A Luxury Getaway for the Rich & Famous

A Luxury Getaway for the Rich and Famous. . Although Bexar County had three popular mineral water spas at one time, none of the others equaled Hot Wells Hotel's reputation for luxury., Hot Wells guests could choose from a variety of facilities: 3 swimming pools, 45 private bathing areas and 200 individual dressing rooms, plus 6 different kinds of curative baths. "Taking the waters" combined health and indulgence in the three-story pleasure palace, which became the place to be seen among San Antonio's social elite., Visitors flocked to Hot Wells for dances, bowling, swimming, concerts, lectures, tea on the veranda, domino parties, and gambling at the Hot Wells Jockey Club. Sightseeing trips to the San Antonio missions, to Exposition Park for horse racing, and to the nearby ostrich farm were popular diversions. The visiting celebrity list was long. It included Theodore Roosevelt, Douglas Fairbanks, Rudolph Valentino, Sarah Bernhardt, Will Rogers, Hoot Gibson, Tom Mix, and Mexican president Porfirio Diaz., E.H. Harriman, president of both the Union Pacific and Southern Pacific railroads, made a celebrated visit to San Antonio for two weeks in early 1909. Seeking to recuperate from overwork and health, the "railroad king" traveled to San Antonio on his private train. A specially built siding led from the San Antonio and Aransas Pass rail line to a site just south of Hot Wells Hotel where an elaborate tent colony was built close to the river to house Harriman and his entourage. Harriman's fully furnished, heated tent featured a carpeted wood floor and was lighted by electricity. The visitors communicated by way of telegraph and telephone lines., Harriman bathed in Hot Wells therapeutic waters, walked along the river, marveled at the area's wildlife including redbirds and mockingbirds, and welcomed visitors to the camp. He joined locals on a duck hunt at Mitchell Lake and golfed at the San Antonio Country Club. At the end of his stay in early March, Harriman remarked, "I will always remember my vacation in this city with utmost pleasure - the glorious sunlight, the magnificent air." , Harriman returned to his busy schedule and by late summer was making plans to once again visit San Antonio for his health when he died on September 9, 1909., E.H. Harriman photo courtesy: Smithsonian Institution Museum of American Art, Washington, D.C.; Sarah Bernhardt photo source: Wikimedia Commons, Sarah Bernhardt, known to her legions of fans as "Divine Sarah," was nearing retirement when she came to San Antonio in April 1911 for two performances at the Grand Opera House. Her visit coincided with the residency of Gaston Méliès's Star Film Ranch across the river from Hot Wells Hotel. Méliès's wife was Bernhardt's cousin, and the film maker bought tickets for his company to attend one of her celebrated performances., While in San Antonio, Bernhardt toured the city's points of interest and traveled in her private railcar to visit Hortense and Gaston Méliès at Hot Wells using the rail siding built for E.H. Harriman's stay in 1909. Sarah Bernhardt left San Antonio to continue her tour. She performed throughout America until 1914 when she made her farewell New York appearance. Bernhardt then returned to Europe where she died in 1923., Captions , Lower Left: Vintage postcards of Hot Wells Hotel and Bathhouse. A fragment of the "High Diving Strictly Prohibited" sign painting is still visible today. , Postcardscourtes: Gregg Eckhardt, San Antonio, Lower Middle: Teddy Roosevelt "took the waters" at Hot Wells Hotel. , Photo: Lt. Colonel Theodore Roosevelt. (center) at Mission Concepción with two troopers of the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry. The unit, better known as the Rough Riders, trained in San Antonio before deploying to Cuba to fight the Spanish-American War of 1898. , Later Roosevelt became the 26th President of the United States, serving two terms from 1901 to 1909. , Courtesy: University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections