Hot Springs Vintage Post Cards

Set One | Set Two | Set Three

Hot Springs, Arkansas

Hot Springs, Arkansas was a popular spring training destination for baseball players in the early part of the 20th century. The town’s natural, spring-fed mineral hot pools made it a resort destination, and many hotels and baths were built around this tourist draw.

While entire baseball teams did their pre-season training (Spring Training) in Hot Springs (see list below), individual players made the journey there on the way to their regular spring training sites in the south. They would ‘boil out,’ or lose excess weight gained in the off-season, in the baths. They also took hikes in the area’s rolling hills and crisp air.

Hot Springs was also a gathering place for ballplayers, where they could re-connect with others they had not seen since the end of the last season. Since formal Spring Training began around March 1, Hot Springs started bubbling with baseball activity in mid February.

Unless otherwise noted, these postcards are circa 1950. Many of these hotels and baths date back to the turn of the century.