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The
town of Hot Springs was founded in the late 1800's. It was founded
not on mining, ranching nor farming, but on the therapeutic value
of the 177 springs in our valley. Hot Springs was originally named
"Minnekahta," the native word for "warm waters". The town founders,
realizing the value of the waters, renamed the town Hot Springs. This
assured the town's success, as people came from all over the country
by the trainload to take advantage of the healing properties of the
waters.
At that time, there were a dozen or so bath houses
which prospered on these naturally-occurring waters, including the
famous Evans Plunge. In fact, the VA Hospital came here during the
civil war, in part because of the healing effects of the waters. The
springs exist at the VA to this day, but are no longer in use.
Before Europeans settled in this area, the native
population had been using the healing waters for centuries. In fact,
it is said they even fought over them. Battle Mountain, a state historic
site on the outskirts of town, was named in memory of the major battle
between the Lakota and the Sioux Indian tribes over control of the
springs.
Hot Springs was a thriving little boom town based
on the industry of mineral springs. The springs' popularity slowly
declined in the 1930's. With the introduction of penicillin, doctors
began recommending medication instead of soaking in the mineral waters.
World War II marked the end of the famed bath houses.
Springs Bath House, LLC is the first bath house
to return to the once-famous little town of Hot Springs, South Dakota
in more than 60 years.
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