A Brief History
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Hot Wells site on the San Antonio River was home to several versions of a health spa and resort that piped sulfurous water from a hot Edwards well to health-inducing swimming pools and baths. Much of the site's history has been defined by fire. The first structure burned to the ground in 1894 after only one year of operation. The most famous version of the spa was its replacement, a lavish Victorian style structure built in 1900 that became a renowned, world-class vacation destination for celebrities, world leaders, and wealthy industrialists. Some of its visitors were Will Rogers, Charlie Chaplin, Theodore Roosevelt, E. H. Harriman, Sarah Bernhardt, Mexican President Porfirio Diaz, Tom Mix, Douglas Fairbanks, Cecil B. De Mille, and Judge Roy Bean. The legendary hotel burned in 1925, and the bath house burned twice, in 1988 and 1997. But the remains of the bath house are still standing for decades. There were hopes that the site could be revitalized. On April 30, 2019, the new County Park opened to the public.
In 1892 the Southwestern Lunatic Asylum (later known as the San Antonio State Hospital) drilled a well to supply water to their new facility on South Presa Street near the San Antonio River. At that time, only a few Edwards wells had been drilled, and no one understood the site was near the saline/fresh water interface of the Edwards Aquifer, where hot, sulfurous wells are common. Instead of sweet potable Edwards water, the well instead produced hot water with a strong sulfur odor that was unfit for domestic use at the Asylum. The volume was copious - about 180,000 gallons per day, and since many people believed in the healing powers of hot waters, the medicinal and recreational potential of the strong-flowing well was recognized immediately.
To defray the expense of arranging for an alternate water supply, the Asylum leased the well waters to Charles Scheuermeyer for $75, who established a resort nearby and advertised the medicinal benefits of its waters. According to Scheuermeyer, who had the water analyzed by the State University in Austin, the waters would cure just about anything, including rheumatism, skin diseases, and blood poisoning.
In 1893 the Asylum's annual report noted that a special act of the Legislature enabled them to lease the sulphur water for 10 years, and McClellan Shacklett bid $500 per year, winning out over Scheuermeyer. The lease required erection of a first-class bathhouse to cost at least $4,500 and a large sanitarium at a cost of at least $12,000. Shacklett used the resort at Hot Springs, Arkansas as a model and drew up plans for a natatorium with private baths and pools, billiard and drawing rooms, and accommodations for 200 guests. He purchased a 10-acre pecan grove bordered by a graceful v-shaped bend in the San Antonio River, and he transformed it into a landscaped park with an elegant carriage drive leading to the main building. By the summer of 1894, Shacklett's Natural Hot Sulphur Wells drew large crowds, electric streetcars ran to the site every 20 minutes, and festive social events were celebrated in local newspaper accounts.
An advertisement in the San Antonio Daily Express declared the waters were:
...a certain cure for syphilitic and mercurial diseases peculiar to females, also rheumatism, whether it is inflammatory, sciatica, rheumatic gout or paralysis. For ulceration of the stomach, dyspepsia, indigestion, chronic diarrhea, malaria, biliousness, asthma, catarrh, sore or weak eyes, granulation and all inflammation of the eyelids, weak back, piles, tapeworms. Will positively cure scrofula, or King's evil, all eruptions and skin diseases, such as eczema, erysipilas, blotches, boils, carbuncles, tetter, scaldhead, ringworm, herpes, chilbains, fallout of hair, itch, nettlerash, and old chronic sores that have resisted treatment.
On December 23, 1894, the bathhouse was completely destroyed by a fire that raged through the building in less than an hour. Shacklett braved fire and smoke to rescue guests and no injuries were reported, but the $17,000 structure was lost. Shacklett vowed to rebuild a bigger and better facility and by March had opened a temporary facility, but plans to rebuild on a larger scale apparently never materialized.
The Golden Era
In November 1899, a group of local and Northern investors secured a 25-year lease on the Asylum's waters and announced plans to build a "large and commodious hotel with attractive grounds and park in addition to the bath house and all other conveniences and ample capitol with which to make improvements of the highest class in accordance with modern demands and of a permanent nature."
The investors formed the Texas Hot Sulphur Water Sanitarium Company, purchased Shacklett's property and an additional tract, and by late 1900 had completed a bath house and three swimming pools. The bath house had three public 64x90' pools and 45 private rooms with marble partitions and solid porcelain tubs, separate facilities for ladies and gentlemen, and steam, Turkish, Roman, needle, and shower baths. By 1902 a hotel was completed with 80 rooms and modern-day conveniences such as hot and cold water, steam heat, electric and gas lights, and individual telephones. An ostrich farm was relocated from San Pedro Springs so that local ladies could easily acquire feathers, an important component of ladies fashion of the day. At some point, a well was drilled on the property and water was no longer piped from the Asylum.
In 1908 an expansion to the hotel was completed, making it one of the largest in the southwest, and advertisements appeared in Chicago and New York newspapers. The local papers frequently mentioned the resort's hosting of social events like domino parties, concerts, lectures, and dances. Gambling appears to have been a major activity, with bets placed on ostrich and horse races. On the pastoral grounds that gently sloped down to the San Antonio River, there was tennis, croquet, and horseback riding. On the River there was boating and swimming, and a swinging bridge provided free access to the ruins of the San Jose Mission.
In 1909, Southern Pacific railroad tycoon E. H. Harriman made an extended visit to the Hot Wells resort to recover from ill health, and he built a side track to the site to accommodate his private railroad cars. He did not recover and passed away in September of that year, but the rail spur enabled rich and famous visitors from all over the country to be delivered to the resort's doorstep. Some, such as Sarah Bernhardt, brought their own private railroad cars.
