ISawArkansas

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We thought our existence was based on adaptability and grasping the essence of movement, memory and good manners. If we did that, we would be rewarded with information and talents we could use – perhaps leading to a long and healthy life. Isn’t that the point?

This funny little city that’s crimped into the folds of the Ozarks has always fed contentious politics, and we all know that politics is hungrier than a teenage boy.

So, we applaud when someone sneaks up on the most napping of commissions and pulls the blanket off, yelling, “Surprise!” It could be as intolerant as the Historic District Commission, as puzzling as the CAPC, as cluttered as Parks, as all-over-the-map as City Council and as startling as Hospital.

Between 1879 and 1881, L.J. Kalklosch wrote a book about the peculiar Eureka Springs he observed and thought about. He found it amazing that a conglomeration of people could live practically on top of each other with little confusion. Few serious disputes arose, and there was only a watchpocket-size demand for lawyers or courts. People were poor, not all that healthy, and in hopes of finding a remedy for both. That was in February 1880.

By April, he wrote that a council elected by the people was needed to regulate affairs, as there were plenty of disputes. Maybe Kalklosch realized early on that money-no money, tourist-local, health seeker-tree cutter, evangelist-atheist, farmer-miner spats would arise.

Or maybe that’s how they did things where he was from.

So, the town elected what they called aldermen, and that council appointed a Town Surveyor. His job was to make 40 ft. by 40 ft. lots and 30-ft. wide streets with 80 feet between streets. He was known to sell the same lot numerous times in the same day.

Soon there were lawyers and sheriffs and merchants and others who weren’t happy where they already were, so they headed to Eureka Springs. Maybe for peace of mind. Maybe for crystals. Maybe water.

By 1900, this town was elegant, spacious, famous and sophisticated. Sidewalks, streetlights, live music in the park and the opera house, a train from St. Louis, secret tunnels – all the trappings of high society.

Here we are, 120 years later, with fewer people than settled around the springs in the early days, and heaven knows how many lawyers, real estate sellers, liquid stores and churches, but enough to give everyone choices.

So why have local wars? Is negotiation off the table? It’s true that when there was a moratorium on building motels and tourist accommodations, the HDC let it happen anyway. What, 35 years ago?

How about replacing top-floor fire-damaged Victorian windows with modern picture windows on the grandest and most luxurious, authentic stone hotel of its time, built in 1886? Wasn’t that about 20 years ago?

Yeah, it kind of smacks of favoritism.

What we know for sure is we live in a time of division and misinformation about who best decides the trajectory of this town. We also know that no matter how much we try to injure beauty and each other, somebody’s going to write about it. Someday.

1 COMMENT

  1. In an age where the citizens are told not to believe what they see, what they are experiencing, what they have been told for generations, confusion becomes heated arguments. It’s a time of turmoil inflicted from outside and now experienced at the most sacred places from pulpits bound and violated by US Codes to the kitchen table in our lives. The accusations about crazy Uncles repeating insane conspiracy theories has now been voiced on the National stage about our President.

    How did we come to rest at this spot in history? Do we recover or are we even sick? The discussion, thankfully for the many, will be addressed in less than two weeks. Not everyone will be happy about the outcome but the needs have been identified and it is up to us to behave as a healthy democracy and work toward ways to find workable and fair resolutions.

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