Magnetic Spring Once the Subject of Magnificent Tales

Sandra Cox Birchfield, Shiloh Museum of Ozark History

Was the spring so magnetic that knives soaked in its waters could pick up pins, or was it just folklore? Did its water really cure substance abuse in 15 days as a doctor once claimed?

What's factual is that the water from Magnetic Spring in Eureka Springs served as an original source for Ozarka, a bottled water that exists today. The spring can be found on Magnetic Mountain along the aptly named Magnetic Drive, which connects from North Main Street in Eureka's historic downtown.

It’s not clear how Magnetic Spring got its name or its origins of said magnetic properties, though it is steeped in mystery. In 1902, a newspaper reported that a nearby resident hauled water in a galvanized bucket to his home and noticed the water was swirling around on its own though it "was in a room without fire."

pumped the water to his new sanitarium nearby on what is now Hillside Avenue. Newspaper ads, along with testimonials written by so-called patients, touted that the sanitarium could cure a "liquor habit" and "drunkenness" in one week, and permanently cure morphine, opium and cocaine addictions in 10 to 15 days! "Patients need not pay one cent until satisfied in their own minds that they are cured," the ad noted.

Above: Ozarka Water Company was based in Eureka Springs for many decades. Here, a sign attached to the train depot building in Eureka Springs boasts the fact circa 1960s. Photo is from the Shiloh Museum's Frances Deane Alexander Collection (S-2012-137-215).

With Eureka Springs gaining notoriety for its waters, an entrepreneur purchased the Eureka Springs Water Company. Under the patented name "Ozarka," the water initially came from Bays and Magnetic springs and was distributed throughout the Midwest. The venture took off.

The Magnetic Springs Hotel and Sanitarium, as it was called, didn't last. The grandiose building housed different purposes until it was dismantled in 1938. The materials went toward the construction of a church and funeral home in nearby Berryville.

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During the early 20th century, the town's springs were believed to cure different maladies, drawing many tourists. Electromagnetic healing was the rage, and with stories of pins clinging to pocketknives after soaking in Magnetic Spring, a new market was born! In the early 1900s, Dr. C.A. Reed

In the 1940s, Ozark folklorist Otto Ernest Rayburn wrote that Magnetic Spring lost its magnetic properties, attributing the cause to the effects of modern plumbing.

While it's no longer advisable to drink from the spring, it remains a tourist attraction. As for Ozarka water, don't be deceived by its name. The water is now sourced from Texas.

Tourists to visit Magnetic Spring today, as shown here in March 2023. The spring is located on Magnetic Drive, which is also the road leading to the Great Passion Play grounds and Christ of the Ozarks statue from the west.