The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1889-03-22
Arkansas Letter.
EUREKA SPRINGS. ARK.

| Journ OF few weeks, am minded 10 while
| away lonesome afternoon, by attempting
to give you a brief description of this place.
1t is In the extreme northwestern corner OF
Arkansas, southwest of st. Louis about 500
miles. via ST. Louis & SanFrancisco r. r.,
| to Ssligman. thence 20 miles through the
widest and most picturesque scenery imag-
Unable to this place. We are about In the
latitude of Nashville, Tenn, and Raleigh,
N. G. 1t is ten years only since the first
house, or more properly shanty, was built
here. Now 1t has 6,O00 inhabitants, be-
sides transient population of one to three
thousand, railroad. telegraph, telephone,
gas, and hotels and boarding houses without
number ESQ far as know. One of the ro-
tells, the Crescent, built on the highest point
OF land-I mean rock--in the town, q solid
stone structure, with all the modern inn
guests, and from its lofty observatory com
manding view, unsurpassed by any thing
l ever saw.
The approach to the town gives one some
thing of an idea what to expect. Immedi-
ately on leaving Selgman, 20 miles away,
it dives into rocky chasm, in places many
hundred feet below the summit of the hills,
or rather mountains, many of them sheer
rocky precipices, on eithers side. IL seemed
to us we were going in every possible direc-
ton, so tortuous was the course of the can
yon. 1t was most delightful ride, some
times within arms length of the rocks,
again through narrow valley. with It's
strip OF cultivated land, and its typical Ark.
cabin, its shock-headed men and women, its
pigs and mules. Now following the course
of the mountain torrent clear as crystal,
which accompanied us all the way, now
again crossing 1t every twenty rods, skirt
ing the banks of White river for a mile or
more, dark sullen stream, which looked
for all the world as though it wanted TO en-
gulf us, and which it would il our good
iron steed had made trip.
But it was the town set out to describe,
but the question is how to describe the in
describable. Imagine great collection tf
very high hills, or small mountains, say
fifty or sixty Il havn't counted them) thrown
prOmiscuously together, the sides of these
mouatains very steep, many of them precip-
itous and between them ami separating one
from the other, ravines, gullies or little val
leys, some of them shallow others many
hundred feet deep and all very narrow. rum
ming in every possible direction, but in the
main toward, and opening into one common
guch or valley, longer. lower down, and
broader than the lateral or tribu-
tary gorges, and you may have some idea OF
the grand achievement of nature, in the way
of furnishing the location for town.
How do you suppose they ever built
town here? | will try to tell you. The
main or business streets, three think in
number, am not sure about the number,
fort they run against each other. Sometimes
a street goes across lots to get there ahead
of the other street, and sometimes one gets
demoralized, discouraged and runs against
the rocks and puts an end to itself. These
streets are in the principal valley, none of
them are level for one rod, and none are
straight for ten rods. Most of them are
circular, sometimes turning sharp corner
to get around a jutting rock or the spur OF
mountain, All OF them except perhaps the
lowest, either cut out of the rock or running
along a natural bench or terrace. The
principal, Spring street. is / judge mile
or more long. The cross streets from one
to the other OF these business streets con-
sist Of flights of stairs. Many of the build
ings have the first story opening on one street
and the second on the street above. have
seen a few with the third ON level with
the street above. Many, perhaps most of
the loGs on these streets, have been excavat-
ed from the mountain side, the stone thus
removed constituting the material for the
building.
The residence streets follow the course of
the lateral gullies or narrow val
leys, the street being dug out of the side of
the mountain on one or both sides of the
gulch, and the cottages stuck on the side of
the mountain, and clinging to it above and
below the street. They are mostly small,
one stor, cheap structures, and as they :
cling to the side of the mountain they re-
mind me of my school boy achievements in
making paper wads stick to the schoolhouse
walls.
AS have already intimated there Is no
level spot of ground in the town unless il
has been made so artifcially, and have
noticed one particularly, which shows how
wise beniicient nature is to meet every
emergency, The town is full of cows and
to enable them to fed with ease and safety
on the steep mountain side the fore and
hind legs on one side are about six inches
longer than the corresponding legs on the
other side.
Our cottage stands at the head of one of
these streets, looking to the east, and when
the sun rises over the valley bathing it in
gold, the sight is most beautiful, and am
glad sm all early riser.
There are fOrty-0ne springs within the