About Mammoth Spring, AR

Where The Spring River Begins

Sitting right on the Arkansas-Missouri state line, Mammoth Spring is named for exactly what you'd expect: one of the largest natural springs in the world, gushing nearly 9.8 million gallons of crystal-clear, 58-degree water every hour. That spring is the headwaters of the Spring River and the reason this little town exists at all, long before it was a town, the area was known simply as the "Head of the Waters."

Mammoth Spring's real growth began in 1883, when the Frisco Railroad extended its line through town, transforming a quiet river settlement into a bustling hub almost overnight. The town incorporated in 1889, and for the next several decades it thrived as both an industrial center — home to a cotton mill, shoe factory, and bottling plant — and a resort destination, as Memphis families flocked north each summer to escape the heat and stay in grand hotels along the river bluffs. In 1927, thanks to a hydroelectric dam built on the spring, Mammoth Spring became the first town in the region to have electricity.

That same dam and spring are now the centerpiece of Mammoth Spring State Park, a 62-acre park built around the spring, its historic 1887 dam, and Spring Lake. History buffs can tour the beautifully restored 1885 railroad depot, now a museum on the National Register of Historic Places, complete with a vintage caboose on display. Anglers and paddlers, meanwhile, head straight for the Spring River and the nearby National Fish Hatchery, both famous for trout fishing in some of the coldest, clearest water in the state.

The town's small-town spirit shows up most in its traditions, the Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines Reunion has been held every August since 1890, and Solemn Old Judge Days each Labor Day weekend honors Mammoth Spring's own George D. Hay, the broadcaster who went on to found the Grand Ole Opry. Downtown still carries the charm of its railroad-and-resort-town roots, with a walkable historic district and a close-knit community feel that's hard to find elsewhere.

For anyone drawn to river life, small-town history, and genuinely one-of-a-kind natural scenery, Mammoth Spring offers a rare kind of quiet, a town built entirely around one of nature's most remarkable features, right on the border of two states.