Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1891-05-07
FROM HOT SPRINGS.
Some ObservationsSof a Tribune Man
Who is Spending q Few Days
IL at That Resort.
The Country Between st. Louis and
Hot Springs Centrasted With
North Dakota.
IA Beautiful Winter Resort That is
Particularly Popular With
Northwestern People.

Northwestern People.
City of Hotels.
Hot Springs Correspondence: A mis-
taken impression exists regarding the
Hot Springs-a prevailing idea that it is
the mecca for the halt, the crippled, the
invalid and impure only. This may have
been true of the Hot Springs of ten years
ago but it is not true of the Hot Springs OF
to-day. never saw among a like num-
Der Of gentlemen and ladies larger per
centage of strong, vigorous and healthy
looking persons. While bathing is the
popular fad do not suppose that over one
in ten of the $4,000 strangers here are really
I'm need OF these particular waters.
However, whether it be the waters or the
innate, or both, there is something about
NE surroundings that is enervating and
Sshe person in former good health feels
benefits to a greater degree than he had
dreamed of.
The Hot Springs has delightful Spring
climate; the state of Arkansas has the Hot
Springs and that's all there is of it. The
country between st. Louis and Hot
Springs is GOd-forsaken, uninviting and
desolate. II contrasted, as lpassed,th Through,
the condition of the North Dakota farmer
with these Door, ignorant wretches who
are eking out an existence down
here and some portions Of Mis-
souri, are but little better.
1t is an eighteen-hour ride from ST. Louis
here and, with the exception of Little Rock
and one or two other cities, one does not
see new shingle or single sign Of recent
Improvement The soil is red clay, gravel
and rock, and covered with timber
Swamps are numerous and in the level
country everywhere there is nothing but
mud ana water. The farmers, if they can
be called such, merely exist. Life, energy,
development, they know nothing about.
Ninety-nine out of hundred of the houses
are smaIl-about 14x18. built on stills about
two feet from the ground to allow ventila.
ton and keep the building above thigh
water mark Very few have modern
brick chimneys. The old-fashioned out
side chimney prevails everywhere. The
roads are unimproved and barns, sheds,
bridges and houses, having once fallen
repaired or replaced. The natives--except
the colored people, who seem to be more
Energetic and in more prosperous cOndi-
n ION than the whites-have a sallow, sober,
IsAnintelligent appearance, and the women
land children are particularly scrawny, poor
sounding resort crowded with the elite of
the whole United States, in search of
health, pleasure and rest. Passing through
these dismalss one comes suddenly
into mountainous regionan up
heaval Of yari-colored rocks of
irregular and ~ curious uric Gn,o shapes
,deceased] railroad, formerly a narrow
gauge, but now standard The road runs
IN the Ozark river into the Ozark range of
mountains and ends-in the gulch. The
surroundings and the city resemble min
ing camp. Long streets running up ra-
yines-just wide enough for two rows of
running in every direction and no cross
streets.
There are probably 10000 people perma-
nently located here and great deal'Of
building is going on. There are, however,
very few good residences. Until the last
two years the hotel accommodations were
limited, but now they are excellent The
.
parties-the Eastman and the Park-are
first-class in every particular-the latter
fireproof. One has 800 and the other 400
rooms for guests-all elegantly furnished.
The spacious parlnrs, lObbies and recep-
ton rooms, with their myriads of electric
in the country. Bands Of music playing
day and night and everything made as at
tractive as possible.
The season here is said to be backward,
although to northern man 1t appears de-
cidedly forward. The peach trees are in
bloom, the grass is green, flowers blooming
outdoors and the trees nearly in full
foliage.
Cd At one of the eating stations on the Min
<heapOlis & st. Louis road-which seems to
Ebe popular route from the northwest.
,equalled only by the Burlington met
Mr.. Hood, formerly Of the Mandan mills.
He is non. doing business in Iowa, but
complains of the effect of granger legisla-
tion-its effect being to unsettle business
and drive capital out of the state.
AS have mentioned, the country from
st. Louis to Hot Springs is very desOlate.
met Mr.. Dobbin of Minneapolis on the
train. He is lawyer of some prominence
there.and, by The way, an old :, ac tpn
and campaigned through Missouri. He
was then a resident of Illinois. He says
the only prayer of the members of his reg
iment was that they would not die in Mis-
souri,. II they did, they wanted their re-
znains taken across the Mississippi river.
Many of the backwoOds Arkansans still
think they are living in the South. They
have no conception of what has taken
place in the past few years.
One cannot turn around here without
meeting someone from the northwest.
Auditor Bray and Editor. Kellogg have
been spending a few days at Potash Sui
phur springs, eight miles from here. Keg
I has been living too high, or something, and
his digestion is off. He says the waters of
{ tas6-sulphur are bringing him out all
right. Bray is seeking rest and finds the
quiet of the mountain side about right He
goes out regularly each day TO hold com
mnniOn with the robbins and bluebirds
and rest himself upon the messy, fOwery
bank Of some spring, from whose health
giving lotions he partakes freely.
Secretary Flittie didn't like it here. He
/ became lonesome and morose and longed
for ln0re noise and more excitement. He
took a couple Of baths and lost his appe-
lite, and when q man who has lost his ap-
petite sits down to table loaded with such
good things to eat-as at the PaTk-and
can't eat, he's in awful misery. Flittie