The history and reputation of these springs show that in curative properties and natural advantages they are unsurpassed by any in the State, and analysis by Prof. Doremus and other eastern chemists confirm popular belief.

"[11] A later feature on the springs stated, "...a company was formed about fifteen years ago to start a sanitarium...A small hotel was built, but was destroyed by fire soon afterward.

Then came the collapse of the great Southern California real estate boom and the financial embarrassment of the principal stockholders in the sanitarium project".

[12] Col. John T. Ritchey, originally of Louisville, Kentucky, and later of Redlands, California, bought the 90 acres (36 ha) surrounding the springs, and a larger adjoining ranch, in about 1899.

Gypsum and efflorescent alum salts form on its walls and indicate that the tunnel water may be mineralized to a notable extent by acid constituents.

There was formerly a sour spring in the ravine above the main group, but at the time the place was visited it either had been covered by a landslide or overgrown by vegetation.

[4] When Ritchey died in 1910, his obituary mentioned the Soboba Lithia Springs property, stating that "the rough, barren hillsides have been graded, terraced and set to oranges, grape fruit and other citrus fruits and the hot mineral springs furnish water for domestic purposes as well as for irrigation".

[20][21][22] According to one travel guide, "Even the hinges on the doors bear the stamp of the American Indian motif, and this is carried out in the furniture, draperies, rugs, lighting, fixtures, and all interior design.

[24] It is a place where the music of tumbling streams always is in your ears, where wild grapevines form canopies over the trails, where every cabin has distinction and beauty and most of them are built of hollow tile so that they are always cool.

We are looking out over a broad expanse which Nat Goodwin, who used to love these springs, bought and intended to make the site of a beautiful residence.

Every time he spent a week or two here he went away feeling ready for another marriage.Other celebrity visitors of the 1930s and 1940s reportedly included W. C. Fields and "young Charlton Heston".

"[27] The Riverside Community Book of 1954 said, "Guests are accommodated in picturesque lodges with tile roofs and interior decorations of pottery...It is possible to enjoy all of the historic past in single rooms or cottages supplied with running water, steam heat, electric lights, and a cuisine to satisfy the most particular appetite".

[29] The North Mountain fire of June 26, 1979, believed to have been ignited by an arsonist, destroyed seven buildings and essentially razed what remained of the resort.

Six springs furnish water that ranges in temperature from 70 °F (21 °C) to 111 °F (44 °C), and is used for domestic supply and to irrigate a small orchard and garden.

The Soboba springs issue in a steep, narrow ravine whose precipitous walls consist largely of crushed gneiss.