Settlement and Growth [p.372] -- The region about the head-waters of Leatherwood Creek was an almost unbroken wilderness in 1878. Farther down the valley of the creek there were cultivated sections, but the whole of Cedar Township was very sparsely settled. The hills and gulches about the springs were covered with a forest of pine and oak, and with an almost impenetrable growth of scrub and bushes. Rocks of every geological formation lined the hills, and loose stones of every conceivable shape rolled down the sides of the gulch below. Within less than a decade the forests have been transformed into habitations, and the stones lend comfort and permanence to the streets of a city whose wonderful growth might well cause the sanguine observer to ascribe creative, as well as recreative, properties to its far-famed waters.
Judge Sanders built the first house July 4, 1879. The sides were formed of poles dove-tailed together at the corners, and the roof consisted of rough boards. The first team was driven to the vicinity of Basin Spring by Burton Sandeers, son of the judge. The first occupants of the first house were two lady members of his family. July 6, 1879, O. D. Thornton built a rough board shanty, and occupied it as a general store. At this time there was a small band of invalids, to the number of 150, probably, collected around the Basin Spring, and living in tents and wagons. Before the close of July the number of houses had increased to a dozen. August 10, 1879, there was a population of 180; fifteen houses had been built, and as many more were in process of erection. The stores of ol D. Thornton and T. Jackson were in operation; there were also a meat market and a blacksmith shop. A week later the population had increased to 300. Measures were taken to have the streets laid out and passable roads opened, and to this end H. S. Montgomery, with twenty men, cleared away the trees and opened Main Street half a mile down the gorge from the Basin. William M. Sanders was one of the blacksmiths. In the autumn of 1879 a Mr. Van Winkle established a lumber yard; A. D. Mize opened a hardware store; Dr. Hoge became the first druggist; one Jefferson opened a saloon, and a Mr. Wahlquist introduced himself as a tailor. The first bath-house was established in August, 1879. Dr. McCarty was the first resident physician, and likewise the first postmaster. William Conant was the first liveryman. A Mr. Cook, a helpless invalid and cripple, with no other tool than a jack-knife, began the manufacture of canes, and did quite a business. The first death occurred August 8, 1879. Prof. I. A. Clarke, of the Berryville Academy, was among the early visitors, and his wife was killed by the falling of a tree that had been burned at the roots by a camp-fire.
The nearest railroad point in 1880 was Pierce City, Mo., on the St. Louis & San Francisco Railway, fifty-five miles distant. Liverymen here did a thriving business, and a line of coaches, known as the "Nine-hour-line," was established in 1880. The fare was $3.00. In a distance of nine miles this road crosses Roaring River nineteen times. There was also a regular line of coaches from Ozark, Ark., eighty-five miles distant. This journey required nineteen hours, and the fare was $8.00. After the extension of the Frisco line to Fayetteville, Seligman, Mo., eighteen miles distant, became the nearest railroad point.
Population [p.373] -- In May, 1881, Mayor Carroll had a census taken, when the population was found to exceed 8,000. The Federal census of the previous year showed a population of 3,984. The number of visitors in 1883 was estimated at 9,000, and the actual resident population at about the same. Under the severe police regulations, and from other causes, the town has been relieved of an undesirable element. The permanent inhabitants number 5,500, with a steady and substantial growth. "Life at the Springs," says a writer in 1881, "is to a great extent most primitive. The furniture is of the rudest, the accommodations few, and the inconveniences many. The cooking is much of it done out of doors, in the old-fashioned skillet and bake-oven. Many wealthy families prefer tent life, and the site is peculiarly favorable for the experiment. The loan of a drinking cup at the spring, or a fire-brand at the camp, often leads to a lasting friendship. There is little conformity to fashion, though many stylishly dressed people throng the streets. You speak to everybody you meet, whether you know them or not, and are sure of a courteous, cordial return. * * * * * * * The preliminary steps at meeting are the questions as to whence you came, when you arrived, how long you will stay, your malady, and your name. To some, this wholesale prying into your affairs may seem impertinent; but to the lonely camper, miles and miles away from familiar faces, sick and longing for sympathy, it is very pleasant."
