Hot Springs in Sanders County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Symes Hotel

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 9, 2022

1. Symes Hotel Marker

Inscription. Native peoples occupied the Little Bitterroot River Valley and enjoyed its healing hot springs long before European trappers and traders encroached upon local resources. In 1855, an 80-acre area around the hot springs was set aside as a government reserve. In 1910, the Flathead Reservation opened to homesteading and the sale of tribal allotments, along with the land of early settler Ed Lamereaux, became the townsite of Hot Springs. Originally platted as Pineville, the town lies astride Warm Springs Creek within the modern borders of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Indian Reservation. European-American settlers from the outset enjoyed the hot springs and residents catered to visitors seeking the curative mineral waters. Businessman Fred Symes purchased this property in 1929 and built a $50,000 Mission style hotel, completed in early 1930. Mission style features include the curvalinear roofline, quatrefoil windows, and stuccoed walls. The original hotel featured twenty baths, ivory enamel finishings, and doctors' services on the premises. The Symes proved a depression-proof business; expansion

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and improvements continued throughout the 1930s and into the mid-1940s. In the 1950s, the popularity of hot springs across Montana began to wane. Closing of the tribally owned Camas Hot Springs in 1973 was a blow and the local population, once 5,000, fell to 411 by 1990. Under new ownership and in partnership with the Hot Springs Artists Society, Inc., the Symes Hotel today has a new direction hosting local events. Once again it is a vital contributor to the community.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Industry & Commerce • Natural Features • Parks & Recreational Areas. In addition, it is included in the Montana National Register Sign Program series list.

Location. 47° 36.622′ N, 114° 40.31′ W. Marker is in Hot Springs, Montana, in Sanders County. It is on North Wall Street near Second Avenue North, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 209 North Wall Street, Hot Springs MT 59845, United States

Symes Hotel and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 9, 2022

2. Symes Hotel and Marker

The marker is above the wagon wheel.

of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Western Montana

and in Glacier Country.

It is also in the American Mountain West

and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Also see . . . Montana hot springs are cool now, but they were awesome in 1910 -- Great Falls Tribune. Montana hot springs have been natural spots used for relaxation and pain relief by Native Americans, miners and settlers. They've been the sites of some of the grandest accommodations between Minneapolis and San Francisco. (Submitted on April 3, 2023, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)

Credits. This page was last revised on April 7, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 3, 2023, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 225 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 3, 2023, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.