As American pioneers pushed west in the mid-19th century, people began settling the northern Ozarks along the Arkansas—Missouri border. A few were attracted to the present-day site of Eureka Springs due to the rumors of a great network of mineral springs in the area. Local legends abounded of how the Native Americans of the Osage tribe specifically inhabited close to the wells, where the thermal waters healed their minds and bodies. After years of exploring the surrounding countryside, Doctor Alvah Jackson supposedly discovered the location in 1854. He was convinced that the spring water possessed the magical medicinal properties of myth after it healed the eyes of his ailing young son. Dr. Jackson quickly established a practice in a nearby cave, selling bottles of the water as a tonic called “Dr. Jackson’s Eye Water” to anyone who ventured to his outpost. He even used it to treat wounded soldiers on both sides during the American Civil War, especially those who fought in the Battle of Pea Ridge a few miles to the west outside of Leetown. Staying in the area after the war had subsided, Dr. Jackson invited his friend, Judge Levi Best Saunders, to his retreat to help heal a festering sore on his leg in 1879. Miraculously, the judge attested that the mineral waters had repaired his injury within the span of just a few weeks. Judge Saunders then dedicated himself to Dr. Jackson’s cause, using his connections throughout the region to spread the word about the well. The judge’s own son, Buck, suggested that his father and Dr. Jackson refer to the attraction as the “Eureka Spring” as an allegory to the fabled Fountain of Youth.

Judge Saunders campaign worked. Soon enough, some 20 families had migrated to the area and established makeshift camps near the doctor’s practice. Their arrival heralded the beginning of a massive population boom that saw hundreds of people settle the locale over the next two decades. In the first year alone, the settlement had grown large enough that the Arkansas state legislature consented to incorporating it as a city. For a time, Eureka Springs was even the largest community in all of Arkansas, save for the capital, Little Rock. Eventually, news of Eureka Springs reached a few businessmen from across the state, including a former Governor of Arkansas named Clayton Powell. Powell and several other capitalists had specifically become involved in the railroads, funding the development of new train routes through the Ozarks. Like most locomotive tycoons at the time, those active in Eureka Springs desired to incentivize recreational travel along their tracks. Therefore, the businessmen constructed magnificent hotels as a means to encourage passengers to use their services. Powell soon helped financed the construction of the Eureka Springs Railroad, which functioned as a spur of the much larger St. Louis – San Francisco Railway, otherwise known as “Frisco.” He then constructed luxurious holiday retreat called “The Crescent Hotel” nearby. Both were fully operational by 1886. Powell had financed their development through his Eureka Springs Improvement Company, which had also played a role in creating of a modern sewage system, an electrical grid, and new paved streets for the city. His plan worked flawlessly, as countless visitors flooded downtown Eureka Springs by the end of the century.

Eureka Springs’ initial prosperity as a resort community would not last, as the advent of modern medicine caused interest in the mineral springs to decline. The economy picked up again in the 1920s due to the automobile, but the coming Great Depression significantly blunted the recovery. Many of the businesses that serviced the local hospitality industry shuttered their doors, never to open again. Even the great Crescent Hotel was affected for a while, operating temporarily as a the Crescent College and Conservatory of Young Women before briefly becoming a cancer hospital run by the infamous Doctor Norman Baker. In the years immediately following the Second World War, a small artist colony emerged at Eureka Springs, composed of intellectuals who worked in the local branch of the Works Progress Administration. This fascinating community endured over the next several decades, giving rise to a rich appreciation for the arts among those living in Eureka Springs. It also helped revitalize outside interest with the city, as tourist travel started to pick up once more in the mid-20th century. The construction of Beaver Dam and Beaver Lake nearby in the 1960s only further advanced the economic renaissance occurring within the city. Eureka Springs today is among the most culturally vibrant communities in the entire Ozarks. Thousands of people now travel regularly to the city to experience its exciting attractions, as well as the beautiful scenery throughout the neighboring countryside. All the while, the Crescent Hotel has remained at the center of this interest, hosting guests once again in the same manner it first had over a century ago.

