 | |||
| Photo: Jared Tarbell/Wiki Commons/CC License |
I miss Truth or Consequences. My residence was short-lived. Four months and handful of days were all I managed before packing up for home. Home is Albuquerque, were I sit working now at the UNM Fine Arts Library. The library sits on top of the Architecture building at the corner of Central and Cornell. It is a gorgeous and airy place. Much fancier than the kids reading room at the T or C public library. There are no bean bags however, and no craft hours. The sense of belonging is different. It is a solitary pursuit despite the quick ability to meet people here or to see an occasional familiar face. It is like the city verses the town. The scope is grander. There is more at hand to do and see. But there is an anonymity despite the regular familiarity of people and places. There is more to have but more is required to have it. My place is here and here I am. The journey from all of my there(s) to this here (this there here?) is my history. Place is no backdrop to this tale, it is a lead character.
If my central question is how we narrate places, and what this may mean, my secondary consideration is how we narrate ourselves into the landscape. What do we need in a place? Basics of food, shelter, and belonging. And other things. Those other things, the elements (if this was physical science the elements would be elemental, here they are descriptive, narrative, qualitative, but just as real) are what I am looking to figure out, partially and momentarily, in this place ethnography.
My next dissertation section in the first chapter is the town's history. I have been re-writing my opening pages. The first draft of everything I write is posted here first. I would never allow my students to engage this practice. There is too much clutter in first drafts. There is to much meandering and entirely too much crap. After four or five or ten revisions, writing is passably good if you are a passing to good writer. I am passing, would like to be good, do not write enough to be great. That's my story anyway. Here are some stories of the town I have been reading online this morning to remind myself of the narratives many are reading from their places. I will post the town history I have cobbled together separately.
Once known as Hot Springs, Truth or Consequences New Mexico is a small resort town with a year-round population of slightly more than 6,000.
A walk through downtown T or C can be like stepping into a living time capsule; one can stroll among businesses on WPA-era sidewalks, take a soak in T or C’s ancient hot springs, or dine at a steak house straight out of the 1980s (the town offers a range of interesting dining options).
You’ll find all sorts of lodging
here, from larger, name-brand motels “uptown” (near I-25 exit 79 and
Walmart) to charmingly-restored commercial Spa/Hotels in the Historic Hot Springs and Downtown District, to the many motor courts along Date Street.
Situated off I-25 between Albuquerque and Las Cruces, this little town got its big name
in 1950 as part of a publicity scheme to celebrate the 10th anniversary
of Ralph Edwards’ hugely successful game show on NBC radio. (more info on the name change)
Once Hot Springs became Truth or Consequences, Edwards traveled to town
annually, celebrity friends in tow, for nearly 50 years, and oooh was
there a party! They called it “Fiesta,” and though Edwards has been gone
for some time now, Fiesta continues to this day.
Activities include the Miss Fiesta pageant, a parade, rodeos
(motorcyle and traditional), a golf tournament, and – in Ralph Edwards
Park – music, performance, and contests including a junk boat race and
rubber duck race on the Rio Grande. (Complete info is on the Fiesta website.)
Las Palomas Plaza (pictured at left), completed by the artist Shel Neymark circa 2003, is an inviting feature of downtown T or C. Located next door to the artifact-studded Geronimo Springs Museum
and across the street from the Post Office, the fountain provides a
place for visitors to sit and relax while soaking their feet in the
town’s famous hot mineral waters. Currently, the water cycles at 15 minutes on / 15 minutes off – these waters are worth waiting for if you can spare the time!
MainStreet Truth or Consequences,
a community-based group dedicated to the revitalization and
beautification of the downtown, partners with the Sierra County Tourism
Board in the promotion of downtown Truth or Consequences, its Historic
Hot Springs District and water sports on the Rio Grande.
MainStreet is also the group behind the monthly Second Saturday Art Hop, a night when many downtown businesses open their doors from 6-9pm.
