[5] Later, Californio settlers from Spain and Mexico used the hot springs to wash laundry; temporary women's camps would be established for several days at a time for this work.

Legend has it that Curtiss met a "Canalino (Chumash) Native named El Viego – referred to as the "ancient one" and reputed to be more than 100 years old – led him up the canyon to the hot springs".

[7] An account from the Santa Barbara History Museum states that six months later, after bathing in the hot springs and drinking its water Curtiss was "rejuvenated" and purchased the property,[5] whereas the Santa Barbara Independent newspaper states that his "health began to improve remarkable, enough so that six years later, still alive and doing well, Wilbur Curtiss filed a homestead claim for this part of Hot Springs Canyon.

[6] After acquiring the property, Curtiss first built a rustic camp and "permanent tents"[7] then series of "redwood shanties" as a resort, but these were burned in an 1871 fire.

[5] In a report from 1873 in the Santa Barbara Morning Press, it was written that "a magnificent hotel costing $100,000" would be constructed at hot springs to serve the many tourists attracted to the area.

A writer claimed that “Many a rheumatic and neuralgic cripple has left his crutches here as a momento to the healing touches of the waters, and gone down from the rocky mountain glen out into the gay world, shouting praises to the boiling fountain which has invested him with new life.”[7] Curtiss rebuilt a three-story hotel after the fire that included a dining room, however it was not a lucrative business, and in 1877 the property was repossessed and sold by the county sheriff.

"[7] In the late-19th century well-to-do tourists from the eastern and midwestern United States began to purchase property in the area to enjoy the climate and several nearby hot springs.

[8][9] The original homestead fell into the hands of several "wealthy Montecito newcomers" who developed it into a private club that only accepted members who held "seven digits" in their bank accounts.