1501Architecture
The Fordyce-Ricks House Historic District at 1501 Park Avenue includes three buildings on 37 acres (15 ha) formerly owned by Samuel W.
1673History
In 1673, Father Marquette and Jolliet explored the area and claimed it for France.
1763History
The 1763 Treaty of Paris ceded the land to Spain; however, in 1800 control was returned to France until the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.
1804History
In December 1804, George Hunter and William Dunbar made an expedition to the springs, finding a lone log cabin and a few rudimentary shelters used by people visiting the springs...
1807History
In 1807, a man named Prudhomme became the first settler of modern Hot Springs, and he was soon joined by John Perciful and Isaac Cates.
1818History
On August 24, 1818, the Quapaw Native Americans ceded the land around the hot springs to the United States in a treaty.
1819Government
After Arkansas became its own territory in 1819, the Arkansas Territorial Legislature requested in 1820 that the springs and adjoining mountains be set aside as a federal reserv...
1832History
Following federal protection in 1832, the city developed into a successful spa town.
1851Government
Incorporated January 10, 1851, the city has been home to Major League Baseball spring training, illegal gambling, speakeasies and gangsters such as Al Capone, horse racing at Oa...
1862Civil Rights
After the Confederate forces suffered defeat in the Battle of Pea Ridge in March 1862, the Union troops advanced toward the Confederate city of Little Rock.
1863History
In September 1863, Union forces occupied Little Rock.
1873History
By 1873 six bathhouses and 24 hotels and boardinghouses stood near the springs.
1874Architecture
In 1874, Joseph Reynolds announced his decision to construct a narrow-gauge railroad from Malvern to Hot Springs; completion in 1875 resulted in the growth of visitation to the ...
1875Architecture
Fordyce and two other entrepreneurs financed the construction of the first luxury hotel in the area, the first Arlington Hotel, which opened in 1875.
1876History
Congress and resulted on April 24, 1876, Supreme Court ruling that the land title of Hot Springs belonged to the federal government.
1877History
Rhine (1877–1941), rabbi
Earl T.
1878Disaster
On March 5, 1878, a fire that lasted for eight hours destroyed large areas of the town and left over 1,000 people homeless.
1881Education
== Education ==
The Hot Springs Special School District was created in 1881, and St.
1882Economy
The town relied on springs and wells for its water before the Hot Springs Water Company was created in 1882.
1884Military
Doran, a former officer in the Confederate Army, in 1884.
1890Architecture
The Quapaw-Prospect Historic District contains 233 structures near downtown Hot Springs, with 139 residential houses contributing to the character of the district built between ...
1894Architecture
Needing additional venues for teams to play, Whittington Park was built in 1894, followed by Majestic Park in 1908 and Fogel Field in 1912.
1896History
The 1896–1960 district contains 60 single-family houses and ten other structures.
1897History
The Whittington Park Historic District is a residential district lining Whittington Park, a long, narrow park between two one-way streets created by the National Park Service in...
1899Civil Rights
This contributed to the March 16, 1899, Hot Springs Gunfight.
1902Government
=== Tourism ===
==== Arkansas Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo ====
Founded on Whittington Avenue in 1902, the Arkansas Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo features approximately 20...
1904History
==== Oaklawn Park ====
Oaklawn Park has been operating since 1904.
1905Disaster
The 1905 Peter Joplin Commercial Block building was the only building to survive the 1913 "Black Friday" fire, making it a remnant of early commercial activity on Ouachita Avenu...
1912Education
As evidence of this, Wagner purchased and donated basketball uniforms and equipment to Hot Springs High School in 1912.
1913Disaster
=== 1913 fire ===
On September 5, 1913, a fire broke out on Church Street, a few blocks southeast of Bathhouse Row, near the Army and Navy Hospital.
1914History
=== Formation of the Assemblies of God ===
From April 2–12, 1914, several Pentecostal Christian leaders gathered in Hot Springs to form what became known as the Assemblies of God.
1918Sports
Patrick's Day, 1918, is nicknamed the "Day that changed Baseball Forever." Boston Red Sox' pitcher Babe Ruth hit a long Home Run into the Arkansas Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo...
1921History
The reservation was renamed Hot Springs National Park in 1921.
1924Architecture
Included within this district are the 1924 Arlington Hotel, the Medical Arts Building, a 1929 Art Deco high-rise, and the Wade Building, built in 1927 in the neoclassical style.