The town is thus described: "Everywhere that a human abode could be constructed, houses of every description, tents and shelters, sprang up all over the mountain tops, hanging by corners on the steep sides, perched upon jutting boulders, spanning the gulches, or nestling under crags and in grottoes. It is a most peculiar looking place, presenting an apparent disregard to anything like order and regularity of arrangement, with its 'two-story' streets, its winding thoroughfares and circular pathways."
Fires [p.374] -- A destructive fire broke out at 4:50 A. M., November 3, 1883, in a building claimed by one Cushingberry, whose right was disputed by his son. The origin was undoubtedly incendiary. The burnt area extended on both sides of Mountain and Eureka Streets, covering five acres, and involving a loss of $25,000. Vigorous preventive measures were at once taken, and no similar catastrophe has since occurred.
Municipal Organization [p.374] -- Town committee: August 8, 1879, Hugh Montgomery, T. Montgomery, Jacob Mills, Q. Bennett, J. Hooker, Alderson, McGuire, Nuby, Hardin, Tatum, Cook and another were elected at a public meeting a committee for the general management of such affairs as concerned the public in the incipient period of town development. The most important act of this committee was the appointment of I. N. Armstrong, of Benton County, town surveyor. Under instructions from the committee, a reservation of 100 feet around the basin spring was laid off, from which an avenue sixty feet wide was surveyed to the intersection of Main Street. Maj. Armstrong continued his work until the middle of the winter, laying out the principal streets of the town. The original committee was superseded [sic] by another, which dissolved without transacting any important business.
Incorporation: October 8, 1879, the petition of twenty citizens of Eureka Springs was filed in the county court of Carroll County, for incorporation as a town. January 2, 1880, the petition was dismissed, because there was not the required number of voters within the proposed limits. January 9, 1880, seventy-one qualified voters signed a second petition, which was favorably considered by the court February 14, 1880. Section 15 and the south half of Section 10, Township 20 north, Range 26 west, thus became the incorporated town of Eureka Springs. The first election of town officers occurred April 6, 1880. In 1882, the population having sufficiently increased, Eureka Springs, became a city of the first class. The mayor was thus given enlarged powers, and the number of aldermen increased to ten. There are five wards.
City Officials. -- Mayors -- Elisha Rosson, 1880; John Carroll, 1880-84; A. Davis, 1884-87; F. M. Lawson, 1887.
Clerks -- F. A. Packard, 1880-82; John H. Hamilton, 1882-83; W. F. Daugherty, 1883-87; R. H. Du Bois, 1887.
Police Judges -- E. R. Ray, 1882-83; F. C. Drennon, 1883; Larkin Collins, 1883-84; A. T. Wilson, 1884-87; J. P. McLaughlin, 1887.
Chiefs of Police -- Joe F. Ivey, 1882-83; S. L. Hickerson, 1883-85; W. B. Smith, 1885-87; L. H. Park, 1887; W. M. Dale, 1888; J. C. Higgins, 1888.
Town Council, 1880 -- Jasper Hooker, R. R. Pace, George Beavers, W. H. Jones, John Holden; 1881-- J. S. Tibbs, J. G. Breeding, Zeb. Pettigrew, J. T. Gooding, J. H. Pickett.
Aldermen, 1882 -- First Ward, T. O. P. Terry, J. H. Dolen; Second Ward, R. W. Luther, J. W. Cary, Levi Fuller (vice R. W. Luther, resigned); Third Ward, E. I. Putname, L. Collins; Fourth Ward, E. Jenkins; R. H. Du Bois; Fifth Ward, Isaac Chidester, Z. P. Freeman.
1883 -- First Ward, Peter Landale, T. W. Spear; Second Ward, J. P. McLaughlin, L. Waite; Third Ward, E. I. Putname, L. Collins; Fourth Ward, J. G. Breeding, L. D. Brown, R. H. Du Bois (vice J. G. Breeding, resigned); Fifth Ward, L. H. Park, W. R. Dye.
