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CHAPTER III - HISTORIC PRECEDENT For over three decades, streetcars provided service to residents of Eureka Springs as well as visitors. Although in 1890, the population was only 3706, Eureka Springs was even then a well-known attraction for thousands of visitors annually. The Eureka Springs Electric Light and Street Railway Company was chartered May 1, 1891 with J. W. Jordan as President and T. F. Hawley as Secretary, with an authorized capitalization of $30,000. Although - as indicated by the company name - the intent was to provide electric cars, the initial construction was a 2.5 mile line from Basin Park along Spring Street to Harmon Park and then on its own right-of-way through Crescent Park to the Crescent Hotel. The 35# rails continued along the top of the hill to the intersection of White Street and West Mountain. A storage barn was built at Harmon Park. But instead of electricity, the five small cars were propelled by mules. The steep hills required that a stable of 17 mules be kept, with each operating car requiring two of them. The line was finally electrified about 1898, and shortly thereafter an additional line was added down Hillside to the railroad depot. The powerhouse and ice plant were built near the railroad depot. The company ownership changed hands in 1900. Newly named the Citizens Electric Railway Co., the new owners also provided electric light and power, cold storage facilities and an ice plant, as well as the pleasure park - complete with auditorium and opera house - at Harmon Park. Only three motorized cars and four trail cars were reported in 1900, but two years later the fleet had expanded to 12 passenger cars and two pieces of non-revenue equipment. About 300,000 passengers were carried in 1902, with no reported accidents. This increased to 326,451 in 1903, but declined to 292,000 in 1904. Also in 1904, the company became a wholesale bottler and shipper of Eureka Springs Water. W. M. Duncan was President of the company, and was also head of the Citizens Bank. On July 1, 1907, the bank petitioned the Court for receivership, which had severe consequences for the Citizens Electric Railway. Although net reported earnings of the company had risen steadily since 1901, and had in fact more than doubled, an attempt was made to sell the enterprise. A prospectus written at that time described the railway system as being 3.5 miles long, and having nine passenger motor cars, three trail cars, one motorized repair car and the "party car". This last car was an open car festooned with light bulbs and was used for special occasions. On hot summer nights, various hotels would charter the car and offer their guests a festive evening of joy-riding over the line. It is reasonably assumed that libations flowed and that music was provided while en route. Despite the efforts, no buyer emerged. Mr. A. M. Barron, the new Manager, promised that the line would be completely reconstructed, and that it was contemplating an extension of trackage of "from 3 to 6 miles". In 1909, in a flurry of optimism, the Ozark Traction Company was formed to build an interurban electric railway from Eureka Springs to several nearby towns. No track was ever built. National economic conditions declined about this time, and gross receipts of the Citizens Electric Railway declined by nearly 40% in fiscal year 1908. Creditors and bondholders stepped in, and on February 26, 1910, the property was sold pursuant to a decree by the Carroll County Chancery Court to satisfy a judgement of $208,000 in favor of the Fidelity Trust Company. The Eureka Traction Company acquired control of the company later in 1910. Although the first automobile had come to Eureka Springs in 1906, the early 'teens was the Golden Age of railway travel. For a time in 1910-1911 the Eureka Springs Railroad brought four trains daily into the mountain resort, including through Pullman sleepers from Kansas City and St. Louis. The Eureka Traction Company built a new line from the depot via Main Street directly to the Basin Park in 1912, and a new railroad depot was dedicated in 1913. But the through Pullman service was soon dropped, and with the exigencies of World War I, pleasure travel to resorts such as Eureka Springs tumbled. Late in 1918, the Home Electric Co. was organized to acquire the assets of the street railway, the electric company and the ice plant. Auto traffic was now responsible for most visitors - in 1920 500,000 of them came by car. To cap things off, the railroad went on strike in 1921, a disastrous stoppage that dragged on for months. By this time, the streetcar line needed rebuilding, and the fleet of cars was much the worse for wear. Thus, the little electric line in the Ozarks quietly succumbed to fate, with even the date of abandonment open to question. One source says it happened in 1920, another in 1921, and yet another in 1923. Although it is doubtful that any present-day resident of Eureka Springs can remember the little streetcars firsthand, their imprint on the community was strong. Dozens of photographs survive, and depict a charming and delightful means of transportation. Almost every history of the town mentions the trolley, and its tradition carries on in today's trolleys - diesel powered, and riding on rubber tires, but still a strong link to Eureka's transportation history. |
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