Hot Springs State Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Hot Springs State Park | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
  Hot Springs State Park Location in Wyoming | |
| Location | Thermopolis, Wyoming, United States |
| Coordinates | 43°39′12″N 108°11′42″W / 43.65333°N 108.19500°W[1] |
| Area | 1,108.67 acres (448.66 ha)[2] |
| Elevation | 4,354 ft (1,327 m)[1] |
| Established | 1897 |
| Administered by | Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites & Trails |
| Designation | Wyoming state park |
| Website | Official website  |
Hot Springs State Park is a public recreation area in Thermopolis, Wyoming, known for its hot springs, which flow at a constant temperature of 135 °F (57.2 °C). The state park offers free bathing at the State Bath House, where temperatures are moderated to a therapeutic 104 °F (40.0 °C).[3] The petroglyph site at Legend Rock, some 25 miles (40 km) away, is also part of the park.[4] The park is managed by the Wyoming Division of State Parks and Historic Sites.
The land on which the state park sits was a cession agreement, and the ceded portion was purchased from the Eastern Shoshone by the federal government in 1896, when Indian Inspector James McLaughlin negotiated a purchase price of $60,000 for a 100-square-mile portion (260 km2) of the Shoshone reservation. A 1-square-mile section (2.6 km2) of that land was released to the state in 1897 which became Wyoming's first state park, known as Big Horn Hot Springs State Reserve.[5][6]
A small herd of bison was established in 1916.[7]
Features
Designated as the State Bison Herd, the number of bison is maintained at 15 due to the carrying capacity of the pasture.[8] The park features a suspension foot bridge across the Big Horn River, picnic shelters, boat docks, flower gardens, and terraces made of naturally forming travertine (calcium carbonate) caused by a flowing mineral hot spring.[3] The park area encompasses commercial hotels and several state-run and privately operated entities including the Gottsche Rehabilitation Center, Hot Springs County Memorial Hospital, the historic Callaghan Apartments/Plaza Hotel, the Star Plunge waterpark, the Tepee Pools waterpark, and the Wyoming Pioneer Home, a state-run, assisted-living facility.