1884 -- First Ward, W. A. Broad, T. J. Atchison; Second Ward, J. P. McLaughlin, Lee Waite; Third Ward, E. I. Putnam, Robert Cuthbertson; Fourth Ward, J. G. Breeding, R. H. Du Bois; Fifth Ward, L. H. Park, W. R. Dye.
1885 -- First Ward, W. A. Broad, R. H. James; Second Ward, J. P. McLaughlin, G. W. Martin; Third Ward, E. I. Putnam, Robert Cuthbertson; Fourth Ward, W. R. Conant, R. H. Du Boix; Fifth Ward, T. F. Hawley, L. H. Park.
1886 -- First Ward, W. A. Broad, H. Davey; Second Ward, G. W. Martin, J. P. McLaughlin; Third Ward, Robert Cuthbertson, James Smith; Fourth Ward, W. R. Conant, R. H. Du Bois; Fifth Ward, T. F. Hawley, J. B. Mitchell.
1887 -- First Ward, W. R. Nichols, H. Davey; Second Ward, J. W. Newport, J. B. Sanford; Third Ward, H. Seidel, James Smith; Fourth Wardd, T. J. Pointer, J. H. Martin; Fifth Ward, J. B. Mitchell, T. F. Hawley.
1888 -- First Ward, W. R. Nichols, J. H. Holleman; Second Ward, J. W. Newport, J. B. Sanford; Third Ward, H. Seidel, W. H. D. Brown; Fourth Ward, T. J. Pointer, Joseph Maddox; Fifth Ward, A. Smith, J. W. Hyatt.
Treasurers -- Bart Moore, 1881; H. D. Field, 1882-85; J. F. Fowler, 1885-87; E. L. Marsh, 1887.
Attorneys -- P. H. Trone and ------- Cordell were elected to this office by the town council in 1880, but each resigned after a short term of service. H. Glitsch was appointed the same year, and was subsequently elected by popular vote for several successive terms. The office is now vacant.
Marshal -- The town council elected William Kimbrough to this office at its first meeting, April, 1880. John Carroll and J. J. Kirk were the incumbents until 1882, when this office was merged into that of chief of police.
The offices of city surveyor, street commissioner, coroner and health officer existed in the first years of the city government, but have since been abolished.
City Finances [p.377] -- The immense expense necessarily incurred in street improvement, and in prosecuting the litigation to secure title to the territory upon which the city is built, have severely taxed its resources. Prohibited from issuing bonds by the State Constitution, and from assessing a tax higher than a certain rate, inadequate to provide sufficient revenue, the city council was forced to the unfortunate expedient of issuing city warrants at from 50 to 85 per cent. less than their face value. The amount of outstanding warrants April 18, 1882, was $71,651.24; April 1, 1883, $75,816.30 the revenue for the intervening period being $36,679.10. This is a summary of the financial condition at the close of the first year of the city government. Much of the indebtedness had been incurred without adequate returns, and in 1883 the board of aldermen made an effort to effect a compromise with the holders of the "scrip." It was partially successful; but Samuel Ashley, the holder of warrants approximating $46,000, declined to compromise on the terms proposed by the city, and instituted proceedings in the United States District Court for the recovery of his claim. The case is still undecided. Exclusive of this claim, the city indebtedness April 1, 1884, was $38,066.45, and has not been materially reduced.
The Town-site Land Litigation [p.377] -- Since 1879, and during the period of most rapid growth, public interest and the attention of the municipal authorities have been centered upon this subject, one of vital importance to every citizen. The large population which arrived in 1879, and the succeeding two other years, were of that class generally termed "squatters." The first arrivals staked off their locations, and the Basin Spring was the center around which village indications were first apparent. The committee elected in September, 1879, was charged with the duty of adjudicating differences between rival claimants; they authorized the surveyor, Maj. Armstrong, to lay off lots forty feet square upon the different streets as they were laid out, and through the autumn, as fast as lots were numbered, claimants appeared with the fee of $1, and received from the surveyor a record of entry in the following form:
Eureka Springs, Section No. 15, Township 20, Range 26 west, Carroll County, Arkansas,
Lot. No. ___, west side of _________ street, taken by ________.
