Symes Hot Springs Hotel & Mineral Baths - Hot Springs in Montana

The heart of Hot Springs, Montana.

This elegant hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Historic buildings

Hot Springs, a town on the Flathead Indian Reservation, Montana.

The area was designated as an Indian Reservation under the 1855 Hellgate Treaty between the United States and the Native Americans, but 80 acres, including geothermal springs used by the Salish, were excluded as "government reservation land."

Symes Hot Springs Hotel and Mineral Baths

In 1862, the Homestead Act, signed by President Lincoln, opened the area around the springs to white settlers.

In 1929, Fred Symes purchased one of the properties on which the hot springs were located for the purpose of building a resort hotel.

In 1930, an elegant Mission-style building was completed.

The hotel continued to flourish even as the Great Depression hit, and a second floor was added.

In 1949, the Camas Hot Springs, operated by Native American tribes, was built near the present-day Big Medicine Hot Springs, and the town flourished.

The popularity of soaking in hot springs then waned dramatically across the United States, and Camas closed, but Symes managed to hold on and was sold to its current owner in 1996.

Today, the hotel is the center of a town development called the Hot Springs Artists Society, which invites musical groups to perform weekly.

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

It has more than 30 guest rooms and a restaurant, and walk-ins are also available.

There are also private bathrooms with antique-style cast-iron tubs.

Capybara

This rope is the coolest thing ever.

That much?

Alpaca

Pool hotter than expected

The hot spring pools were located outdoors, enclosed by a fence.

The largest swimming pool was in a lower location.

The two hot pools were adjacent to each other and set at different elevations.

Thermal water poured into the octagonal pool seemed to have fallen and flowed down into the lowest pool.

The water pouring gently from the bottom was measured at 129 degrees F.

At first glance, it looks like an ordinary pool, but it is hot enough to make even hot spring enthusiasts swoon.

The water was full of the minerality characteristic of Hot Springs.

The smell of sulfur, with its perceptible burnt smell, was also enjoyed here.

Summary

Official website