Mineral Hot Springs is a thermal spring located in Saguache County, Colorado in the northern

San Luis Valley The San Luis Valley is a region in south-central Colorado with a small portion overlapping into New Mexico. The valley is approximately long and wide, making it the largest alpine valley in the world. It extends from the Continental Divide on ...

History

Before the 1860s, the springs were used by the local Capote (Kapota) and Mohuache (Muache) bands of

Ute Ute or UTE may refer to: * Ute people, a Native American people of the Great Basin * Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, Utah * Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah * Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the Southern ...

indigenous people who lived in the valley and valued the hot water and mud for the healing of wounds.

Water profile

The springs emerge from low formations deposited by the mineral water at 140°F (60°C). If not tapped, and

hydrostatic pressure Hydrostatics is the branch of fluid mechanics that studies fluids at hydrostatic equilibrium and "the pressure in a fluid or exerted by a fluid on an immersed body". The word "hydrostatics" is sometimes used to refer specifically to water and o ...

is sufficient.

Location

Mineral Hot Springs is located on Highway 17 about a mile south of its junction with U.S. 285 about 6 miles south of Villa Grove, Colorado. Mineral Hot Springs had a post office from 1911 to 1946. Mineral Hot Springs is a platted subdivision but many lots are now privately owned.Records on file with the Saguache County Clerk and Recorder In the post-colonial years, there have been some facilities built at Mineral Hot Springs. In its recent history a covered

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...

, a

motel A motel, also known as a motor hotel, motor inn or motor lodge, is a hotel designed for motorists, usually having each room entered directly from the Parking lot, parking area for motor vehicles rather than through a central Lobby (room), lo ...

, a

cafe A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargil ...

, a

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

, a spa and a

gas station A filling station (also known as a gas station [] or petrol station []) is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold are gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Fuel dispensers are used to ...

have been built nearby.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Google map showing mounds and vegetation patterns at the natural springs
Bodies of water of Saguache County, Colorado Hot springs of Colorado