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES HOT SPRINGS HISTORIC DISTRICT
There are TEN commercial bathhouses offering hot springs in the cool town’s easily walkable historic hot springs & commercial district.
The bathhouses were the town’s biggest draw in the Hot Springs era, back when T or C was advertised as the City of Health.
Today, the springs are experiencing a resurgence in popularity. Most
of T or C’s spas have been charmingly restored and are open to walk-ins
who can pay to soak by the hour. Several also offer lodging.
Want to read about goings-on in T or C? Check out the Truth or Consequences category in our blog.
Hot Springs in Truth or Consequences
Since before recorded history, the therapeutic benefits of the hot springs in this area have drawn people here.
The
hot thermal water flows out of a rift along the Rio Grande that
appeared more than 50 million years ago. The rift uplifted T or C’s
landmark hill, and faults along the rift allow deep groundwater to flow
freely to the surface without losing heat or minerals — producing
pristine waters with temperatures ranging from 98 to 115 degrees, with
trace elements of 38 different minerals. The pH of the water is 7, or
neutral.
With almost 2,700 parts per million of assorted minerals, these
thermal springs constitute some of the most heavily mineralized water in
the United States. The continually flowing waters also have two
important and unique features:
— The water has no unpleasant odor.
— The single largest ingredient in the water is chloride, a naturally occurring germ killer that sterilizes the skin and ensures the purity of the water.
— The single largest ingredient in the water is chloride, a naturally occurring germ killer that sterilizes the skin and ensures the purity of the water.
Located in the downtown Hot Springs Bathhouse Historic and Commercial
District, the spas and bathhouses of Truth or Consequences are central
to its history. The region gained recognition as a health center at the
turn of the century, and in the 1920s, ‘30s, and ‘40s motorists flocked
to area resorts. Some were prescribed the “21 day soak” regimen,
said to cure “anything that ails you.” In a nutshell, the regimen is –
soak in our hot springs once daily for 21 days, at around the same time
each day, and spend as much time resting & recovering immediately
afterward as you taking the waters.
Today, the charmingly restored hotels, motels, RV parks, and spas
reflect this history and offer travelers a wide range of accommodations
that retain the flavor of this bygone era, along with healing treatments
including massage, reflexology, mud wraps, reiki, and more.
Visitors seeking in-room private baths will find several to choose
from, and most of the baths are open to walk-ins who can pay to soak by
the half hour or hour.
“Book Online” buttons and $$ ratings below refer to spas with lodging rooms.
$ = 40-59 per night | $$ = 60-89 per night | $$$ = 90 and up per night
$ = 40-59 per night | $$ = 60-89 per night | $$$ = 90 and up per night
Walk-ins are welcome during business hours - 9am-12pm and 1-8pm daily except Wednesday.
Open
to Walk-ins from 9am-9pm daily. Call ahead or stop in with a credit
card to reserve either the Wet Room (which includes a large hot spring
pool and a steam room) or one of the 2 Historic Baths. more info
Each of Blackstone’s 7
rooms is inspired by a different television show (ie Twilight Zone,
Golden Girls, Roy Rogers) and includes unlimited use of in-room hot
springs…. Read more »
Baths at The Charles are open to Walk-ins from 8am-10pm. Punch cards are available; buy in bulk and save $1 per soak. more info
1940s traditional spa
services include on-site hot springs mineral baths (one soak per person
per night). Most rooms have kitchens. … Read more »
Walk-ins are not available; Fire Water baths are reserved for lodging guests.
Lodging guests have
access to private baths, either inside or outside, depending on the
room. Rooms are situated around a comfortable central courtyard…. Read more »
Hay-Yo-Kay is open to walk-ins Monday & Saturday, 10am-8pm; Wednesday, Thursday & Friday 10am-9pm; and Sunday 10am-5pm.
There is no lodging available at Hay-Yo-Kay Springs, only hot springs / mineral water baths available to walk-ins. … Read more »
Walk-ins are welcome at Indian Springs on a first-come/first-served basis. Stop by!
