Chinese immigrants were employed to build the transcontinental railroad.
The hot spring that they loved is still a place of relaxation for locals.
Historic hot spring renovated
The first transcontinental railroad in the United States was completed in 1869 when the Union Pacific and Southern Pacific railroads connected at Promontory Summit in Utah Territory.
It was that the cheap labor of Chinese immigrants that played a decisive role in achieving the difficult construction.
Just over a half hour drive from the Promontory Summit is Crystal Hot Springs.
After the Native Americans left, the Chinese brought cedar tubs to the area to relieve the stress accumulated from their hard labor.
In 1901, the predecessor of the current facility opened under the name of Madsen Hot Springs.
Crystal Hot Springs now offers an RV park and a day use.
The facility was extensively renovated in 2018.
The fee was $18.00 for adults (as of this writing).
In the hallway, there was a panel display of famous hot spring resorts around the world.
Clothing is required in the swimming area.
A monotone changing room.
Characteristic brown water
All the pools are outdoors; and the large area is dotted with picnic tables.
The hot spring water cascaded down from the top of the structure that resembled a cave.
This seemed an ingenious idea that was typical of the current owner, who used to work at Disneyland.
At Crystal Hot Spring, a cold mineral spring of 70 degrees F springs just 50 feet next to the 135 degrees F spring, which are known for the abundance.
This combination makes it possible to mix the two different waters and adjust the temperature at will.
This advantage seemed to have a positive effect on the use of water.
The larger pools were minimally chlorinated, but I couldn't detect any unpleasant smell in the three small hot tubs.
Even in the hottest tub, the water temp was about 106 degrees F.
I was pleasantly surprised by the salty taste and metallic smell of the spring.
I liked the arrangement that the kids' pool and water slides were separated from soakers' pools.
Even the Olympic pool was filled with mineral spring water.
The reason why so many pools were filled with natural hot spring water and kept in reasonably good condition was probably because of the two springs that were blessed with a large amount of water.
With such miraculous hot springs, the construction of the transcontinental railroad must have progressed very efficiently in the past.
Summary
Crystal Hot Springs, Honeyville, Utah, U.S.
My rating
Type: Walk-in, Lodging (RV park)
Rule: Clothing required
Chemical use: Detected
Water temp: Up to 133 degrees F
