Buckhorn Hot Mineral Wells
{{Short description|Thermal springs in Arizona}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2025}}
{{Infobox spring
| name = Buckhorn Hot Mineral Wells
| other_name = Buckhorn Baths
Buckhorn Mineral Wells
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| photo_caption = Former hot springs cabins
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| coordinates = {{coord|33|25|00|N|111|42|4|W|display=inline, title}}
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| hot_spring_type = geothermal
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| temperature = 112°F to 127°F
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File:2021 Buckhorn Baths Motel 17 fireplace-barbecue.jpg
Buckhorn Hot Mineral Wells also known as Buckhorn Baths, and Buckhorn Mineral Wells is a hot spring located seven miles East of Mesa, Arizona.{{cite book |last1=Kaysing |first1=Bill |last2=Kaysing |first2=Ruth |title=Great Hot Springs of the West |date=1993 |publisher=Capra Press |location=Santa Barbara |isbn=0-88496-382-9 |page=134}}{{cite web |title=Buckhorn Hot Mineral Wells 7 Miles East of Mesa Arizona |url=https://calisphere.org/item/ark:/13030/kt9b69q6j6/ |website=Calisphere: University of California |access-date=12 November 2022}}
History
For thousands of years indigenous peoples used thermal mineral springs for their healing properties. As European and Americans moved into the Western states, interest in mineral spas flourished as balenotheraputic "healing centers" and tourist attractions.
In 1936, Ted and Alice Sliger purchased the hot springs property to build a trading post, the Desert Wells Trading Post. In 1939, they "accidentally found" the hot springs while drilling a well for drinking water. They built a Pueblo Revival-style "spa motel" featuring a bathhouse fed by the hot springs, and a gas station. The site is now a historical landmark.{{cite web |title=Buckhorn Baths Motel/Buckhorn Mineral Wells |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/cf1f481c-71f5-425e-bab7-c5dc6bc535aa |website=U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places |access-date=11 November 2022}} The Sligers operated the hot spring establishment until 1999.{{cite web |last1=Mark |first1=Jay |title=Throwback Thursday: Mesa's Buckhorn Baths' future |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/mesa/contributor/2016/01/08/throwback-thursday-mesas-buckhorn-baths-future/78109056/ |website=Arizona Central |access-date=11 November 2022}}
The Sligers advertised the hot springs as having curative powers "beneficial in the treatment of arthritis, neuritis, neuralgia, gout, anemia, sciatic, overweight, underweight, high blood pressure, nicotine poisoning, blood and skin diseases, kidney, bladder and liver troubles, chronically nervous and exhausted, inflammatory rheumatism, stomach disorders [and] rehabilitation following: strokes, polio, fractures. Also good for muscle toning and reconditioning."
The historical hot springs resort motel complex included 27 stone soaking tubs, and 15 Southwest-style cabins.{{cite news |last1=Sakal |first1=Mike |title=Buckhorn Baths owner Alice Sliger dies at age 103 |url=https://www.ahwatukee.com/news/valley_and_state/article_31028408-75d8-581f-994d-d113aac691df.html |access-date=12 November 2022 |publisher=Awatukee Foothills News |date=10 November 2010}}
There have been efforts in 2021 to develop the former hot springs resort into multi-family housing units.{{cite news |last1=Scanlon |first1=Tom |title=Buckhorn Baths inching toward return |url=https://www.themesatribune.com/news/buckhorn-baths-inching-toward-return/article_d4f0917c-44b3-11ec-91c5-9338c7169670.html |access-date=11 November 2022 |publisher=The Mesa Tribune |date=16 November 2021}}
Water profile
File:2021 Buckhorn Baths Motel 04 water contents sign.jpg
The hot mineral water emerges from the source at temperatures between 112 °F and 128 °F.{{cite news |last1=Walsh |first1=Jim |title=Famed Buckhorn Baths may come back to life |url=https://www.eastvalleytribune.com/news/famed-buckhorn-baths-may-come-back-to-life/article_a84cc502-e115-11eb-9bd8-435b98cc1dee.html |access-date=11 November 2022 |publisher=East Valley Tribune |date=14 July 2021}}{{cite web |title=Buckhorn Baths |url=http://www.mesapreservation.org/buckhorn-baths.html |website=Mesa Preservation Foundation |access-date=11 November 2022}} When first tapped in the 1930s, the water temperature measured 112 °F, however in 1958, after drilling a new 100-foot deep well, the water temperature rose to 128 °F. After building a cooling tower, the water temperature was decreased to 120 °F.{{cite news |last1=Mark |first1=Jay |title=Mesa history: When the Buckhorn was in really hot water |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/mesa-history/2016/04/21/mesa-history-when-buckhorn-really-hot-water/83078756/ |access-date=12 November 2022 |publisher=Arizona Central |date=21 April 2016}} According to signage at the site, the mineral content of the water includes silica, calcium, sodium, nitrate, fluoride, sulphate, magnesium, bicarbonate, potassium, hydrogen, iron.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
Further reading
- Bischoff, Matt. Touring Arizona Hot Springs. Helena, Mont.: Falcon, 1999.
- Buckhorn Mineral Wells business file. Mesa Room, Mesa Public Library.
- Development of Hot Mineral Wells Promises Big Returns. Mesa Journal-Tribune, 21 February 1941.
- Golz, Earl. Hot springs resort in Mesa promises to rub you the right way. Mesa Tribune, 18 October 1988.
- Mark, Jay and Ronald L. Peters, Buckhorn Mineral Baths & Wildlife Museum, Arcadia Publishing, 2017. {{ISBN|9781467126960}}
- Sliger, Alice. Interview dated 10 September 2002. Mesa Room, Mesa Public Library.
Category:Bodies of water of Maricopa County, Arizona