1927History
The period 1927–1947 was its wagering pinnacle, with no fewer than ten major casinos and numerous smaller houses running wide open, the largest such operation in the United Stat...
1930History
The Homestead Grays, held spring training at Fogel Field in 1930 and 1931.
1932History
The Pittsburgh Crawfords utilized Fogel Field for spring training from 1932 to 1935.
1933Architecture
Built in 1933, the six-story brick building, built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style with Art Deco detailing, is the centerpiece of the district, and remains the most imposi...
1935History
Following a donation of over 2,000 acres (810 ha), the state created Lake Catherine State Park in 1935.
1936History
The city's highest temperature was 115 °F (46.1 °C), recorded in 1936 and 1986.
1937Crime
A former sheriff, who attempted to have the state's anti-gambling laws enforced and to secure honest elections, was murdered in 1937.
1942Military
=== World War II ===
The military took over the enormous Eastman Hotel across the street from the Army and Navy Hospital in 1942 because the hospital was not nearly large enoug...
1944Military
In 1944, the Army began redeploying returning overseas soldiers; officials inspected hotels in 20 cities before selecting Hot Springs as a redistribution center for returning so...
1945Military
The redistribution center closed down in December 1945 after processing more than 32,000 members of the military.
1946Military
Machine domination of city and county government was abruptly ended in 1946 with the election of a "Government Improvement" slate of returning World War II veterans led by Marin...
1947Sports
Having broken Major League Baseball's color barrier in 1947, Robinson's squad played the Negro American League All-Stars that day, losing 14–9.
1948Government
Although the former mayor and most of the others were acquitted, the machine's power was broken and gambling came to a halt, as McMath led a statewide "GI Revolt" into the gover...
1952Sports
In 1952, an 18-year old Hank Aaron played in the Negro American League championship for the Indianapolis Clowns against the Birmingham Black Barons at Majestic Park.
1953History
On October 22, 1953, Jackie Robinson played in an exhibition game at Majestic Park.
1954Government
Illegal casino gambling resumed, however, with the election of Orval Faubus as governor in 1954.
1959History
Variety explained the status of the casinos in 1959 as follows: "How do these places operate when gambling and mixed drinks are supposedly against the law?
1960History
The hospital was closed on April 1, 1960, likely because local demand dropped.
1968Education
Gabriel School; it closed in 1968.
1982Architecture
Atop Hot Springs Mountain in the park is the Hot Springs Mountain Tower, a 216-foot (66 m) observation tower built in 1982.
1985Government
==== Garvan Woodland Gardens ====
Founded by the daughter of a lumber and brick magnate in 1985, the 210-acre (85 ha) botanical garden on Arkridge Road features native Ouachita...
1989History
Fordyce Bathhouse was restored in 1989 as the park's visitor center and the beginning of restoring all properties on Bathhouse Row.
1992Infrastructure
Due to the economic importance of the dam to Hot Springs, Carpenter Dam was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
1993Government
=== Sister city ===
Hanamaki, Iwate, Japan (established in 1993)
=== Additional ===
Low Key Arts
== Government ==
I.W.
2000History
=== 2000 census ===
As of the census of 2000, there were 35,750 people, 16,096 households, and 9,062 families residing in the city.
2004History
The Quapaw was restored by the NPS in 2004, and the renovated structure was leased to Quapaw Baths, LLC, which now operates a modern spa with pools and hot tubs.
2012History
The Superior Bathhouse Brewery and Distillery has occupied Superior Bathhouse since 2012, using hot spring water in its beers and spirits.
2013History
=== 21st century ===
In 2013, the metro was ranked by Forbes as one of the top "small places for business and careers", citing a low cost of doing business, high job growth and ...
2014History
It has since grown to become one of the largest Pentecostal denominations in the United States, with 3,146,741 adherents, 12,849 churches, and 36,884 ministers (as of 2014).
2015Sports
The First Boys of Spring is a 2015 documentary covering the history of Hot Springs Baseball spring training.
2016History
The Foley documentary is aired nationally on the MLB Network, first airing in February 2016.
2018History
In 2018, the track commemorated the horse's victories by installing a life-sized bronze sculpture by James Peniston.
2019Architecture
The first cannabis dispensary in the state opened in May 2019 in the city.
2020History
=== 2020 census ===
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 37,930 people, 16,163 households, and 8,363 families residing in the city.
2025Sports
The team will begin play in 2025.