Boulder Hot Springs

Boulder Hot Springs was the only public place to which I recall my parents ever taking my entire family when I was a young boy.  At the time, the establishment was called the Diamond S Ranchotel.  We went there for the occasional Saturday smorgasbord.  Back then, the establishment employed several people with physical and learning disabilities from the nearby facility most kids simply called the Institution.  In later years the Institution became the Montana Developmental Center.  Just a few weeks ago, our present governor signed a bill that will lead to the Development Center’s closing.  Those people with physical disabilities left an indelible impression on me.  I still recall a physically crumpled man struggling to hand bottles of pop with his wrists because his hands were twisted and immobile.

  

On our way back home from the Gallatin Valley the other day, that girl and I stopped in to check out Boulder Hot Springs.  A few plaques are affixed to the buildings to inform visitors of the history of the place.  That girl was impressed with the old buildings.  Upon returning home, I visited www.boulderhotsprings.com to read more about the times gone by.

Boulder Hot Springs is located in narrow valley among the Elkhorn Mountains.  Long ago, according to the website, the “First People” named the place Peace Valley.  They considered the valley a place of healing, gathering, and celebration.  A prospector named James E. Riley constructed the first buildings at the hot springs in 1863.  The buildings housed a saloon and a bathhouse.  In 1881, just prior to his death from smallpox, Riley expanded the facilities and started construction of a hotel.  Over the next few years, the property went through several more owners and several expansions and developments of the hot spring pools.

In 1909 the property was purchased by Butte banker and miner James A. Murray.  Murray, a millionaire, conducted lavish renovations.  He refashioned the exterior of the hotel in the California Mission Arts and Crafts’ style and redecorated much of the interior.  In the time since, more owners have come and gone.  The hotel has been visited by three U.S. presidents: Teddy Roosevelt, Warren Harding, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

At present, Boulder Hot Springs is undergoing yet another, more gradually staged renovation.  I have posted a couple of photographs I captured with my twice-as-smarter-than-me-phone.  A web search of “The Diamond S. Ranchotel” will provide you with more photographs and stories of the old place.

       --Mitchell Hegman

For a Visit:  http://www.boulderhotsprings.com