Hot Springs National Park in Garland County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)
Ral City
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, March 22, 2026
1. Ral City Marker
Inscription.
Ral City. . In 1877, General Benjamin F. Kelley arrived at Hot Springs Reservation as the first superintendent. He was quickly approached by bathhouse owners to solve the "problem" of the poor people living in a tent city known as "Ral City" on Hot Springs Mountain above the springs. This small community was made up of people who were not able to pay to take the treatments in the bathhouses. They dug out pools around the springs so they could bathe in the thermal water. The Ral Hole, a spring that was covered by a wooden shack, allowed poor people who were afflicted with all kinds of diseases to bathe. Kelley eventually moved the transient town to the south side of the mountain so it would not impact the bathhouses' water supply. Kelleytown, as the new area was called, consisted of a barracks and two pools, one each for men and women. Superintendent Kelley had the Ral Hole filled in because it was contaminating the surrounding water. Supporters of the spring rallied and threatened violence. In response, federal troops were dispatched to calm the situation and enforce the closing of the Ral Hole. Kelley, kept the pools open on the south side of the mountain and built a small building over the Mud Hole spring, which later became the first government free bathhouse., Captions: Men waiting to bathe at the Mud Hole. The fest government free bathhouse was built at this site.
In 1877, General Benjamin F. Kelley arrived at
Hot Springs Reservation as the first
superintendent. He was quickly approached
by bathhouse owners to solve the "problem"
of the poor people living in a tent city known
as "Ral City" on Hot Springs Mountain above
the springs. This small community was made
up of people who were not able to pay to take
the treatments in the bathhouses. They dug
out pools around the springs so they could
bathe in the thermal water. The Ral Hole, a
spring that was covered by a wooden shack,
allowed poor people who were afflicted with
all kinds of diseases to bathe. Kelley
eventually moved the transient town to the
south side of the mountain so it would not
impact the bathhouses' water supply.
Kelleytown, as the new area was called,
consisted of a barracks and two pools, one
each for men and women. Superintendent
Kelley had the Ral Hole filled in because it
was contaminating the surrounding water.
Supporters of the spring rallied and
threatened violence. In response, federal
troops were dispatched to calm the situation
and enforce the closing of the Ral Hole. Kelley,
kept
Click or scan to see this page online
the pools open on the south side of the
mountain and built a small building over the
Mud Hole spring, which later became the first
government free bathhouse.
Captions:
Men waiting to bathe at the Mud Hole. The fest
government free bathhouse was built at this site.
Location. 34° 30.878′ N, 93° 3.168′ W. Marker is in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in Garland County. It is in Hot Springs National Park. It can be reached from Central Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Hot Springs National Park AR 71901, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Arkansas’ Ouachita Mountains. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, one of the Confederate States of America, and
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, March 22, 2026
2. Ral City Marker
the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Dead Chief Trail (a few steps from this marker); Ral Springs (a few steps from this marker); Peak Trail (within shouting distance of this marker); Open Springs (within shouting distance of this marker); Pleasure Drive Through Nature (within shouting distance of this marker); Hale Bathhouse (within shouting distance of this marker); Superior Bathhouse (within shouting distance of this marker); Thermophiles (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hot Springs.
More about this marker. Marker can be found on the Peak Trail, just off the Grand Promenade.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 18, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 9, 2026, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 12 times since then. Photos:1, 2. submitted on April 16, 2026, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
