2010 Hot Springs National Park Quarter, P Mint

In 1832, Congress granted federal protection to Arkansas’ famed Hot Springs, laying the foundation for the site’s official designation as Hot Springs National Park in 1921.  

People came from all over to soak in the springs’ thermal waters that are naturally about 143 degrees.  Much of the spring water is over 4,000-year-old rainwater that has slowly trickled through the park’s mountains, absorbing minerals and minor traces of radioactivity from rocks.  The water reaches its high temperature as it travels from depths of up to 7,500 feet below the earth’s surface.  

The springs produce about 700,000 gallons of water each day that is routed to the main bathhouse and several fountains (like the one in front of the park’s headquarters, shown on the quarter below).  The springs have been most commonly used to treat rheumatism, diseases of the skin and blood, and nervous conditions.