Clayton Powell and his business associate Richard Kearns hired the renowned architect Isaac S. Taylor to design the 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa. Born in Nashville, Taylor had actually pursued studies in classical languages while a student at St. Louis University. Yet, by a twist of fate, he started working at the architectural firm of George Ingraham Barnett as a young man. Due to his experiences working for Barnett, Taylor fell in love with the profession and established his own firm. Taylor’s company would operate over the next quarter of a century, designing a variety of municipal and commercial structures in both America and Mexico. Specializing in designs that fused the design principles of the French Renaissance and Richardson Romanesque architecture, he rapidly gained fame across the continent for his hardworking demeanor and attention to detail. This unrivaled dedication to his craft eventually earned him the appointment of Chairman of the Architectural Commission and Director of the Works for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Among the most prominent buildings that Taylor designed throughout his lifetime are located in St. Louis, including the Mercantile Club Building, the Rialto Building, and the Drummond Building. He even crafted the original façade of the Union Station Hotel, which is also a member of Historic Hotels of America. Many of those structures were listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior for their beauty and eloquence.

When Isaac S. Taylor finally designed The Crescent Hotel, he used a wonderful blend of Richardson Romanesque-revival style architecture. This wonderful architectural style first appeared in North America in the middle of the 19th century, as design principles from both Rome and medieval Europe found a popular audience. Architects interested in specializing in Romanesque Revival-themed architecture specifically studied the works of Norman and Lombard engineers who were active in the 11th and 12th centuries. Structures created with the aesthetic are commonly defined by their pronounced round arches and round towers. Yet, those grand archways and towers were far less ostentatious than their historic counterparts located on the other side of the Atlantic. Romanesque Revival-style architecture also implemented squat columns, decorative wall carvings, and the extensive use of masonry. But architects would sometimes favor wood over bricks or stones due to financial concerns.

The first wave of Romanesque Revival-style architecture impacted North America in the 1840s and 1850s, appearing in such cities like Washington, D.C., and Toronto. University College at the greater University of Toronto is one such example of a brilliant Romanesque Revival-inspired structure to emerge at the time. But the general public in both the United States and Canada did not fully embrace the aesthetic, preferring the tastes of Italianate and Gothic Revival architecture at the time. It was not until an American architect named Henry Hobson Richardson started using the form in the late 1800s that Romanesque Revival style finally became popular. A graduate from the renowned École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Richardson developed numerous designs in places like New York City, Boston, and Detroit. His approach to Romanesque Revival style was somewhat different, as it also incorporated elements of medieval Mediterranean design principles. His vision of Romanesque Revival-style architecture was soon embraced by other architects, including those in neighboring Canada. Historians today largely refer to Richardson’s design philosophy as “Richardson Romanesque” architecture.

Crescent College and Conservatory for Young Women (1908): By the beginning of the 20th century, the Frisco railroad company had become increasingly worried about the declining revenue streams affecting the Crescent Hotel. The advent of modern medical practices had sapped popular interest with the city’s mineral springs, which significantly depressed outside interest with the town. A few people affiliated with the ESIC decided to arrange of the hotel to be leased by other organizations in order to save it financially. One board members named A.S. Maddox championed the idea of allowing an exclusive all-girls academy to operate from the facility throughout most of the year. Having managed a successful female seminary in Little Rock, Maddox would sponsor its creation himself (with help from another colleague, J.H. Phillips). When the students finally departed for the summer, the Crescent Hotel would temporarily resume its former identity as a holiday retreat. As such, the building would maintain the same occupancy levels it once entertained two decades prior.

