HOT SPRINGS, ARKANSAS. 81 



selves; beautiful driveways, picturesque walks, and fine flower beds add 

 their charm to the natural beauty of the place, and the present aspect 

 bears but a slight resemblance to the scene shown in the accompany- 

 ing illustration, Plate I, which represents the springs as they appeared 

 in 1836. 



RELATION OF HOT SPRINGS DISTRICT TO REST OF THE STATE. 



Central Arkansas consists of a low-lying, nearly level eastern por- 

 tion, and a western hilly or mountainous region. The first region 

 extends from the Mississippi River westward to Little Rock, Benton, 

 and Malvern. The hilly country of the Ouachita Mountain system 

 begins just west of the Iron Mountain Railroad, where it has a width 

 of 36 miles, and extends westward, gradually narrowing as it approaches 

 the Indian Territory. The eastern level country is part of the Tertiary 

 Mississippi Valley region. The western hilly country consists of a cen- 

 tral complex of hills, flanked by sharp spurs and ridges, which extend 

 outward into a much lower country of slight relief. This hilly coun- 

 try, is dignified by the name of the "Ouachita Mountain system," 

 the ridges rising gradually in elevation westward. Near the Indian 

 Territory line the general level of the intermontane plain is 1,000 

 feet above tide and the crests of some of the ridges attain elevations 

 above 2,500 feet. Near Hot Springs the mountain area seldom attains 

 an elevation of more than 1,200 feet above the sea, or 600 feet above 

 the surrounding country, yet, when seen from the lower country about 

 it, the hills rise so abruptly that they appear to deserve their desig- 

 nation. The mountains near the Hot Springs are particularly im- 

 pressive, and the local summits have received special designations, as 

 '"West Mountain," "Indian Mountain," etc. These mountains have 

 been grouped together by some writers under the name of the " Ozark 

 system," but they have been more fittingly christened the "Zigzag" 

 Range by Professor Branner, of the State geological survey. This 

 range has an extreme length of 25 miles and a width of 6 to 8 miles. 

 The general trend of the ridges is almost at right angles to the system. 

 These ridges are narrow and sharp, with a height of 500 to 600 feet, 

 and they are particularly numerous in the vicinity of the Hot Springs. 



TOPOGRAPHY. 



The Hot Springs are situated in a valley between two wooded, 

 rocky ridges known as "West Mountain" and "Hot Springs Moun- 

 tain." The water issues from vents in the«old and gray hot-spring 

 deposit, or tufa, that covers the basal slopes of Hot Springs Moun- 

 tain east of Hot Springs Creek. This location is on the outer 

 border of the mountain system. To the east the country falls awa} r 

 gently to the Ouachita River, and the city of Hot Springs has been built 

 partly in the ravine and the intermontane basin to the north and 

 partly in the eroded plateau lying south of the springs and outside of 

 the mountain area. The mountain slopes are rocky, and are often 

 ribbed with abrupt cliffs and rugged ledges with extensive slopes of 

 talus. They are generally thickly mantled with a heavy forest growth 

 of oak, pine, chestnut, and other common forest trees, and they support 

 a more or less abundant undergrowth. The ravines are generally 



S. Doc. 282 6 



