Geographically, Eureka Springs is an “up and down” town. There are no level spots in the down-town area large enough for a baseball diamond or a circus tent. This problem has been solved, however, by bulldozing off the top of a mountain at the edge of town and building a stadium. We can now play the great American game and hope for the visitation of a circus.

The town has had its share of economic problems which it has managed to solve satisfactorily. It has been temporarily down, but never out. One of the first blows to the local economy of the town was the removal of the railroad shops in 1911. This stopped an important pay roll which the town needed to balance its economy. No other industries have been developed to take its place.

For a number of years Eureka Springs was the outstanding watering place, not only in Arkansas, but throughout the entire midwest, but after the turn of the century other resorts became prominent and offered stiff competition. New scientific discoveries for combatting disease influenced the attitude of the people toward water as a cure-all and many health resorts folded-up as a result of this policy. Eureka Springs held on tenaciously but found it necessary to stress recreation along with health in order to survive. As a combined health and pleasure resort it weathered the depression although business was at low ebb for a number of years. Houses were torn down and the lumber shipped to western Kansas and other sections of the country. Crescent College closed its doors in the early thirties and a few years later the Crescent Hotel was discontinued. The building was bought by Norman Baker in the late thirties and opened as a hospital. But this institution ran into difficulties and was closed two or three years later. The Crescent, which had been opened as a hotel in 1886, remained closed during World War II but in 1945 Chicago business men bought the property and remodeled the building. It opened as a hotel with Dwight Nichols as manager in June, 1946. It is now one of the town’s greatest assets.

Eureka Springs had a mild boom at the close of the war. Home-seekers poured in, bought homes, entered into business or went into retirement. A number of motels and other business enterprises were built and a community began a new epoch as a resort. The population increased from a depression low of about 1,700 to around 3,000 in 1954, counting the suburban areas. Civic improvements included paving the streets, the voting of bonds for revamping the sewer system, the sinking of a deep well to secure an adequate water supply, and the erection of an ultra modern public school building. Several of the churches of the town have repaired their buildings, or built new additions, and improved their facilities. Business buildings have been enlarged and improved and many new homes built. The tourist season now opens in April and continues until November with a few winter visitors. It is estimated that about 150,000 tourists visit Eureka Springs during the year. Some make only brief stops, others stay two or three weeks for rest and recreation.

Eureka Springs has become a popular retirement city and the people of this class add substantially to the town’s economy, but the bulk of the revenue is from the tourist trade. Since this business is seasonable, a few small industries are needed to provide pay rolls and help balance the economy. Writers, artists and craftsmen find this the ideal location for their activities.

Eureka Springs has had its ups and downs through the years with a leveling off toward normalcy since the mild boom following the war. With Table Rock Dam on White River assured, and Beaver Dam farther up the stream a possibility, the outlook for the future is bright. The town will continue as a combined health and pleasure resort, an art and retirement center, a literary mecca, and a haven for hobbiests. It is developing a festival atmosphere which has the earmarks of permanency.