Debuting as the “Crescent College and Conservatory for Young Women” in 1908, the ESIC kept enrollment fixed at 88 students. The initial class was quite diverse, as it hailed from 39 different states. Maddox served as the institution’s first president, overseeing the implementation of a rigorous curriculum of centered on mathematics, science, languages, and history. Soon enough, the college had built a national reputation for its high standards and moral code. In fact, the students were required to wear a special uniform and keep their interactions with the outside world limited so as to encourage the development of their education. Tuition could cost parents around $400 per year, which in today’s currency would cost nearly $10,000. After two years, Maddox stepped down and offered his position to Richard Ray Thompson, a popular faculty member who had taught at the school since its inception. Interestingly, his wife, Mary Breckenridge Thompson, taught classes in French and physical hygiene. She was joined alongside eight other teachers, who endeared themselves greatly with their pupils. Over time, the college offered additional courses in such fields like music, business, and art. It also specialized in teaching a popular outdoor educational program that focused on activities that included tennis, hiking, and horseback riding.

Thompson continued as the college’s president for more than a decade, until its lease with the Crescent Hotel expired in 1924. He desperately sought to raise the money necessary to keep the institution alive, but ultimately came up short. Without the appropriate level of funding to keep the institution open—let alone purchase the hotel outright from the ESIC—the Crescent College and Conservatory for Young Women closed its doors. An imbittered article ran in the Eureka Springs Flashlight stated that a “lack of interest, lack of funds, and a lack of backing by the citizens” had spelled ruined for the school. Yet, all was not lost for the college, as renewed community interest in reviving it swelled. By 1930, a group of concerned citizens managed to reopen the school as “Crescent Junior College” with A.Q. Burns as its president. The faculty and its attending staff regained its prestigious status, which attracted new scores of students in the first few months it was open. The college even debuted a competitive basketball team called the “Crescent Comets.” The future seemed bright for the school, but the cruel financial hardships of the Great Depression undermined its financial longevity. As students found it increasingly more difficult to pay tuition, the Crescent Junior College closed forever. Yet, the memory of both schools are preserved today by the dedicated staff of the 1885 Crescent Hotel & Spa.

Baker’s Cancer Curing Hospital (1937): When Norman G. Baker opened his “Baker’s Cancer Curing Hospital” at the Crescent Hotel in 1937, he was already widely regarded as a medical hack. A former vaudeville actor and self-proclaimed inventor, Baker had originally risen to prominence as a local radio host in his hometown of Musctaine, Iowa. He spent his days advocating populist causes that denounced the supposed greed of America’s largest corporations and financial institutions. He probably would have lived out his days as a well-respected, wealthy man had he not abandoned the station for a career in medicine. In 1929, Baker had become aware of a special cancer sanitarium operated by a Dr. Charles Ozias. Ozais supposedly “cured” his patients using a tonic that relied upon a concoction of glycerine, carbolic acid, and alcohol. He then mixed the formula with watermelon seeds, brown corn silk, and clover leaves. Curious to know if the cure worked, Baker asked for five volunteers to try the treatment. While all the patients died within a year, Baker covered up the results and argued that respected treatments like radiology were of little use. Instead, the homeopathic formula he advertised were the salvation for those suffering from cancer. A year later, he had acquired the patent to Dr. Ozias’ “cure” and opened the Baker Institute to serve as the headquarters for his operation. Using his radio station, Baker advertised the tonic water throughout Iowa. He attracted scores of patients and amassed a personal fortune worth several hundred thousand dollars.

Eventually, Norman G. Baker attracted the unwanted fury of Morris Fishbein and the American Medical Association. Fishbein published a thorough attack on Baker’s unfounded medical expertise in the Journal of the American Medical Association, accusing the radio host of fraud and deception. Baker was livid and launched his own diatribe in retribution. He specifically filed a defamation lawsuit against the American Medical Association, hoping that it would cease its assault. He even conducted an open-air surgery in front of a large crowd, where he pretended to use his tonic to heal a man with an inoperable brain tumor. Nevertheless, Baker’s reputation took a severe beating, especially as an ever increasingly number of patients testified to the ineffectiveness of his techniques. He lost his lawsuit against the American Medical Association and state officials began investigating his clinic. Baker finally snapped when the State of Iowa issued a warrant for his arrest for practicing medicine without a license. As such, subsequently fled to Mexico, where he attempted to construct his own 100,000 watt radio free from the jurisdiction of the Federal Radio Commission.

