Page 1 Keough Hot Springs, Once Upon A Time

"To the refrain of 'Splash Me ' and the rhythm of the fox trot over 1000 persons swam and danced the splendid new Keough swimming pool into instant popularity Wednesday night. " With this line the August 7.1919 Inyo Register noted the grand opening of what was to be an important Owens Valley social institution for decades to come. During its heyday in the 1920s and 1930s, Keough's Hot Springs was a complete health and leisure resort. The natural hot water-fed pools and therapeutic baths were the main attraction, but visitors to Keough's could also fish, dine, dance, and camp out or stay in a cabin. And the well-kept grounds were the scene of every kind of formal and informal get-together. No one in the Owens Valley would think of celebrating an installation, Independence Day or Easter, the end of school, the beginning of spring or the middle of harvest without a picnic at the Hot Springs with its attendant games and speeches, swimming and dancing. Keough's was a place that now inspires real nostalgia for the good old days. Of course, Keough's was built because of the water. In the late 1800s, as people of European descent moved into California, they discovered the widespread abundance of hot mineral springs. During this period many health resorts in the European tradition were built around these springs. The natural hot water flow at Keough's is perfectly suited for a resort; by all standards it is superlative. The temperature at the source, a cluster of three springs west of the bathhouse, has been a constant 127°F since it was first measured in 1859. The amount of flow remains an impressive 600 gallons a minute (only six percent of this goes into the pool; the rest is diverted directly into the well-known Hot Ditch). And although the water contains many minerals it has none of the objectionable taste or odor often associated with geothermal water. Native Americans were the first to take the waters at Keough's, which they call u'tu'utu paya. Local tribal members say they've always used the springs for bathing and healing. Helen McGee, a Pauite elder, says, "Indian people really believe the water is sacred. You pray to it before you use it; you tell those spring