The Town That Shouldn't Exist

Most American towns started with a surveyor and a grid. Eureka Springs started with a rumored healing spring, an illegal squatter camp, and a steep limestone cliff.

In 1879, desperate pilgrims flocked to the Ozark hills seeking a medical miracle. Within a year, thousands of people were camped on the steep hillsides, building a city out of sheer desperation. They carved 238 winding streets out of old animal paths, creating a bewildered maze with no right-angle intersections.

Written by lifelong resident Coen Jones, The Town That Shouldn't Exist is a casual, engaging history where the town itself is the main character. It is not a dry academic timeline. Instead, it is the story of a place that defied gravity and logic to become a Victorian marvel.

Inside, you will discover:
* How Dr. Alvah Jackson's secret spring sparked a massive migration of the sick and hopeful.
* The reality of daily life in a town where residents could step from their garden onto a neighbor's roof.
* The rise of the Victorian resort era, complete with magnificent hotels and the troubled North Arkansas Railroad.
* How the end of the healing-water boom led to decades of quiet, accidentally preserving the town's architecture.
* The 1970s second bloom, when artists and craftspeople rediscovered the untouched mountain town.

Whether you are a frequent visitor, a local resident, or a history enthusiast, this book offers a vivid look at how a desperate camp became a beloved time capsule.