History: Hot Springs Sold to State of Wyoming

Thermopolis, with the name meaning “hot city” in the Greek language, is the home of the World’s Largest Mineral Hot Springs. In Thermopolis there are several hot springs, such as the ‘Big Spring’ in Hot Springs State Park.

This history story is about how 129 years ago the Hot Springs area was sold to the state of Wyoming and later became a Hot Springs State Park. Inside the park is the Wyoming State Bath House, which is free to all to enjoy soaking in the hot pools. This is how it all came about.

In the early days of Wyoming, before the European’s set foot here, the Shoshone Indians knew of the healing properties of the steaming hot water. Early explorers, such as Jim Bridger, knew of the hot springs as well.

On February 24, 1897, a year after the Shoshone and Arapaho tribe purchased the land around the hot springs, Chief Washakie granted one square mile of land, which included the Big Spring near what is now Thermopolis.

From The Indian Guide, Shoshone Agency, Wyo., May 1, 1896. – Big Horn Hot Springs Sale.

Agreement Made at Shoshone Agency, Wyo., April 81, 1896.

Articles of Agreement

Articles of agreement made and entered into at Shoshone Agency, in the State of Wyoming, on the twenty- first day of April, eighteen hundred and ninety—six, by and between James U. S. Indian Inspector, on the part of the United States, and the Shoshone and Arapahoe tribes of Indians in the State of Wyoming.

Article I

For the consideration hereinafter named the said Shoshone and Arapahoe tribes of Indians hereby cede, convey, transfer, relinquish, and surrender, forever and absolutely, all their right, title; and interest of every kind and character in and to the lands and the water rights appertaining thereunto, embraced in the following described tract of country, embracing the Big Horn Hot Springs, in the State of Wyoming. All that portion of the Shoshone reservation described as follows, to wit: Beginning at the northeastern corner of the said reservation where Owl Creek empties into the Big Horn River: thence south ten miles, following the eastern boundary of the reservation. thence due west tea miles: thence due north to the middle of the channel of Owl Creek, which forms portion of the northern boundary of the reservation; thence following the middle of the channel of Owl Creek, to the point of beginning.

Article II

The lands ceded, sold, relinquished, and conveyed, to the United States, by this agreement, shall be, and the same are hereby set apart as a National Park or reservation, forever reserving the said Big Horn Hot Springs for the use and benefit of the general public, the Indians to be allowed to enjoy the advantages of the conveniences, that may be erected there at, with the public generally.

Article III

In consideration for the lands ceded, sold, relinquished, and conveyed, as aforesaid, the United States stipulates and agree to pay to the said Shoshone and Arapaho tribes of Indians, the sum of sixty thousand dollars, to be expended for the benefit, of the said Indians in the manner hereinafter described.

Article IV

Of the said sixty thousand dollars provided for in Article III of this agreement it is hereby agreed that ten thousand dollars shall be available within ninety days after the ratification of this agreement, the same to be distributed per capita, in cash, among the Indians belonging on the reservation. That, portion of the aforesaid ten thousand dollars to which the Arapahos are entitled, is, by their unanimous and expressed desire, to be expended, by their agent in the purchase of stock cattle for distribution among the tribe, and that portion of the before mentioned ten thousand dollars to which the Shoshones are entitled, shall be distributed per capita, in cash, among them; provided that in cases where heads of families may so elect, stock cattle to the amount to which they may be entitled, may be purchased for them by their agent.

(Note, $60,000 in 1897 would be a little over 2 million today. Still sounds pretty cheap)

The remaining fifty thousand dollars, of the aforesaid sixty thousand dollars is to be paid in five annual installments of ten thousand dollars each, the money to be expended in the discretion of the Sec. of the Interior for the civilization, industrial education, and subsistence of the Indians: said subsistence to be of bacon, coffee and sugar, and not to exceed at any time five pounds of bacon, four pounds of coffee, and eight pounds of sugar for each one hundred rations.

Article V

Nothing in this agreement shall be construed to deprive the Indians of any annuities or benefits to which they are entitled under existing agreements or treaty stipulations.

Article VI

This agreement shall not be binding upon either party until ratified by the congress of the United States.

Done at Shoshone Agency, in the first twenty, day of April, A. D. eighteen hundred and ninety-six.

The foregoing Treaty was signed by James McLaughlin, U S. Indian Inspector on the behalf of the United States, and two hundred-seventy-three (273) Indians (Shoshones and Arapahos) on the 21st of April 1896

Another story from the same paper.

The Shoshone and Arapaho tribes of this reserve have entered into an agreement with the United States through Col. James McLaughlin U. S. Indian Inspector, to sell the Hot Springs to the Government. The agreement we print in full on the first page. It only needs the ratification of Congress to make the sale complete. Col. McLaughlin deserves un-stinted praise for the promptness and adroitness in making an agreement by which all parties will be benefited The Indians are pleased with their bargain as well as the people of Wyoming. On account of their medicinal properties these springs are destined to become very popular at some distant day.

