Wrapping up Eureka Springs

We spent most our time roaming the zigzag Victorian streets of Eureka Springs. But there were some things not far away that we wanted to venture to.

Pea Ridge National Military Park was only about 20 miles from here – but of course the snakelike roads through the Ozarks turn that into 40 minutes easy. On March 6 through 8,1862, about 16,000 Confederate troops engaged about 10,000 Union troops at Pea Ridge Arkansas. Despite superior forces, poor command communication resulted in the Confederates not taking advantage of their superior strength, and eventually lost the battle. Their loss pretty much salvaged Missouri for the Union, which remained neutral for the remainder of the war.

While the trees have changed since 1862, the terrain has remained untouched. We toured all the major battle sites from those three horrific days. The videos and interactive displays in the Visitor Center made it easy to follow the movements of the troops out on the Ridge as it would have happened 150 years ago.

The Park contains a renovated Elkhorn Tavern, which played an important role in the battles. The Elkhorn, first built in 1833, was on high ground, and was originally held by the Confederate forces as their command headquarters. On March 7 Union forces advanced on the Tavern, driving out the Confederate forces and taking for use as a field hospital. The Tavern area would be a focal point for fighting during the battle, with the Confederate forces eventually regaining control. However, during nearby engagements, two Confederate Generals were killed, the most senior casualties in the entire Civil War. The death of these two Generals put their forces in disarray which contributed to the Confederate loss despite having a greater than 3 to 2 advantage.

Confederate losses in this battle were 2,000 compared to about 1,400 for the Union, well over 10% of each side’s forces. It is interesting how these terrible locations seem to be a vortex for bad events. It turns out that Pea Ridge was not only a Civil War battlefield, but some 20 years earlier it was part of the Trail of Tears, the route of the forced migration of Native Americans where so many perished.

Another connection pops up - on the Owens family homestead site in Branson Missouri we had visited a known cave where a confederate soldier fleeing from Pea Ridge had hidden until he was safe.

South of Eureka Springs on Arkansas 23 is the second best motorcycle cruising road in America, according to followers of both USA Today and the Discovery Channel. With all the famous biker roads we have seen on this journey, we couldn’t pass this opportunity up. Known as the Pig Trail, it is not nearly as compact and snaky as the Tail of the Dragon. But since it winds along many ridges in the Ozarks with spectacular views, I could see an argument for it being better. Interestingly enough we came to a spot when the Pig Trail was closed due to a heavy storm and the highway being washed out. Luckily we had already done the portion of the Trail that we really had wanted to see and drive.

On our way to the Pig Trail we stumbled across Quigley’s Castle. Albert and Elise Quigley lived outside Eureka Springs with their robust family. Elise had been talking for years about the kind of house she wanted to build. But Albert, who worked at a local lumber mill, got enough of construction lumber during the day and kept putting off the idea. One day in 1943 when Albert went to work, Elise gathered the family and completely disassembled their 3 room house. Needless to say, construction of Elise’s dream commenced soon.

Elise had a vision of a home big enough for the family, but that would bring the outdoors inside as well. She basically designed a home where the living spaces were receded from the walls by 4 feet of earth, and the 4 feet of earth is used essentially as a green house. Not just small plants but giant trees live in that space. Elise’s granddaughter, who now resides in the home and gives tours, told us that the two story trees that we were looking at were the same trees her grandmother had planted in the 1940’s. Odd, but really interesting, Castle Quigley is on the National Register of Historic Places.

When we were in Hot Springs we learned about Carrie Nation. During Prohibition guys like Al Capone and other Chicago gangsters set up bars and casinos in Hot Springs – we had visited Capone’s. The local officials and police got paid off – maybe even frequented these places, but they were notorious. Carrie Nation was a temperance leader who brought a hatchet along with her wherever she went. She had chopped up Capone’s wooden bar in Hot Springs, which got her a lot of publicity.

Carrie Nation eventually settled down in Eureka Springs. We found her home near one of the 63 springs we were trying to find around town. She was so famous for her actions to physically chop up illegal wooden bars wherever she went that the press named her home in Eureka Springs Hatchet Hall.

On the way to Pea Ridge we discovered several gems, but only because Brenda took us on a shortcut on some one-lane roads labeled as a legitimate Arkansas highway. So much for putting her on her Truck setting where she swears she will avoid roads inappropriate for large trucks! In the little town of Beaver we found the Little Golden Gate Bridge of Arkansas. The last of the wooden one lane state highway bridges to be still in use, the bridge looks amazingly like the Golden Gate Bridge on a reduced scale.

The Little Golden Gate crosses Beaver Lake, a lake made from one of the many dams along the White River. The White River, as we learned, was tamed by the Army Corps of Engineers, the same White River that formed Lake Taneycomo in Branson that we had paddled on and enjoyed so much. We keep bumping into the White River as we tool around the Ozarks – it is an impressive body of water. An 1850’s era railroad bridge still spans the White River at Beaver Arkansas very near the Little Golden Gate.

