HISTORY:
Originally the Hot Springs were included in the Shoshone Indian Reservation Treaty of 1868. In the years following the Hot Springs gained the reputation as having "Health Giving Properties", and eventually the U.S. Congress requested . . . — — Map (db m97695) HM
The Original Bridge was built to connect the Big Spring with the Fremont Spring, the Pleasant View Hotel and Sanitarium, and the Elk pasture. Later it also provided access to the Hopewell Hospital which eventually became the first county hospital. . . . — — Map (db m97655) HM
The red cliffs seen in and around the park are called the Red Peak Formation - part of the Chugwater Group. This rock outcrop is composed of fine-grained sandstone and is up to 600 feet thick. The brick red color is caused by oxidation of iron . . . — — Map (db m97658) HM
In April of 1896 a treaty was signed whereby the Shoshone and Arapahoe Tribes gave the legendary Sacred Springs of Healing to the United States government and, subsequently, to the state of Wyoming. Upon signing the treaty, Chief Washakie . . . — — Map (db m97759) HM
The Bridger Trail crossed the Bighorn River near this location in 1864. Passing over the Bridger Mountains to the southeast, the trail came down Kirby creek, crossed the river and proceeded north to the Yellowstone River, then west to the gold . . . — — Map (db m97784) HM
“Make it a good street. Make it wide enough to turn this damn team of mules around in.” (Henry “Sixteen Mule Team” Johnson) Thermopolis was named for the nearby hot springs by combining the Greek words thermo . . . — — Map (db m97782) HM
Thermal features at Hot Springs State Park differ from those found in Yellowstone, which are heated by magma near the earth’s surface. The hot spring water found here originates in the Owl Creek Mountains to the south, where surface water seeps down . . . — — Map (db m97691) HM
Long before the arrival of fur trappers in the West, Native Americans discovered the hot mineral springs found in the park. The Shoshone Indians called the springs “Bah Guewana” – meaning smoking water, and the Crow Indians called . . . — — Map (db m97692) HM
In the foreground across the river are the Rainbow Terraces formed of mineral deposits called travertine. The Big Spring produces 127° mineral water and as it makes its way down the terraces the water temperature changes and different colors of . . . — — Map (db m86916) HM
In 1884 Joe Sneider with Ed Crapon passing through this area, noticed steam rising from the hot springs. Mistaking it for smoke and suspecting a hostile Indian Camp, the area was scouted from this point before descending to the valley. — — Map (db m97708) HM
1890 - 1900
Ollie Koshear • Jesse Burson • Augernose Jane • J.A. McGrey • Jack Berry • Ralph Gellerno • Elton Perry • unknown woman • unknown man
ERECTED BY WASHAKIE CHAPTER
DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
1962 — — Map (db m241043) HM
During the late 1800s, difficult travel and lack of housing did not discourage people from visiting the springs. Upon their arrival, some people pitched tents, while others cut temporary dugouts into the hillsides. Travelers entering the valley saw . . . — — Map (db m97709) HM
The reds, oranges, yellows, and greens that paint the hot spring's pools and streams are actually heat-loving (thermophilic_ microscopic life forms (microbes). Microbes which include algae, are visible when vast numbers cluster together. The . . . — — Map (db m97653) HM
The “Tepee Fountain” was built in 1909 to vent steam from hot mineral water that was piped throughout the park. As water flows over the structure, it cools and deposits layer upon layer of travertine. This process is similar to the formation of . . . — — Map (db m97743) HM
The town of Thermopolis sprang to life as travelers journeyed to its hot mineral springs. The Plaza Hotel, originally known as the Callaghan Apartments, was on of six hotels built in the park in the early 1900s. The beautiful two-story structure . . . — — Map (db m97758) HM
Walter Manly Haynes was born July 31, 1893 in Nebraska, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Haynes, The family move to Hot Springs County in the early 1900's. He and his brother, Rollie, signed their select service registration on June 5, 1917. In . . . — — Map (db m97761) WM
This river begins in the Absaroka (ab-sore-uh-ka) Mountains located 90 miles to the northwest. It runs southeast, then swings north and flows through two mountain ranges before it joins the Yellowstone River at Bighorn, Montana, 180 miles northeast . . . — — Map (db m97650) HM
To native Indians, mountain men, and early settlers, the Wedding of the Waters was a special place. Here, after carving its way through rocks more than three billion years old, the Wind River ends its journey and the Bighorn River begins.
For . . . — — Map (db m97652) HM
White Sulphur Spring is one of many attractions in the park. In the early 1890s a bathhouse and dance pavilion were built nearby. Unfortunately, a fire destroyed the buildings in 1899.
Early settlers in the area recognized the therapeutic values . . . — — Map (db m97701) HM
See this natural phenomenon while you are in Thermopolis. Monument hill, pictured here, and visible from this site, overlooks the "Big Spring"
(map with arrows and diagram)
See other springs and beautiful terraces created by the mineral . . . — — Map (db m97783) HM
