01/24/2025
We are often asked what was so special about the spring water here in Eureka Springs that led so many visitors at the turn of the century to feel that they were healed of their ailments. Was it some sort of magical ingredient? Truth be told, our cold water springs did feature some mineral content, but nothing that was entirely unique. Ultimately, we believe that there were numerous factors at play.
First, many visitors arrived from areas that did not have clean drinking water or sanitary conditions. Simply drinking water that was cleaner than what they had back home would likely do them some good. Second, hygiene was not a priority for many of our early visitors, and bathing was not a regular activity. But once they arrived here, they often included daily visits to one of the many bath houses that existed in Eureka Springs at that time. Third, there is the "placebo effect" and the power of suggestion - many people simply got better because they believed that they would get better. And finally, as this fun 1919 photo of Anna Brumling climbing the hillside near Oil Spring reminds us, they were doing some serious EXERCISING!
(ESHM Collection PH-373P)