Two private,
natural-flowing hot spring pools are situated next to six 1940s-style
efficiency apartments. Rooms are available on a daily, weekly or monthly
basis. Lodgers get two free half-hour baths per day. SPA HOURS 8am –
9pm daily $4 per person for for a half hour bath Baths are
gravel-bottom, mostly natural flow, but a pump in the small bath
maintains… Read more »
Walk-ins are welcome at La Paloma Hot Springs and Spa from 10am-10pm daily. more info
La Paloma, formerly
Marshall Miracle Pools, is a natural free flowing bathhouse with no
pumps or pipes. Originally the first car park in T or C, it is now a
quiet and peaceful space to escape the stress and demands of life. Stop
in, take a breath, have a soak and find yourself…. Read more »
Sorry, Walk-ins are not allowed; baths at Pelican Spa are for lodging guests. Pelican hot spring bath photos
Affordable overnight
lodging in several downtown locations with unlimited hot spring soaks
available to lodging guests on a first-come / first-served basis…. Read more »
Walk-ins
are welcome during business hours, 8am-10pm, with the last soak at 9pm.
Sessions last 50 minutes in the private pools, 1 hour in the public
baths. Call ahead or pre-book soaks online!
Riverbend offers
lodging, public and private pools on the banks of the Rio Grande, a
sauna, and unmatched views of the river and Turtleback mountain…. Read more »
Walk-ins are welcome, but it's suggested that you call ahead to book a spa treatment or bath. more info
Listed on the National
Register of Historic Places, Sierra Grande offers full spa services, hot
spring baths, a 2-bedroom casita and meeting rooms…. Read more »
Spa Services, Massage, Reflexology
If you’re looking for an opportunity to be pampered to the nines,
there are two full-service spas in Truth or Consequences/Elephant Butte,
and massage and other treatments can be arranged on-site at several
hotels in the county. Please see our Spa page for more information.
History of the Hot Springs as a Destination
Riverbend back in the day
Downtown Truth or Consequences sits atop a large natural aquifer that
produces somewhat salty, odorless water ranging in temperature from
100-115 degrees Fahrenheit. Were the city (and nearby Elephant Butte
Dam) not here, the downtown area would be a swampy basin of warm mud,
subject to seasonal flooding from the Rio Grande.
The Chiricahua (Warm Springs) Apaches named these springs “Place to
Pray” and considered them a sacred place for healing. (Many locals
repeat the “Geronimo Soaked Here” tale, but it is thought by local historians to wishful thinking, not fact.)
During the late 1800s, while neighboring areas like Kingston and Chloride
were experiencing the Gold and Silver Rush, the hot springs were
visited by more and more people and the area became known as “Palomas
Hot Springs.” The first generation of bath houses were actually tents,
and a soak entailed laying in the hot mud and slathering it all over
oneself; doing so was thought to cure rheumatism.
The event that changed the area forever was the construction of
Elephant Butte Dam between 1911 and 1916. Liquor and gambling were
outlawed at the construction site, but establishments in the hot springs
settlement five miles away offered both – and in abundance. The
population grew rapidly and the town was incorporated in 1916.
Once the dam was completed, the flow of the river was altered such
that more land could be claimed from the flood plain, allowing for stick
frame bathhouses to be built in what had been swamp. Wells were sunk
into the aquifer, allowing clear spring water to flow. The town
developed as a health resort; hot mineral water was an accepted medical
treatment, and slogans like “City of Health” and “Health Capital of the
Southwest” drew visitors and healers alike.
Over the course of the 20th century, the town’s name was changed
first to Hot Springs, then famously to Truth or Consequences. Some say
that last change caused the mineral baths to be forgotten, but today the
hot springs seem to be experiencing a resurgence in popularity.
Truth or Consequences Mineral Water Analysis
courtesy of the Charles Motel & Spa
No comments:
Post a Comment