ES Independent Column – June 1961

According to the Eureka Springs Times-Echo, June of 1961 was a fairly quiet month in Eureka Springs. The only local topic with extensive coverage was the  twelfth season of the Fine Arts Colony at Inspiration Point.

With Beaver Dam being built west of town, the inevitable demise of the Mundell community was apparent. The Mundell News column by Mrs. John Schnitzer recorded the preparations for the coming inundation of water. She mentioned that work began to remove the remains of ancestors buried in the Union Chapel Cemetery. She announced that Brother Herman Williams of Busch was going to preach at the Mundell church on the coming Sunday. She noted that it could be the last service held there. I can’t help but wonder what Brother Williams had to say.

In other news, future Eureka Springs Fire Chief Wayne Brashear won the essay contest sponsored by the “radio station at Rogers” on the subject, “Why I Should Learn to Drive Safely.” His prize was a week-long stay at the Lake Frances Boys Camp at Siloam Springs. Returning from a week at church camp near Paris, Arkansas were Julia Freeman, Clark Freeman and Butch Berry.

Walker’s Super Market advertised whole fryers for 25 cents per pound and bananas for 9 cents per pound. Remember ice milk? Half-gallon containers of Meadowgold Ice Milk were priced at 49 cents each. Walker’s advertised one free delivery of groceries daily. (I noticed that the competition, Clark’s Super Market, advertised free deliveries twice daily.)

During this time, the Basin Theater located at 95 Spring Street was showing movies seven nights per week. Some of the films advertised were The Naked Jungle with Charlton Heston and The Misfits with Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe.

My father used to recall from his younger days that Eurekans wanting a late night meal would drive to Seligman, Missouri to a cafe located there that was open 24 hours per day. That’s why I’m surprised to see an advertisement for McBride’s being “Eureka Springs First All Nite Restaurant.” Perhaps it had something to do with the building of the dam and the new families that moved to town.

Eureka Springs Independent Newspaper Column for November 6, 2013

When the opportunity arises, I read old issues of the Eureka Springs Times-Echo newspaper to try and get a flavor of the past. Currently on my desk are the Nov. 12 and Nov. 19, 1959 editions.

The big news then was a devastating fire at Clark’s Market on Main Street. Manager Roland Clark quickly reopened in a temporary location on White Street. I am told that this is the same building that has now housed Lux Weaving Studio for many years.

Another big event was the staging of Carroll County’s first annual modern deer hunt. Locally, bucks killed were checked in at O’Connor’s Texaco Service Station or at Busch. In total that first deer season, 56 bucks were killed in the county. The largest was a 17-point, 290-pounder by J.T. Littrell. For comparison, now nearly a thousand deer are killed annually in Carroll County.

Deer were so scarce in those days that when Ben Walker hit and killed a 140-pound doe with his car near Beaver one evening, it was a front-page story.

As the proposed Beaver Dam was to be constructed in a relatively remote spot on the White River, a new heavy duty road was needed from Busch to accommodate the future construction traffic. A company out of Pine Bluff submitted the low bid. Construction of an office building was ongoing at the dam site.

Tommy Walker was out on the ocean somewhere between New Zealand and Antarctica serving aboard the destroyer escort USS Peterson.

On the social scene, Miss Nancy Ann Mullins became the bride of William Ernest Goff of Tulsa at the Penn Memorial First Baptist Church on Spring Street. An all-star cast of Eurekans assisted in the ceremony. Among others, Ludean Cross was matron of honor, while the bridesmaids were Sue Cole [Jones] and Bobbie Jean Walker [Bayles]. Diane Weems [McClelland] served as flower girl. Ushers were Steve Bingaman and Gary Higgins.

Return of the Fly with Vincent Price and Some Like it Hot with Marilyn Monroe were just two of the many films shown that November at the New Basin Movie Theater on Spring Street.

One of the best real estate opportunities advertised that month was a 120-acre farm on the highway 2.5 miles from Eureka Springs. Included are a house, barn, cellar, well, 3 ponds, 5 springs and more, all for $6,500.

And Jello was on sale at Walker’s Super Market for five cents a box.