A bear in the woods, the hunter, and the town that followed

Local lore stakes a claim to this OG story when bear hunter and storyteller “Uncle Johnny” Gaskins chased his prey right to Basin Spring. Lore is lore, but Gaskins is definitely one of the colorful characters who belong to the town’s wild beginnings.

Dr. Alvah Jackson is most widely credited with promoting the healing water in the 1850s, but he might not have known about the hidden spring had Gaskins not told his tales.

As the story goes, it was Dr. Jackson who turned the spring into legend after using the water to treat his son’s eye ailment. He later bottled and sold it as “Dr. Jackson’s Eye Water.” He shared his discovery with friend Judge J. B. Saunders, and it was the judge’s recovery story that sparked the Eureka Springs boom of 1879.

It seems Eureka Springs has a thing for holidays. The town was founded and named on July 4, 1879, and incorporated as a city on February 14, 1880.

Where John Gaskins gives Eureka Springs its bear-in-the-woods beginning, Dr. Alvah Jackson gives it the healing-water plot twist when he bottled the story and helped set the boomtown in motion.

Walk the trail along Leatherwood Creek near Bear Creek Nursery on Hwy 23N (a mile or so past the train depot) to walk in the footsteps of Uncle Johnny Gaskins. Right across the highway, you can dine at Gaskins Cabin Steakhouse, housed in the original 1864 cabin and home of John Gaskin and his family of 11. Reservations are recommended!