Car Guy Magazine Car Guy Magazine Issue 1214 | Page 37

With more designated scenic byways than any other state in the nation, Arkansas
is home to Scenic 7 Byway - one of the top ten scenic byways in the U.S. That’s a
pretty bold statement when you consider the number of great roads and byways in
America. But after exploring the other roads that are repeatedly listed on various top
ten lists, I tend to agree. It is a pretty darn good road.
Highway 7, Arkansas’s first National Scenic Byway, was dedicated in 1994 and
is considered a Scenic Byway for its total length of almost 325 miles. Beginning at
the Louisiana border in the south, it stretches all the way to the town of Diamond
City on Bull Shoals Lake in the north.
Arkansas is divided by Interstate 30 and Highway 67, running northeast from
Texarkana to Little Rock and then from Little Rock to Corning, near the Missouri
border. The terrain south of this arbitrary line is flatter and not as mountainous as the
terrain to the north, especially the northwest quarter. As a result, with a few exceptions, the majority of the “driver’s” roads are in the northwestern section of the state.
This tour focuses on the section of Highway 7 between Hot Springs (in the
south) and Jasper (in the north). I think this is the best part of the road, offering
both exciting motoring and sightseeing pleasure.
The beauty of Highway 7 is present throughout the year. Spring and summer brings flowers
and more shades of green than you can imagine.
Autumn revels in a plethora of brilliant colors
beyond any color wheel; blazing red, yellow and
orange covers every hillside like a Van Gogh paint
palate. We will begin the tour in Hot Springs,
which Hernando DeSoto discovered in 1541.
Before that, only the Native American Indians were aware of the hot waters, which hit the
surface at 143 degrees Fahrenheit. The Indians
used the waters for medicinal purposes, and this
area became a peaceful meeting site for healing. The area around the springs (called
Valley of the Vapors) was considered sacred ground so all tribes were welcome. They
could come in peace, bringing their sick braves to bathe in the waters and not fear
repercussions from any enemies who might also be there. Over the years, this territory changed hands from the Spanish to the French and back to the Spanish. In
1803, it was included in the Louisiana Purchase and became the property of the U.S.
Hunters and trappers came into the area and as word spread about the healing
waters, settlers began building around the springs. In 1840, John C. Hale started what
evolved into Bathhouse Row, erecting a wooden shanty with wooden tubs. Although
rather crude by later standards, for the times these structures appeared palatial.
The first bathhouses were similar to Hale’s wooden structures, but each owner added increasingly more amenities to provide guests with a better experience
than they would find at the bathhouse next door. In the early 1900s, elaborate
stone buildings began replacing the wooden fire hazards.

During Bathhouse Row’s heyday, many prominent people frequented the baths for the cure. Presidents, athletes, entertainers and
the mob all spent some time in the waters, hoping to cure what ailed
them. Harry Truman had a favorite club in Hot Springs where he
played poker. Babe Ruth visited when a number of baseball teams
made Hot Springs the off-season capital of Major League Baseball.
Boxers Jack Dempsey, John L.