In 1910 and 1911 the property was home to the Star Film Company, a movie studio that made 71 films in San Antonio including the first about the battle of the Alamo. Several other film companies filmed early silent westerns in the area and used the hotel and bath house for their studios. During this time, the resort was in what may retrospectivally be called its "heyday."
By 1915, World War I had a serious impact on business at the resort, as national resources and attention were diverted from leisure pursuits. In 1920, Prohibition cut off a major source of profits for hospitality-based businesses that had previously served alcoholic beverages. As the resort's popularity declined, management began serving formal dinners and hosting concerts by popular orchestras to draw crowds from San Antonio, but this strategy only worked for a while.
In 1923, the property was sold to a Christian Science congregation for conversion to a parochial institute called the El Dorado School. The hotel served as a dormitory until it was destroyed by fire on January 17, 1925. Firefighters saved the bath house by concentrating their efforts on the passageway from the bath house to the hotel.
Over the years, the building has taken many forms such as tourist cottages, motel, trailer park, and a bar + grill restaurant/nightclub called the Flame Room. Since the site closed in 1977, many potential investors have contemplated restoring the hotel, but little refurbishing has been accomplished. On October 20, 1997 a fire caused by arson destroyed the midsection of the bath house and made it seem more unlikely the hotel could ever be restored. But some residents never lost hope for the area.
It's Final Form
By 2004, owner James Lifshutz had begun cleaning up the property and shoring up walls. On August 31 of that year, the Hot Well Institute hosted a community-awareness event and about 100 interested citizens took advantage of a rare chance to see the property and get wet in the pool. In April of 2005, modular spaces were set up on the property to establish an art enclave.
In 2011, fire once again ravaged the resort's remain. At about 7:40 pm on April 27, fire was reported in several of the dilapidated buildings. Fire officials said the blaze had multiple points of origin and was the second fire of the day at the site. The first was determined to be arson, and police searched the surrounding woods for a suspect.
In August of 2012, Bexar county announced it would consider taking a role in resurrecting Hot Wells by transforming three acres of the site into a county park that would connect to the hike and bike trails on the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River. By 2013, plans were advancing - the Hot Wells Conservancy was created to preserve the vestiges of the historic hotel and provide educational, cultural, and environmental programming. In January of 2014, the well was plugged, thereby ending an era. In October of 2015, the dream of revitalizing the site took a major step towards reality when Bexar county approved $4 million in improvements, enabled by a land donation from James Lifshutz of part of his 21 acre tract. Improvements would include lighting, signs, connection to reach Mission Reach trails, utilities, and ruins preservation.
By the summer of 2018 work was well underway to stabilize the bath house ruins. The plans for the Hot Wells County Park included community garden programs, weddings, art exhibitions, and other events such as screenings of silent movies in tribute to the site's historical connection to the early film industry.
On April 30, 2019, the new Park opened to the public. Long-range future plans for the site include restoration of a 3 story section of the bathhouse for a demonstration kitchen, meeting room, student computer room, and a small gift store and museum display. In May, Developer James Lifshutz commenced the drilling of a new hot well for a spa complex near the bathhouse that will continue the tradition of "healing sulfur waters". Contrary to numerous news reports that characterized it as a "natural spring", it is not a spring. It is a well. There have never been any natural springs at Hot Wells.
In August of 2020, the Historic Design and Review Commission approved plans to build the spa structure, food truck or RV parking, and a connection to the right-of-way at the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River. Future plans may also include a restaurant and bar.
James Lifshutz said "There's a lot of romance about the property - its history, its mythology, the place it holds in the hearts of many San Antonians. That's the principle motivation for doing this, is to capture the history and romance and bring it back in a different form."
The Cache
To obtain the coordinates for the cache location, you will need to visit each stage and obtain specific information. Visiting the stages involves a short trip around and near the hotel ruins and should take around 10-20 minutes to complete. The posted coordinates are where you will begin your quest (stage 1).
Stage 1 (Hot Wells Hotel & Bathhouse):
N 29° 21.957' W 98° 28.245'
According to the posted sign, what temperature did the well produce sulphur water at?
[This number] - 94 = A
Stage 2 (Hot Wells Timeline):
N 29° 21.932' W 98° 28.238'
According to the posted sign, after expansion in 1910, how many total rooms did the hotel have?
[This number] - 182 = B
Stage 3 (Popular Pastimes at Hot Wells):
N 29° 21.922' W 98° 28.259'
According to the posted sign, how many years did the Flame Room operate for?
[This number] - 36 = C
Stage 4 (Movie Stars, Baseball & Fancy Feathers):
N 29° 21.934' W 98° 28.265'
According to the posted sign, a French filmmaker established the first movie studio to locate in Texas from outside the state, across the river from Hot Wells. In what year did this happen?
[This number] - 1908 = D
Stage 5 (A Luxury Getaway for the Rich & Famous):
N 29° 21.948' W 98° 28.274'
According to the posted sign, who is the man on the center horse in the photo? Last name only. How many letters?
[This number] - 3 = E
Stage 6: N 29° 21.934' W 98° 28.275'
Add up the individual digits in the year shown on the plaque.
For example, if the year on the plaque was 2021, the sum of each individual digit would be 2+0+2+1=5.
[This number] - 13 = F
Stage 7 (Cache Location):
N 29° 21.ABC' W 98° 28.DEF'
Park Hours
April to October: Open from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM
November to March: Open from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Closed: Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day