We lucked out again. A curious building called Castle Rogues Manor overlooks the city of Beaver and both bridges. It is the lifelong work of a local gentleman who saw the land, had a dream, and dedicated his life to building it. We learned that they don’t have scheduled times – you have to call ahead and schedule a tour. But the owner said he would be happy to meet us there in an hour – we had a picnic lunch – and Beaver City Lake Park had a nice picnic area right on the White River. I love it when things fall together!

Interestingly when we stopped in at Beaver City Lake Park, they not only had a picnic area and some hiking, but also had a campground with electricity, a beach and a boat ramp. Other than the few trees that provided some well appreciated shade, you could see the lake from anywhere in the Park. It made me wonder why this warning sign was necessary.

The building was never exactly meant to be a home – he wasn’t sure what it would turn into when he started building it. It is all hand made from local stone and wood. He has tried to draw from many different architectural styles from all over the world - domes, massive hearth, expansive balconies, etc. But the only consistent theme seems to be over the top, impressive carpentry and stone work.

The hand carved wooden flooring as well as the maze of stair cases in the upper floors remind you of an Escher maze – you see it all and it looks like it has perspective, but then you realize you are not really sure you can get from point A to point B. At some point when funding was getting to be a real issue he realized that folk looking for a unique wedding or catered event had been visiting. Now he uses such catered events, with occasional overnight stays, as the way to fund his continued construction. There is nothing particularly historic about Castle Rogues Manor other than its location, but we had a great time touring it.

Our other gem near Beaver was the Blue Spring Heritage Site. The Blue Spring has been the location of human habitation for perhaps 20,000 years based on archeological work. The spring produces the most consistent and highest volume of water in the Eureka Springs area. Nestled in a valley, it spews 38 million gallons of pure spring water into the White River daily. Its name comes from the distinctive blue glow of the water in the pool created by the spring.

In addition to just taking in the beauty of the spring we hiked to find where the spring water spilled into the White River, as well as the sites where evidence of human habitation were discovered under the bluffs. In the visitor center we learned about efforts to explore the source of the spring, exploring it under water using scuba gear. They have only been able to dive about 300 feet into the caves under the spring before they became too small to penetrate, so they can only speculate. Based on water testing, they actually believe the water may originate in Alaska.

We wanted to hike to what is allegedly the most photographed object in the State of Arkansas – Whitaker Point. Also known as Hawksbill Crag, it is an immense boulder jutting out over the Ozark Mountain Wilderness near the Buffalo Wild and Scenic River managed jointly by the National Park Service and the US Forest Service. It’s a bit of a drive to get to the trailhead, and the last 6 miles of the drive are on unpaved roads, but once you reach the Point, there is no doubt it was worth it.

It’s a 4 mile round trip hike out to the Point. About a mile into the hike, you begin to round a huge dome of a peak, so for the last mile you are continuously provided spectacular views out over the Ozark Mountains and its dense forests. Even if we never reached the Point the hike would have proved worthwhile. But when you actually reach the goal, you totally understand the name Hawksbill Crag – it does look exactly like a hawk’s bill.

After the great hike I wanted to take in the Buffalo National River. When we were near the Devil’s Triangle in Tennessee we had visited the Obed Wild and Scenic River and found it to live up to its name. Folks in kayaks were busily charging the rapids and having a great time. When we arrived at the Buffalo, we learned that it was neither. While the Buffalo River at 135 miles is one of the longest rivers in the US without any dams on it, apparently it is seasonal. Although the National Park Service manages over 95,000 acres of land along the Buffalo, it only has water in it in the spring, or after heavy rains. It was a disappointment, but the Hawksbill Crag made the visit wonderful!

The last gem we discovered was the Bank of Eureka Springs, founded on May 1, 1912. On Spring Street in downtown Eureka Springs is the location they moved to in 1946, and it is the only working bank in the US that you can legally take photographs in – while it is a working bank, it is also a historical museum. Collections of equipment, furniture and records from the early days of the bank are all over. We met John Fuller Cross, Chairman and President of the bank, and he walked us around and showed us all the interesting artifacts.

John is the grandson of Claude Fuller, former President of the bank and Congressman for Arkansas from 1929 to 1939. The elder Fuller was responsible for much of the legislation that resulted in the Army Corps controlling the White River, reducing flood devastation, and providing reliable electricity to the remote Ozark communities. John asked me if we were currently collecting Social Security payments. When I said yes, he pointed to a photo of his grandfather and said “You can thank him for that.” It turns out that Claude Fuller sponsored the legislation that ultimately resulted in Social Security. So we met the grandson of the guy who helped supplement our current lifestyle – cool!

We’re kinda sad to leave the Ozarks, they are so much more beautiful than we imagined. However they also have their own rules to live by. Here is how they warn hikers on the trails to honor private property and no-trespassing signs!

Talk to you soon!