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| From the pastures, we had a
great view of the town of Thermopolis and the Big Horn River, which flows
through town. |
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| Unlike most other state parks in
Wyoming, entrance to Hot Springs State Park is free and the park is
beautiful! There are walking trails leading to the various springs
including Big Spring pictured above. The water temperature is
usually 127 degrees in Big Spring. Originally, the hot springs were
included in the Shoshone Indian Reservation Treaty of 1868. In the
following years, the hot springs gained the reputation as having
"health-giving properties" and, eventually, the US Congress
requested to set aside this area for a "national park or
reservation". A treaty was negotiated whereby 10 square miles
of the Shoshone reservation was ceded to the US Government for the sum of
$60,000. The Shoshone Indians called the springs "Bah Guewana"
meaning "Smoking Waters". |
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| Most of the water in the hot
springs is thought to come underground from the Owl Creek Mountains.
Falling rain enters porous rock layers, moves slowly downward and is
forced to the surface through crevices in the rock. The heat and
chemicals in the water are derived from the rock through which it passes
and from gases that rise from deeply buried volcanic rocks. |
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| As the hot springs flow from
their pools, they form "terraces" as the lime and gysum separate
from the cooling water. |
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| The colors are due, mainly, to
primitive plants (algae that grow in warm water). The terraces
continue to change as the cooling water flows over them. |
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| There is a swinging bridge that
spans the Big Horn River and overlooks the Terraces. Harley will
have NO part of swinging bridges so he always get a free ride with Dad. |
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| The White Sulphur Spring is
stinky and interesting as it deposits a white substance on the rocks over
which it flows. However, early settlers in the area actually bottled
and sold water from the springs as a treatment for a variety of ailments. |
