The first of three Government Free Bathhouses, also called the Mud Hole Bathhouse, ca 1880.
The Garland County Historical Society (in association with the Garland County Library) will host Dr. Cane West presenting “Treating the Masses: Hot Springs and a History of Public Bathing in America” at noon, Tuesday, November 18, at the Garland County Library. People can attend in person or can view the program virtually at
facebook.com/garlandcountylibrary or youtube.com/garlandcolibrary.
This presentation introduces the American public medical bathing culture and the place of Hot Springs in that tradition. Hot Springs was not the first place to provide medicinal bathing. Local and federal efforts to protect public bathing in Hot Springs in the 19th century were part of a long history of public and private mineral spas in America. But, as Hot Springs Reservation grew in popularity, the debate over who should have access to the waters extended all the way to the halls of Congress.
Among the solutions was the creation of the Government Free Bathhouse, which operated for three-quarters of a century. With a bathhouse designed to accommodate some of the poorest and most sickly Americans, Hot Springs emerged as the leading public health resort in the United States in a time when bathing was considered one of the most efficient ways to bring public health and cleanliness to a changing America.
Cane West is an academic historian and park ranger at Hot Springs National Park. Among his accomplishments, he has published articles in the Journal of the Early Republic and the Journal of Southern History and received high-fives from numerous kindergarten-aged park visitors.
