The Basin

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=82 BGCOLOR="#003333" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Eureka Springs History</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Eureka Springs History"><B>home</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="general_history.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="General History"><B><IMG SRC="1230e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALT="up" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></A><B>  </B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="14"><B>    </B><A HREF="history_sketch.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="History Sketch"><B><IMG SRC="1240e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALT="previous" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></A><B>  </B><A HREF="early_history.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Early History"><B><IMG SRC="1250e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALT="next" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=398 BGCOLOR="#006633" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <I>The Basin</I></div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="29edd710.jpg" border=0 width="221" height="369" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="3" VSPACE="0"><FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" >JOY TO THE AFFLICTED</FONT></div> <div> <B>NATURE’S REMEDY</B></div> <div> <B>Has no Agents, — Shipped Directly to the Afflicted Fresh from the Springs, </B></div> <div> <B>in Barrels, Half Barrels, Kegs, Tin Cans, Cases, Demijohns and Bottles.</B></div> <div> <B>Boiled, Concentrated and Condensed Water a Specialty.</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>A BRIEF HISTORY OF EUREKA SPRINGS,</B></div> <div> Analysis of the Water — </div> <div> How to Reach the Springs – </div> <div> Cases Benefitted or Cured.</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>By John S. Tibbs</B></FONT><B> </B><I><U>(circa 1881)</U></I></div> <div> Eureka Basin Water Shipper</div> <div> Boiled, Concentrated and Condensed Water</div> <div> For Cancer, Sore Eyes, Weak Eyes, Old Sores and All Cutaneous Eruptions.</div> <div>      These healing springs are becoming so well known because of the wonderful benefits and cures performed by the use of the waters that the demand for a reliable history of them is increasing with the steady increase of visits.  We endeavor to partially meet this need by the following hasty compilation.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>THE CITY OF EUREKA SPRINGS</B></div> <div> is situated in Carroll county, Ark., in Section 15, Township 29, Range 26, in what is known as White River Mountains, in the northwestern part of the State.  The country is mountainous and rough, but picturesque and full of daily interest to the lover of nature.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>THE EUREKA SPRINGS,</B></div> <div> proper, flows out of the east side of the mountain and runs down and mingles with the water of a spring that comes out a few hundred yards above, and which makes the source of Leatherwood Creek.  There are about ferry springs in the immediate vicinity, and at least a dozen of them are possessed of medical properties.</div> <div>      The first white man that camped near the springs for the benefit of his health in these latter days, was</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>JUDGE SAUNDERS.</B></div> <div> who gave the following account of the first intimation of the existence of the spring.</div> <div>      “In 1838, I was among the Cherokee Indians (old settlers.)  In the Indian Territory, when I was told by an old Indian — full blood, that there was a great healing spring in north Arkansas, on one of the tributaries of the White River, and he believed that its waters would heal any disease of the human family that the Big Owl – Great Spirit – ever intended to be healed.  In Southwestern Indian Territory, I afterwards met an old Spaniard, who inquired of me if the celebrated spring in northern Arkansas had been discovered by the people living there.  He said there was such a spring on the waters of White River.  He called it the “Great World Healing Spring.  Being young and feeling no interest in such matters, I asked no questions in reference to its medical properties or location, and thought little of it until my attention was called to the Eureka Springs in the following manner.</div> <div>      “During the summer of 1878, I was troubled with erysipelas and a good surplus of flesh – could scarcely drag myself about, and was in no condition to attend to business of any kind.  In May 1879, I was connected in business with Rev. Baker, who advised me to go to the Tom Thumb and Rock springs for my heath, as I was not improving under medical treatment.  I told him I was acquainted with the character of those springs – that they were common sulphur springs, and would do me no good.  After a pause, he told me that Bro. Alva Jackson had been telling him that there was a spring some six or eight miles west of his (Jackson’s) house, in the pine hills, that he thought had some medical properties.  He had also told him of some cures, made by the springs, of sore eyes and old sores.  