The history of Hot Springs National Park is a story of the area’s geothermal features. The first European explorer to visit the springs was Hernando de Soto in 1541. After conquering Florida for the Spanish crown in 1538, he and his men traveled throughout the southeastern United States in search of riches. In 1541, de Soto and his men became the first Europeans to encounter and cross the Mississippi River.
Hot Springs, Arkansas is located in the Ouachita Mountains and was acquired by the United States in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase. It was first settled by Jean Prudhomme and others. By 1832, Ludovicus Belding was renting rooms to travelers attracted to the areas “healing waters”, and it was declared a special recreation area in 1832 to prevent commercial exploitation of the springs.
President Andrew Jackson signed the legislation on April 20, 1832 to create Hot Springs Reservation, Arkansas. Hot Springs was the first area in the United States to be set aside for its natural features. On that basis, Hot Springs National Park calls itself the oldest area in the national park system on that basis.
Hot Springs was managed along with Yellowstone when it was formed in 1872. After the National Park Service was formed in 1916, management of the reservation was transferred to it. Hot Springs was converted to a national park designation in 1921 – the 18th in the National Park Service.
More than one million people annually visit Hot Springs National park. Hot Springs was the smallest national park at 5,500 acres before Gateway Arch in St. Louis received the designation from President Trump in 2018.