The Indian Guide, April 1, 1897

Site of Chief Washakie’s Bath House

This story is from The Weekly Boomerang, April 29, 1897 – Wyoming Hot Springs. – The Boomerang publishes an interesting article today concerning the Big Horn Hot Springs, in this state. The control of the springs is in the hands of the state board of land commissioners and there has been a fear that this body might conclude to lease the springs to some one who would make speculative uses of them and deny the people the privileges they have enjoyed since their medicinal qualities have been known.

In the transfer of the springs to the control of the state by the government there was no provision made that the springs should be enjoyed without charge. It is to be hoped that the state board will see that all privileges of the springs are left for the enjoyment of the people. It has been suspected that politicians are urging the board to make leases of the springs and that a variety of schemes are under consideration by the stale house gang to use the springs for political reward, the same as many of our public institutions are used today, to the disgrace and detriment of the state.

Every paper in the state should protest against the leasing of these springs, and the people should petition the board, if necessary, forbidding such action.

This was from the The Daily Boomerang, April 24, 1897 – Wyoming Hot Springs. Their Control to be Vested in the General Government. The Big Horn Basin Wonders Free Bathing and Camping Privileges Are Demanded by the People—A Description of the Springs and the Country Surrounding Them. – The Chicago Record a few days since published an interesting description of the Big Horn hot springs in this state. The Boomerang takes pleasure in reproducing the article, knowing that our readers will enjoy the description of this great resort which is about to become the property of the state. We are pleased also to be able to publish in connection with the article an illustration of these wonderful terraced hot springs.

The article is as follows: A portion of Wyoming which is attracting a great deal of attention at the present time is the Big Horn Basin, a region east of the Yellowstone National Park, and north of the Shoshone Indian reservation in northern Wyoming. Big Horn County, comprising all of the basin—which contains over 15,000 square miles of territory—was organized last, year and is still without rail service.

To the geologist the basin is a country of ever increasing interest. Greatest among the natural curiosities of the region are the Big Horn Hot Springs. These lie on both sides of the Big Horn river and only three miles below the point where it emerges from the canon to the south. There it divides the Lost Cabin from the Owl Creek mountains.

These springs in appearance are very much like the well known Mammoth hot springs of the Yellowstone National park, but In addition possess wonderful medicinal properties. The springs are very large in volume, but are said to be decreasing in size, the flow of water growing smaller annually.

It is the theory of geologists that centuries ago the entire neighborhood of the springs was an immense basin of boiling springs of great dimensions. These enormous springs—some of them, as the inactive craters show, being hundreds of feet in diameter—ceased to flow when the Big Horn River, wearing its channel constantly deeper into the rocks, reached a level below the springs.

At the water’s edge, on either side of the river for a half mile and into bottom of the river bed the hot water bubbles forth in such qualities during the coldest winter weather, when above the springs the river is frozen almost solid, at the springs and for mile below it open and cloud of steam is constantly rising.

This from The Indian Guide, Wind River Reservation, January 1, 1897 – We see by the press dispatches that the Hon. F.W. Mondell has succeeded in having a treaty, made last spring by the Shoshone and Arapaho Indians, for the sale of the Big Horn Hot Spring, whereby they will receive $60,000 in six annual installments of $10,000, engrafted into the annual appropriation bill. The bill also carries $10,000 for a bridge across the Big Wind River, which is very much needed The only bridge across the treacherous stream having been washed away last year.

Big Horn River Pilot, August 25, 1897 –Big Horn Hot Springs. An Interesting Letter from the Springs to the Big Horn Rustler A correspondent of the Big Horn Rustler, sojourning at the Springs, writes the following interesting account of his observations while on a recent visit there which the Pilot takes pleasure in reproducing: “We were surprised when we arrived at the Hot Springs to find so many notable improvements. This is certainly getting to be a great place. How different from what we saw here here three years ago. Then only one little stone bath house and no other accommodations, until our party (from Sheridan) went to work and built a second bath house. Now there are three free bath houses, built by the people who have been here bathing. But these are kept busy all the day and often all night long by those who are suffering from various diseases. In addition to these three public bath houses some parties erected a private bath for themselves and friends. This, too, is occupied almost every hour of the day.

Of course, some Thermopolis residents thought of a different use for the springs. It is doubtful that there would have been repeat offenders.

Big Horn River Pilot, August 25, 1897

Chief Washakie, when he granted the land to the state of Wyoming, felt that everyone should be able to enjoy the hot springs, and he made a stipulation that the waters should always be free to the public. Today, the Wyoming State Bath House continues to honor this promise, and the facilities are free to all to enjoy.