Hot Wells (San Antonio, Texas)
Wooton, a chemist at the State University in Austin, the mineral waters aided in the relief of blood poisoning, kidney, liver and skin diseases and rheumatism.
[2] Scheuermeyer placed a full-page ad in San Antonio's 1892-93 city directory for his Natural Hot Sulphur Natatorium at the Southwestern Park.
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, falling out of hair, itch, nettlerash, and old chronic sores that have resisted treatment.
"[8] Hot Sulphur Wells' first ball was held on February 28, 1894; visitors swam as a string band played, dinner and dancing followed.
[9] With warmer weather crowds came to the Hot Sulphur Wells; electric streetcars ran every twenty minutes into the central city.
[10] The site was a veritable zoo: the notorious Judge Roy Bean freight shipped a mountain lion and a black bear from Langtry, Texas to the Wells, adding to Shacklett's other exotic animal acquisitions.
[19] There seems to have been a long tradition of Friday night dances at the Southwestern Insane Asylum where hotel guests frequently fraternized with and without patients present.
This extravagance also involved the installation of telegraph and telephone lines in a private car for Harriman so he could continue to conduct his railroad business from San Antonio.
Each tent had electric heaters and light, four rocking chairs, two oak dressers, two white-enameled iron beds and a small table as a desk.
[23] Harriman's health improved by bathing, hiking, shooting with a six-shooter mud turtles in the river, hosting luncheons, golfing, going to banquets and theatrical performances; nonetheless, the tycoon died in September 1909.
His wife joined Melies in San Antonio as did her cousin, actress Sarah Bernhardt, who came in a private railway car for a two-week visit.
Guests also came for the gambling—the Hot Wells Jockey club had a resident bookie and betting on ostrich races staged by Houston zookeeper F.W.
[28] Famous folks also flocked to the resort at its height--Charlie Chaplin, Porfirio Diaz, Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., Hoot Gibson, Mrs. J.P. Morgan, Tom Mix, Theodore Roosevelt, Will Rogers and Rudolph Valentino—all also allegedly stayed at the Hot Wells Hotel.
A section of the charred hotel remained visible and one swimming pool was still in use for recreation and recuperation purposes, but by the mid-1970s permanent trailer park residents were few and most of the tourist cabins were vacant.
Ford, Powell and Carson, Inc, was the architectural team hired for the restoration of the bathhouse and three pools and the construction of a hotel to be operated by an international leader in the health and beauty facilities.
Fox and Lynn Highly, acknowledges that much of the research material was provided by Jonathan Paul de Vierville's personal files on the Hot Wells property and that the field investigations were conducted by a crew of five University of Texas at San Antonio Anthropology Department students from April 2–13, 1984 under the direction of Dr. Thomas R. Hester, director of the Center for Archaeological Research at the University.
The arrival of the Toyota manufacturing plant, the Mitchell Lake Audubon Center, and commercial development around Brooks City Base (a former U.S. Air Force facility) evidence the impact of Southside San Antonio nature-based tourism and industrial growth in the greater vicinity of the Hot Wells site.
In 1999, San Antonio real estate investor, James G. Lifshutz, purchased the Hot Wells property and surrounding land to preserve the story of the ruins and deliver that history back to the public.
Between 1999 and 2012, Lifshutz engaged in a planning process for the property including an attempt to plug the deteriorated and non-compliant well at the request of the Edwards Aquifer Authority.
Lifshutz' donation to Bexar County of the 3.92 historical center of the property underwent a protracted deed transfer process to accommodate the remediation the sulphur well[31] in compliance with the Edwards Aquifer Authority requirement.
[35] Lifshutz’s vision for this adjacent acreage includes the development of the Hot Wells Interpretive Center, sulfur water soaking baths, a food truck park and beer garden, with campsites and cabins.
[32] In 2013, the Hot Wells Conservancy was established[33] by Lifshutz with Cindy Taylor, a former president of the South San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, as its charter executive director.
First a multi-course dinner using foods grown on site, the Feast now aims to contribute to San Antonio's cosmopolitan culinary heritage.
