1. HISTORY OF THE
HEALING WATERS
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico

2. Early Hot Springs Bathers
Approx.
1930

3. Early Bath Houses

4. Not Always Peaceful – a report made to
the Department of New Mexico in Santa Fe in
1863.
This
document
provides a
historical
glimpse into
the conflict
that did
occur on
occasion.
The springs
were
supposed to
possess
medicinal
qualities the
helped the
military with
rheumatism.

5. Daisy Hearn – First hand account1
 In 1886, Daisy traveled
from the Black Range
camps in the Gila
Wilderness to take baths at
the Palomas Hot Springs.
 Daisy described the
springs as “…a frame
building over the spring,
with steps down into the
water, which was bubbling
up thru the gravel.”
 The mineral water was
used for washing and
drinking, but was not
suitable for coffee because
of the minerals. Fresh
water was dipped from the
river and left overnight to
allow the mud to settle.
 The mineral mud was used
for medicinal purposes
especially when baths
were not effective.
 In one account mud was
used for palsy and in
another account on
affected areas of the body.

6. Mabel Darr – First hand account2 (beginning in
1913)
 Mineral water was
used for weekly
washing where
Government Springs
is now.
 Bath houses made
by digging a basin,
walling it with
timbers, and leaving
a sandy bottom that
the water bubbled
up through.

7. Otto Goetz –
from Palomas Springs to Hot Springs

8. Moving Buildings to the
Hot Springs Resort

9. Analysis of Hot Springs Mineral
Content
1913
Sodium chloride 1771.6
Sodium sulphate, sulphide, etc.
Potassium chloride 131.4
Potassium sulphate
Potassium nitrate 0.8
Calcium carbonate or bicarbonate 278.6
Calcium chloride 143.9
Calcium sulphate 113
Magnesium carbonate or bicarbonate
Magnesium sulphate or chloride 63.1
Silica 43
Alumina 3.2
Iron oxide
Hydrogen sulfide
Iron carbonate or bicarbonate 0.6
Total Solids 2549.2
El Paso County Medical Society

10. 1987
Chloride 1360 Rubidium 0.7 Iron 0.02
Sodium 751 Boron 0.25 Manganese 0.01
Bicarbonate 220 Barium 0.2 Zinc 0.01
Calcium 163 Nitrate 0.2 Gold 0.005
Sulfate 75.1 Phosphate 0.2 Chromium 0.002
Potassium 56 Cesium 0.12 Copper 0.002
Silicate 45 Uranium 0.1 Molybdenum 0.002
Silicon 21 Aluminum 0.05 Nickel 0.002
Magnesium 15.3 Arsenic 0.05 Lead 0.002
Strontium 3.82 Ammonium 0.05 Silver 0.001
Fluoride 3.06 Antimony 0.05 Cadmium 0.001
Bromine 2.6 Selenium 0.05 Cobalt 0.001
Lithium 1.3 Mercury 0.05
Listed starting with highest concentration, in parts per million.
Los Alamos National Laboratory

11. 1998
Calcium 158
Magnesium 22
Sodium 716
Potassium 47
Bicarbonate 219
Sulphate 91
Chlorine 1286
Florine 0.3
Nitrate 0.5
Silica 43
Total Solids 2541
In parts per million
Truth or Consequences Herald, May 1, 1998

13. Map of
current bath
houses in
the Historical
Bath District.

14. Additional Information
 Sherry Fletcher
 sherrylanefletcher@gmail.com
 Kathy Clark
 charlesspa@zianet.com
 Truth or Consequences Geothermal Resource
Assessment (completion date October 2013)
 Aquifer Mapping Program at New Mexico Tech
 http://geoinfo.nmt.edu/resources/water/projects/Tr
uth_or%20Consequences.html

15.  1Atkins, Daisy. (1958). Way Back Yonder; Old
West Reminesence of a Lady on Horseback.
El Paso, TX: Guynes Printing Company.
 2Early Remembrances of Mabel Darr. A written
history of Mabel Darr provided by Annette
Smith to Sherry Fletcher (2008).