Massena Springs, New York

Massena Springs, New York. . The springs at Massena were first shown to a group of government surveyors in the summer of 1785 by the St. Regis Indians. Then, as early as 1813, the journals of European settlers would show they had begun using the springs for their curative powers. , , Many visitors would come to Massena Springs to ingest the waters that were said to be so beneficial to the health. The "Pavilion” or "Spring House” was located on top of the fountainhead of the spring. From that fountainhead, "Dipper Boys” would draw the water and ladle it into glasses set in handmade wicker frames or fill the special wooden pipes used for carrying the water to the bath house or bottling operation. The water had to be transported in the special wooden pipes, bored from lengths of small logs or poles, because the sulphur would react with iron and the taste of the water would be badly affected., The sulphur springs provided a booming economy for the place known as Massena Springs, N.Y. Many grand homes and hotels opened and grew to accommodate the many people who would come to "use The Massena Waters.” For those who couldn't travel here, the curative waters were locally bottled and shipped far and wide. W.R. Stearns not only operated one of the most popular hotels of the period, he also bottled the spring water and sold it to the Manhattan elite through his sales agent, John W. Sheddon. One old ad notes that "Mr. Sheddon, No. 363 Bowery, Corner of 4th Street, New York City, would fill orders for "The Massena Waters." Brochures circulated in urban areas during the 1800's also noted that the waters could be ordered by leading druggists throughout the country., Massena Springs, New York "These Springs are unlike any other water found on this continent. There are, it is true, other sulphur springs in various parts of the country, but none of them possess that combination of mineral properties, aside from sulphur that the Massena waters possess according to an analysis made by an eminent professor.", So read a mid-19th century article on the natural water springs found at this site and their unequaled powers to remedy everything from kidney stones to cancer, including such health concerns of the day as "Obstinate cutaneous Eruptions, Scrofula, Salt Rheum, Erysipelas, Rheumatism, Cancerous Tumors, afflictions of the kidneys and bladder, Dyspepsia, etc., etc." , The Native American name for the sulphur springs was Kan-a-swa-stak-e-ras meaning "the place where the mud smells bad.” The Iroquois had been visiting the springs and using the waters for their "curative” powers for generations before settlers from New England and Europe came to this area. The Indians described the springs as a place where many moose, deer and their sick brothers would come to drink the healing waters.