Retired Drifters: Mineral Wells, Texas

Glen Rose, Texas

Weather: low 36 degrees, high 45 degrees, cloudy, misty, windy

Today we stayed inside keeping warm. As you can see from the weather, it was chilly here. We still managed to do a couple of little chores, including repairing a drawer slide for the chest in the bedroom.

In addition, we have had a minor leak with the pressure relief valve on the water heater. It has not been bad enough to stop us from using the water heater, but it has been in the back of my mind that I needed to repair it. Removing the old valve was easy, and you'd think putting a new one in would be easy. Well, it would if the new valve would fit. I found that the new valve, even though it appears to have the same dimensions as the old one, could not be installed. It appears the new valve is slightly bigger or else there is something wrong with the threads. When I found that the new one would not work, I took it back to the store and got another one. Same story. And this is not my imagination. Carolyn tried to get the new one started, and had no success. Denise, our friend who lives next to us and has over 30 years experience in appliance repair, could not get it started. So, I installed the old valve back in the water heater. Denise suggested I spray the inside workings of the valve with WD-40 to see if that will allow the valve to close properly. I'll check it tomorrow to see how well it is working.

Tonight we were invited over to Jerry and Joyce Brown's (owners of the park) house for chili. The meal was appropriate for the weather. The food was good, as was the company.

Yesterday, we were in Mineral Wells as part of our road trip. Today, I'll pass on what we observed and some of the history of the area.

In 1877, James Lynch, his family and 50 head of livestock left Denison, Texas, and headed west for a drier climate and relief from malaria. When the family got news of Comanche attacks further west, they decided to settle down where they were, in a valley among the hills of Palo Pinto County.

Although the location the Lynch family decided to settle in was beautiful, it was four miles from the only water source, the Brazos River. By the summer of 1880, a well driller agreed to drill a well in exchange for some of the family’s oxen. At first, the water’s funny taste worried the family, so they watered their livestock with it for a time to test its safety. Soon after the family began to drink from the well, they found they were feeling better.

News of the “healing” water spread quickly. Neighbors began trying the water, and within a month strangers were showing up on the Lynch property, asking about the water. Almost immediately people were coming by the thousands to try the water. Lynch’s well produced 100 gallons per day, so he was forced to have guests sign a declaration affirming that they were sick and in need of the water. With the popularity of the water spreading, the town of Mineral Wells was laid out in the fall of 1881, with Mr. Lynch naming himself the first mayor.

Several wells were drilled soon after the city was laid out, but the most famous mineral water well brand was the Crazy Water from the Crazy Well. The well is currently located at the Crazy Water Retirement Hotel. The well received its name because, the story goes, a demented elderly lady drank from the Crazy Well twice every day and overcame her illness. The crazy lady story could well be true, because in Mineral Wells most of the mineral water wells have a significant amount of lithium, which is used to treat various mental and mood disorders today.

Stories of Mineral Wells' healing waters brought tourists from around the world in the early part of the 20th century. Soon bathhouses, drinking pavilions and spas began to open to cash in. The trains that brought visitors also helped the mineral water companies distribute their products outside of the area. Entrepreneurs found more a more efficient way to ship the waters--namely by shipping the minerals only in crystal form. Those who bought the crystals could add them to their water and instantly have Mineral Wells mineral water.The massive advertising campaign led to the intervention of the Food and Drug Administration’s directive to cut back on advertising and stop claims that the mineral water was a cure all. Once that happened, the city's boom based on the water was all but finished.

T.B. Baker, hotel entrepreneur, saw a chance to cash in on the thousands of tourists coming to Mineral Wells to drink and bathe in the local mineral water which was said to have medical qualities. After a visit to Arkansas, Mr. Baker decided to model his hotel, already under construction, after the Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs, at a cost of 1.2 million dollars. The Baker Hotel enjoyed one of the most gala openings in history on November 22, 1929 and remained open until the late 1960s.The Baker was one of the nation’s most glamorous hotels for 25 years. It has been described as a city in itself. Consisting of 14 floors and 450 rooms, the Baker offered the finest in resort hotel services.

The hotel still remains empty, even though there have been several attempts to re-open it. It is strange to see a building as large as this hotel in the middle of Mineral Wells standing idle with broken windows.

The town and surrounding area appears prosperous, depending on oil field services, farming, ranching, and tourism. We were there on a Thursday, and traffic was heavy. A lot of new construction is ongoing, and this is probably one of the places that have not noticed a slow down in economic activity.

Just outside of town is the Lake Mineral Wells State Park. We drove through and checked it out in the event we are in the area with the RV and need a place to stay. We think it is a nice park, and it would be more than adequate for our needs.