Hot Springs, a route replacing the old dusty Lonsdale Road. During that year, 44,380 people arrived at the resort town by automobile during the month of July, while only 6,237 arrived via railroads.

Credits and Sources:

Cockrell, Ron. “The Hot Springs of Arkansas—America’s First National Park: Administrative History of Hot Springs National Park.” National Park Service. Accessed June 20, 2015.

Shugart, Sharon. “The Hot Springs of Arkansas Through The Years: A Chronology Of Events -Excerpts-.” Department of the Interior, 2004. http://www.nps.gov/hosp/learn/historyculture/upload/chronology.web.pdf. (accessed June 20, 2015).

Quinn Evans Architects, Mundus Bishop Design, and Woolpert, Inc. Hot Springs National Park, Cultural Landscape Report and Environmental Assessment. National Park Service, 2010.