Eureka Springs has an estimated fifty-six miles of stone walls, most of them built by skilled stonemasons between 1885 and 1910 from limestone quarried locally or brought by horse-drawn wagons or railroad flatcars from near Beaver and from the railroad junction north of town. In Eureka Springs's first census in 1880, thirty men listed stonemason as their occupation, drawn by the rapid construction of homes and commercial buildings. They first built foundations and retaining walls for early wood structures, but major fires in 1883 and 1888 led to greater use of stone and brick construction for fire protection. In 1890, improvements to widen main streets and beautify public places produced many miles of stone walls, including walls up to twenty feet high along Spring, Howell, Main, the Boulevard, and other streets, with walls lining the stream on Main Street and joined by arched stone bridges. Among the best known builders during the town's first half century were James M. Waldrip and his sons William, James, and John, and the Waldrip brothers built miles of walls and crafted stonework for several spring reservations under the Board of Public Affairs. Around 1948, Sam A. Leath devised the estimate of fifty-six miles of walls as a new tourism era began, and Ripley's Believe It or Not popularized Eureka Springs's unusual character, including its winding streets and extensive rock walls. Since Eureka Springs was designated a National Register Historic District in 1970, additional walls have been built through restoration and preservation, and skilled stonemasons continue the tradition.