Walley’s Hot Springs
Douglas County, Douglas County, Nevada
Marker Inscription
Walley’s Hot Springs. Like many Nevada hot springs, the ones located as Walley’s Hot Springs dot a fault break along which the mountains rise.In 1862, along this Carson branch of the emigrant trail, David and Harriet Walley developed a $100,000 spa eleven beds, a ballroom, and gardens. The thermal water (l36 to 160 degrees F) became well known as a cure for “rheumatism and scrofulous afflictions.”Walley’s Hot Springs sold for a mere $5,000 in 1896, but operated until 1935 when it burned down. Its formal cool cellar was integrated into the complex during a 1970s renovation.In 1962, trial hydrothermal power holes were drilled here as deep as 1,250 feet and found thermal water with a maximum temperature of 181 degrees.
Erected by Carson Valley Historical Society
The Story
In 1862, along the Carson branch of the emigrant trail, David and Harriet Walley developed the hot springs bubbling up along this fault line into a $100,000 spa complete with beds, a ballroom, and gardens. The mineral waters—ranging from 136 to 160 degrees—were promoted as a cure for rheumatism and other ailments, drawing visitors until the resort burned in 1935. A century later the same thermal source drew engineers testing for geothermal power.
Why it matters
Walley's captures the West's early fascination with mineral "cure" resorts, and the site's later geothermal drilling links a Victorian health spa to Nevada's modern renewable-energy story.
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Related people
- · David Walley
- · Harriet Walley
Themes & tags
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