El Dorado Insider Spring 2023 - 11

ARKANSAS'
ORIGINAL BOOMTOWN
El Dorado has a rich legacy of entertainment
Text by: Richard Mason
I
n 1921, El Dorado, a quiet Southern town of
around 3,500 folks, began living up to its Spanish
name, The Golden One, with one big exception: its
gold was as black as the night. A wild oil gusher
blew in on the edge of town, and within months
more than 100,000 new residents had engulfed the
county. Strangers were packed into El Dorado like
sardines in mustard sauce, and the piney forests of
south Arkansas would never be the same. Thousands
upon thousands of newcomers were made up
primarily of roughnecks, stock traders, wheelerdealers,
hustlers, and of course, the ladies of the
evening.
Photograph contributed by
AR Museum of Natural Resources
A red-brick Victorian courthouse stood in the
town square, and the infamous Hamburger Row
spanned from Washington Avenue to the Rock Island
Depot. Named for the large number of sidewalk grills
that sold hamburgers, Hamburger Row served the
trainloads of fortune-seekers who spilled daily into
Arkansas' original boomtown. As the town exploded
with riches, the row of gambling houses, brothels, and
saloons crowded both sides of Washington. News of
the discovery brought risk-takers from around the
world; most were searching for quick wealth and a
good time. At the peak of the oil boom, Union County
had an estimated 30 brothels. The last one closed in
www.GoElDorado.com 11

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El Dorado Insider Spring 2023

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https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/eldi/el-dorado-dining-guide-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/eldi/el-dorado-insider-fall-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/eldi/el-dorado-visitor-guide-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/eldi/el-dorado-insider-spring-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/eldi/holiday-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/eldi/22-guide
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/eldi/fall-22
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/eldi/spring2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/eldi/Fall-21
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