Happy Hollow - Fun Photos for the Folks Back Home

Dated February 17, 1944

Owned and operated by Norman E. McLeod, Happy Hollow offered props and backdrops where visitors could have photos taken. Many used the donkey cart or ox cart with various sayings attached to the cart. As you will no doubt see, it's pretty hard to find very many like the couple above who seem to be happy their picture was being taken.

The two ladies on the bull seem to be having fun, the man and lady on the cart, not so much. 

The back of many of the cards reads "N.E. McLeod, Wild West & Rustic Photographer, Happy Hollow, Hot Springs, Ark. For duplicates Give number on picture."

If I get lucky, the photo postcard will have a date like this one. Mr. McLeod must have had some pretty tame livestock for them to stand still long enough to capture a clear image.

This one just makes me giggle. These two look so serious. I'm sure part of this comes from the fact that, not so long before, people who sat for photos were instructed not to smile because it took so long to capture an image and smiling would blur the photo.

This beautiful little one is one of my more unusual Happy Hollow postcards. This child would be over 100 years old if alive today. 

Because of the way this man is dressed, I'm not sure if he was actually a cowboy and had the photo taken with his horse.

I actually think this is a bit later than most of my other postcards. It's pretty racy for the times. I believe the lady is wearing a swimsuit and may have been one of the contestants in a bathing beauty contest. 

This card is dated 1938. It looks like the two men are really hamming it up for the camera. It's interesting how many different sets there were for photos.

I learned an interesting tidbit about Happy Hollow. The book Hot Springs from Capone to Costello by Robert K. Raines mentions that the Capone family, as in Al Capone, had their photos taken there several times and that it was one of their favorite spots in Hot Springs. Can you believe it?!

This is the second of my series on Hot Springs other attractions. Watch for the Ostrich Farm next. 

In case you are wondering why I picked Hot Springs for Arcane Arkansas history, it is not only the oldest national park but our smallest national park, and the only national park in an urban area. I'll be writing more about Hot Springs National Park in the future. 

Dated March 26, 1933