Grades: 7-12

Objectives:
1. To understand the main factors involved in the development of the bathing industry in Hot Springs, Arkansas
2. To understand how these factors influenced the establishment and growth of the Fordyce Bathhouse
3. To determine the factors that brought about the decline in business and eventual shut-down of Fordyce Bathhouse through the analysis of primary source documents

Introduction/Background:
In the early 1800s, the Hot Springs settlement began to develop. The natives of Hot Springs were American Indians, attracted to the healing powers of the natural hot spirngs. But as people moved west, they began to settle in this picturesque region flowing with many springs.

Key Terms:
Hot Springs, bathhouse, Fordyce bathhouse, bathing industry

Activity:
1. Briefly discuss the four main factors involved in bringing about the bathing industry of Hot Springs. These are: the medicinal natural hot springs, investments made by entrepreneurs of the city, railroad connections to join larger cities and riverports with Hot Springs, and other tourist attractions that developed in the town.
2. Divide the class into four groups. Each group will research one of the four elements (using the source materials) and explain to the class how it helped to bring about the Hot Springs bathing industry.
3. After each group has given their explanation of how their factor affected the bathing industry, conduct a class discussion relating these findings to the Fordyce Bathhouse. Using the information in the webpage (such as General History, Fiscal History, and History of the Bathing Industry in Hot Springs, Arkansas) relate the history of the establishment and growth of Fordyce Bathhouse to the four elements that affected the whole bathing industry of Hot Springs.
4. Divide the class into groups again. Each group will read and analyze the primary source documents in this webpage and determine which ones reflect factors that brought about the closing of Fordyce Bathhouse. Once the individual groups have come up with a list of factors which influenced Fordyce's closing, conduct a class discussion about it, including which primary source documents were useful in determining the reasons for Fordyce Bathhouse's shut-down and which documents were irrelevant.

Source Materials:
Arkansas Memory Project: Fordyce Bathhouse webpage
The American Spa: Hot Springs, Arkansas. by Dee Brown (Rose Publishing Company, Little Rock, 1982)
Hot Springs, Arkansas and Hot Springs National Park. by Francis J. Scully. (Pioneer Press, Little Rock, 1966)
Internet access (perhaps students can find new sources to explain the element of the bathing industry)

Closure:
In this lesson, you took a look at history of an entire city and the factors that affected this history. Then, you looked at a microcosm of this history, through relating it to the history of the Fordyce Bathhouse. In other words, we looked at a smaller part of the whole picture and how it was affected by the larger history. Can you think of other examples like this in the history of our town? How is it useful to analyze a microcosm of the big picture when studying history?

ADE Arkansas History Curriculum:
Strand 1: Interdependence
1.1.11. Analyze how decisions and events in other parts of the world affect decisions and events in Arkansas.
1.1.12. Illustrate interactions between the people of Arkansas and their environment, science and technology, as well as the effects on the future through simulations or activities.

Strand 2: Continuity and Change
2.1.7. Investigate the processes and evaluate the impact of change over time in Arkansas using the themes of geography: location, place (human and physical characteristics), movement patterns (people, ideas, goods and services), human-environment interactions and regions.
2.1.8. Explore and explain the changes in developments such as technology, transportation, agriculture and communication, that affect Arkansas' social and economic activity.

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