Pinnacle Springs

Discovery

In 1880 a cow herder named Jeff Collier stumbled upon the springs while searching for water to quinch his thirst one hot
summer day. As he rode up the creek he ran upon a stream of water flowing from a crevice in a bluff. He dismounted his
horse and drank his fill of the cool refreshing water. There was a strange taste to this water, and he knew this was not just
a normal spring. An analysis of the water later showed it to be a rare combination of minerals and gases. News of this
finding quickly traveled and before long many came to taste this new water. The water was found to have "unusual
curative and invigorating properties" that could restore one's health. The spring water was soon being carried to sick
people many miles away.

Exploration of the area revealed more than thirteen springs of diferrrent waters within a one-mile radius and "many
monuments of nature's handiwork. As the area was also found to be "free of mosquitoes and malarial influences" many
who came to drink from the spring began to talk about settling around the beautiful springs to start a town. Within a few
years Pinnacle Springs would become one of the most popular health resorts in Arkansas.

The Glory Years

Pinnacle Springs was on a boom just one short year after its founding. It was the vacation spot of the state and
people were coming from hundreds of miles to visit the city, and to spend their vacations there. By 1885 the business
and resort development of Pinnacle Springs was reaching its peak. New houses were being built all over the
mountainside and the business district was booming. Pinnacle Springs had everything--a pharmacy, doctor's office,
skating rink, 10-pin bowling alley, eight stores, blacksmith, cotton gin, grist mill, saw mill, brick kiln, twelve bath
houses, and a post office, church and school. To keep the community abreast of the growth and promotion
Faulkner County opened its first newspaprer office and published "The Pinnacle Ledger".

To lodge the many travelers and visitors two large hotels were built: the giant 2-story 40-room Pinnacle House with
its large dance hall and the 72-room Park House Hotel and Stable near the waters edge. Three stage coach lines
provided daily service to Pinnacle Springs (4 hours to Conway) and a railroad was soon built to Conway to help move
passengers and freight to Pinnacle Springs. A ferry was located below a ford in the creek and was large enough to
carry a team of horses and wagon. The town was voted dry but there was a saloon was across the creek which
could be easily reached by the ferry.

In the late 1880's the town citizens turned their attention toward education and work began on building a college--
the first college in Faulkner County. On September 2, 1889 Arkansas Christian College was opened for its first
students. It was an immediate success and the college attracted many people wishing to make their homes in a
community giving their children the best educational advantages. The first class, and the last, graduated the first
week of June 1890.

The Decline

After 1890 the town began to slide into a depression and was the attraction for "immoral people" for miles around.
It is said that "the decent people had to leave on this account". But the primary reason Pinnacle Springs failed is
that the springs could not offer the "curative properties" for malaria and the other dieseases of the time. A fire swept
through the town not soon thereafter and what did not burn was torn down and hauled to nearby settlements where
they were used to build new houses. Within twenty years the town was empty and the wilderness was soon
reclaiming the hillsides where houses and streets once laid.

Today there is little that remains to indicate that Pinnacle Springs ever existed. Many of the springs can still be
found but their impoundments have long been destroyed by floods and weather. The two foot walk leading from
the Pinnacle Springs to the park is still evident. And if you look closely you can still see the names and dates
carved by newly married couples who came to this resort town over a hundred years ago to spend their
honeymoon. Others were carved by elderly people who enjoyed sitting in the sun hoping that the water would
restore them back to their much wanted health. Cadron Creek Outfitters is taking an active role in locating and
protecting the remaining artifacts of Pinnacle Springs.

Monuments to Nature

Pinnacle Springs was remarkable for both its healthfulness and natural beauty. The name Pinnacle Springs is taken
from a towering gap in Batesville Mountain where the North Fork of Cadron Creek cuts through softer sandstone.
Two abrupt rock towers soar some one hundred and sity feet high just below the springs. Even today these Pinnacle
Gap serves as a majestic back drop and monument to nature.

Pinnacle Springs is very seldom disturbed today and lies hidden in a real
wilderness. Cadron Creek Outfitters offers a guided tour of this famous resort
ghost town. This is a somewhat strenuous adventure and requires good paddling,
hiking, and scrambling skills. The Pinnacle Springs Guided Tour is available only
with prior arrangements--please ask for more information.

The famous spring which bought tourists from all parts of the country was reached
by a path two feet wide carved down the face of a bluff. At the spring there a patio
built of large rocks and a stone dam which held back several thousand gallons of
water. The bathing pool was some seventy feet long, twenty feet wide and eight feet
deep and wased year around although it was not enclosed or heated.

A two-acre park was located directly above the spring. The park was completely
fenced and inside there were covered benches for the tourists to relax and enjoy the
picturesque view of Cadron Creek and Pinnacle Gap, Rowboats could be rented
nearby and were especially popular with honeymooners seeking solitude and
beauty on Cadron Creek. The "lakes" below Pinnacle Springs-- "Professor's Pool",
"Spring Pool" and "Groto Bathing Pool" were popular gathering spots for picnic,
swimming and social outings.