Eureka Springs has been selected as one of America's Distinctive Destinations by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Eureka Springs was originally called "The Magic City", "Little Switzerland of the Ozarks", and later the "Stairstep Town" because of its mountainous terrain and the winding, up-and-down paths of its streets and walkways.

It is a tourist destination for its unique character as a Victorian resort, which first attracted visitors to use its then believed healing springs.

The buildings are primarily constructed of local stone, built along limestone streets that curve around the hills, and rise and fall with the topography in a five-mile long loop.

Dr. Jackson established a hospital in a local cave during the Civil War and used the waters from Basin Spring to treat his patients.

[citation needed] In 1879 Judge J.B. Saunders, a friend of Jackson, claimed that his crippling disease was cured by the spring waters.

Saunders started promoting Eureka Springs to friends and family members across the state and created a boomtown.

Within a short time in the late 19th century, Eureka Springs had become a flourishing city, spa and tourist destination.

Thousands of visitors came to the springs based on Saunders's promotion, and covered the area with tents and shanties.

A school and African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Pilgrim's Chapel were established in the 1890s by the Black community.

Segregation increased in the area after the United States Supreme Court ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson, allowing "separate but equal" facilities.

[5] After his term as a Reconstruction-era governor of Arkansas, Republican Powell Clayton moved to the strongly Unionist Eureka Springs in 1872 and began promoting the city and its commercial interests.

[citation needed] These many Victorian buildings have been well preserved, forming a coherent streetscape that has been recognized for its quality.

Carrie Nation moved there toward the end of her life, founding Hatchet Hall on Steele Street.

Mattie, Alice, and Richard Banks, descendants of the African-American Fancher family, which had long been associated with the city, continued to reside there until their deaths in 1966, 1969, and 1975, respectively.

Smith began building a religious theme park named Sacred Projects that was proposed to include a life size recreation of Jerusalem.

[6] The script of The Great Passion Play has been altered from the original, which set Jesus's beating at Herod's court and included a monologue blaming his death on the Jews.

Isolation and affordable property made Eureka Springs an attractive back-to-the-land destination for hippies, counterculture radicals, and lesbian separatists in the late 1960s and 1970s.

Eureka Springs suffered stronger impacts than other parts of the state, and the community lost many leaders and establishments.

The chapel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 because of the special nature and quality of its architecture.

The center of the city is in a narrow valley at the headwaters of Leatherwood Creek, a north-flowing tributary of the White River.

Arkansas Highway 23 is Main Street through the center of Eureka Springs and leads north 11 miles (18 km) to the Missouri state line.

[11] The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.

[20] There are four annual gay and lesbian events called "Diversity Weekends", and a week long PRIDE celebration in June.

[21] The community is supported by comprehensive public education from the Eureka Springs School District and its facilities: Private school education is provided at: For over-the-air television, Eureka Springs is served by the market based out of Springfield, Missouri.