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​The History Of The First Arrivals To The Hot Springs

The lands surrounding Mount Princeton Hot Springs were popular even before the start of recorded time.

The Ute Indians, who lived in this area for generations, had legends discussing a winter camping area where snows never fell and where fresh water was easy to reach. Cold water to drink and hot water to bathe made the area a favorite for these first inhabitants.

The first white men in the area had a similar attraction to the hot mineral waters.

The exact date for the arrival of the newcomers is uncertain, with some historians claiming a Mexican freighter named Romer found the hot springs in the early 1870s while transporting goods from Twin Lakes to Antonito.

Others claim prospectors stumbled across the warm waters only to be pushed out by later arrivals.

One historian places Dr. J.C. Stewart as the first white arrival to the hot springs when he built a cabin near the lower hot springs after entering the area from Leadville.

Whether or not Dr. Stewart was the first white man to utilize the hot springs, he seems certain to have been the first to commercialize the waters. His two-story log cabin overlooked the springs and became a combination way station, hotel, and freight depot. In time, the stagecoach stop was renamed Heywood Hot Springs House and became the main staging area for travelers crossing Tin Cup Pass.