Received payment,
I. N. Armstrong, Recorder
No individual was allowed to enter more that [sic] two lots, and failure to improve a claim within a specified time involved forfeiture of title. Frequent disputes arose, but the judgment of the committee was supreme and final. Lot No. 1, on the south side of Main Street, was the first surveyed for individual occupancy, and was entered by O. D. Thornton.
Application for Town Site [p.378] -- While thus providing for the peaceable distribution of land among themselves, the citizens were not negligent in securing their titles against outside claimants. May 10, 1880, Mayor Rosson made application at the land office at Harrison, to enter as a town site for the people of Eureka Springs the whole of Section 15, the south half of Section 10, and a portion of Section 14, for a portion of which he appeared as contestant.
Private Entries [p.378] -- Prior entries had been made in the following order:
September 12, 1879, by Franzisca Massman, cash entry No. 400, northeast quarter of southwest quarter of Section 3, and southwest quarter of northeast quarter of Section 10.
February 23, 1880, cash entry No. 475, northwest quarter of northeast quarter of Section 10.
September 10, 1879, by William Evans, cash entry No. 398, southwest quarter of southeast quarter of Section 10.
October 16 and 27, 1879, cash entries Nos. 408 and 413, northwest quarter of southeast quarter, and east half of southwest quarter of Section 10.
January 2, 1880, by L. M. Lloyd and E. M. Chapman, Cash entry No. 432, southwest quarter of southwest quarter of Section 10.
August 15, 1879, by J. K. Northcutt, homestead entry No. 4884, northwest quarter of southeast quarter, and north half of southwest quarter, and southeast quarter of northwest quarter of Section 15.
August 15, 1879, by Robert J. Alexander, homestead entry No. 4885, southwest quarter of northwest quarter, and north half of northwest quarter, and northwest quarter of northeast quarter of Section 15.
January 27, 1880, by Benjamin Woodruff, cash entry No. 453, southwest quarter of southwest quarter of Section 15.
October 27, 1879, by D. C. Bays, pre-emption entry D. S. 65, southwest quarter of northwest quarter of Section 14, northeast quarter of northeast quarter of Section 15, south half of northeast quarter of Section 15, southeast quarter of southwest quarter of Section 15; patented to J. L. Cox and B. N. Hobbs, January 21, 1861, but patent never issued.
January 23, 1880 by Peter Van Wynkle. cash entry No. 446, southwest half of southeast quarter, and northeast quarter of southeast quarter of Section 15.
Mineral claimants [p.379] -- There
were a number of mineral claims, those of W. R. Conant, George W. Daly
and Conant & Daly, filed July 19, 1880, being the most important.
The mineral and agricultural claimants were at this time in litigation, The Land Commissioner in April, 1881, rendered a decision adverse to the agricultural claimants, declaring certain portions of the town site mineral, and deciding that the applications of both the lode claimants and of the town-site applicants should be allowed. This was highly satisfactory to the latter; but in March, 1882, the Secretary of the Interior reversed this decision, declaring the lands agricultural in character, and remanding the case to the general land office. The commissioner directed the local land officers of the district to take testimony, which was begun September 4, 1882. Mayor Carroll had, in the meantime, twice applied for town-site entry, February 24, 1881 and June 10, 1881. The first application had been refused on the ground that legal proceedings were then in progress to determine the character of the land in question.
Decisions of the Commissioner and Secretary [p.379] -- The hearing before the Register and Receiver at Harrison was concluded October 12, 1882. A decision from that office was rendered November 25, 1882, and, with the testimony and papers in the case, immediately transmitted to the general land office. The decision of Commissioner McFarland was promulgated July 19, 1883, deciding the question of priority of right in favor of the city authorities. The case was appealed to the Secretary of the Interior by the agricultural claimants, and in the following year his decison was rendered, affirming that of the commissioner, except in so far as the latter related to portions of Section 10 which were conceded to the agriculturists.