Norman S. Baker remained south of the border until 1937, when he returned to Muscatine. Spending a single day in jail, he tried to pull his life back together. But he had become a social pariah. Looking for new opportunities elsewhere in the United States, Baker relocated to Eureka Springs, Arkansas. He soon discovered that the beautiful Crescent Hotel was for sale, which he said looked like a “Castle in the Air.” Baker then managed to acquire enough capital to buy the building, turning into another medical facility that he called the “Baker’s Cancer Curing Hospital.” Treating people with the same tonic water that he had originally used in Iowa, Baker was back to fleecing his patients out of their life savings. According to the U.S. Postal Inspector, he received an annual income of $500,000! All the while, his patients routinely died in the hospital while under his care. But federal authorities soon learned of Baker’s operation and they began to quietly undermine its operations. Investigators were finally able to make an arrest after nearly a decade, when Baker attempted to mail several advertisements for his services. Alleging that he used the mail to swindle consumers, Baker was tried before a federal jury on seven counts of fraud. The jurors found Baker guilty and sentenced him to four years at Fort Leavenworth Federal Prison. Meanwhile, the hospital shuttered its doors and resumed its prior identity as a vacation retreat. Baker served his sentence in full, despite several efforts to overturn the conviction. He retired to Florida upon his release in 1944, and died impoverished a decade later.

Willie Nelson, country music star known for such records as Red Headed Stranger and Honeysuckle Rose.

Natachee Scott Momaday, renowned author, artist and civil rights activist.

James G. Blaine, former Speaker of the House of Representative, U.S. Senator of Maine, and Secretary of State.

William Jennings Bryan, Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wilson and participant in the Scopes Trial.

Claude A. Fuller, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives and native of Eureka Springs.

Dale Bumpers, 38th Governor of Arkansas and former U.S. Senator of Arkansas

Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States (1993 – 2001)

Ghost Hunters: The Crescent Hotel & Dr. Ellis (2005)

Paranormal Witness: The Hotel (2016)

Ghost Adventures: The Crescent Hotel (2019)

Natachee Scott Momaday: Among the most prolific students to graduate from the Crescent College and Conservatory for Young Women was Natachee Scott Momaday, a lifelong artist and writer who championed Native American rights throughout the United States. Historians today credit Momaday’s work with advancing the acceptance of Native America culture throughout Euro-American society. Momaday was born as Natachee Scott to a white father and Cherokee mother in 1913. After receiving an education from the Crescent College and Conservatory for Young Women, she married a Kiowa artist named Al Momaday at the height of the Great Depression. The two journeyed to the Navajo Reservation in the southwestern United States, where they taught Indian children on behalf of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. They remained among the Navajo for close to a decade before taking over the Jemez Pueblo Day School in New Mexico. The only two teachers onsite, they reveled in teaching the local Native American children through art and literature. Yet, Natachee Scott Momaday had grown concerned that her pupils were learning of their culture through texts exclusively created from the perspective of Euro-American society. As such, Momaday modified her lesson plans that focused on “child-experience based” education that would reinforce a sense of pride as a Native American.

From an early age, Momaday had taken a great interest in writing short stories and novels for children. She continued to pursue the practice throughout her life, even as she became a full-fledged educator. As Momaday worked at the Jemez Pueblo Day School, she started to use her writing career as a way to enhance her own unique style of teaching. Perhaps the greatest literary work that she ever produced was a story called the Owl in the Cedar Tree, which she published in 1956. The book illustrated the story of a Navajo boy torn between observing the traditional culture of his people and the rising, modern influences of the 20^th century. Momaday strove to highlight her opinion that young Native American children should both preserve their heritage, while also accept the changes that influenced their society. Yet, Owl in the Cedar Tree also functioned as a window for white children—an adults—to understand the intricacies of native life. Her novel has since become a fundamental tool used by 3rd and 4th grade social study teachers in both public and private schools across the country. Eventually, Momaday resigned from her post at the Jemez Pueblo School in 1971 in order to devote more time to her writing. Then, four years later, the University of New Mexico bestowed upon her the honorary degree of Doctor of Human Letters. In 1993, Natachee Scott Momaday passed away at the age of 83.