Bro. Jackson had also told him there were a couple of basins cut in the rock at the springs, one of which was as nice and smooth as any earthen basin he had ever washed from, and that it would hold about a bucket of water.</div> <div>      “The very moment he mentioned the basins, I remembered the information received from the Indian and the Spaniard, and turning to my wife, I mentioned that the basins were some signs of the Great Healing Springs, and that I would get Dr. Jackson to take me to the springs and that I could see them for myself.</div> <div>      “The next morning I went to Dr. Jackson’s and he told me the same story.  Owing to some church business that he had to attend to, he could not go with me until the next day.  He invited me to remain with him all night, which invitation I accepted.  ON the morrow we went to the spring and I found it as represented, basin and all.  Dr. Jackson asked me what I thought of the spring.  I answered that I thought well enough of it to try it for myself – fully believing then, as now, that it was the Great World Healing Springs of which I had been told.</div> <div>      “In five weeks, I lost thirty-three pounds in weight – by the scales, and forty odd pounds during my stay, but felt as if I had been throughly renovated or made anew, and was as well and active then, and am now, as I ever was in my life.  I will also add, from the frequent bathing of my head in the waters and the improved condition of my health, portions of my hair changed from a yellowish white to a black – its original color.  The color of the hair then grown was not changed, but a new crop grew out from the scalp, of the color of my hair in the younger days.</div> <div>      Below is the certificate of the first man that discovered, cleaned out and used from the beautiful little </div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>BASIN,</B></div> <div> which has an unknown history, and is an object of much veneration today, as it is supposed to have been – how many centuries ago?”</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>* * *</B></div> <div>      “I Alva Jackson, of Carroll County and State of Arkansas, do hereby certify that the following statement of my discovery of Eureka Springs, in the county of Carroll and State of Arkansas and on the head of Leatherwood, one of the tributaries of White River, is in all the particulars true and correct:</div> <div>      “About twenty-four years ago, I was hunting bear at the head of Leatherwood.  About 10 o’clock, my dogs, three in number, started in and run a panther into a hole in the cliff, about thirty yards above the spring.  I came up to them in a few minutes and found the dogs and panther engaged in a terrible fight in the hole clear out of sight.  About two o’clock the fight ended by my dogs killing the panther.  I was present within a few feet all the time the fight was going on, though I would not get a chance to help them in the fight – the hole being too small.  Two of my dogs came out torn so badly that I had no hopes of their recovery.</div> <div>      “Before the dogs came out I could hear them pulling at the panther as if they were trying to pull him out of the hole.  They left the other dog in the hole behind the panther.  There were large, heavy rocks in the hole that I could not get out without help, so I returned home, but came back next morning with my son, William, and seven other persons.  My son had sore eyes at the time, and he complained that he didn’t feel like work; therefore, I advised him to was his eyes in the spring, for I had believed for a long time that there were some medical properties in the spring.  He did so some three hours during our stay at the sporing.  We finally relieved my dog and found him badly torn by the panther.  The panther was  jammed in a small hole in the cliff – so close that I couldn’t get him out.  So I left him there and went home.</div> <div>      “The next morning you could not have told my son ever had sore eyes.  His eyes were completely cured, and this convinced me that there was medical virtue in the water.  I had read the history of the Spanish adventurer, Ponce DeLeon, and other histories of this section of the country, in which they spoke of a spring being somewhere in this region that performed great cures, at least so the Indians reported.  They also reported that they even strangely improved, and that there was virtue in the water.  I went back the third day to further examine the spring.  I went to work to cleaning away dirt and rock, and after a time I discovered a hole or Basin in the rock.  It was full of blue mud.  Found flint and gravel packed so close and hard that it was troublesome to dig out.  I had to use a common crowbar to dig the mud and gravel out.</div> <div>      “When I had cleaned and washed the Basin out and examined it thoroughly, I felt fully satisfied that I had found it.  And having used and tested the water fully for twenty-four years, I am convinced.  In my own mind, it is the spring spoken of by the Spanish discover of this country.</div> <div>      “I am a graduate of the Douglas Medical School of Kentucky.”</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <U>[signed]</U>         <I> ALVA JACKSON</I></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="early_history.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Early History"><B>Next Page</B></A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>