Excelsior Springs, Mo. (Nov. 24, 2024) – Excelsior Springs was once home to 12 Sulpho-Saline wells, sources of mineral-rich water drawn from depths of nearly 1,500 feet. These wells, tapped from the Mississippian limestone beneath the town, supported a thriving bathhouse industry, boosting the local economy until the end of World War II.
According to Dennis Hartman, an avid researcher and historian, Sulpho-Saline water was historically consumed for its natural laxative effect, clearing the bowels and providing relief from constipation. Additionally, the water was believed to alleviate headaches and improve liver function without surgical intervention.
Externally, the Sulpho-Saline water was widely used in hydrotherapy to address skin conditions such as eczema, acne, psoriasis, ulcers, and fungal infections.
According to Hartman, the water’s mineral content includes chlorides and sulfates, with calcium and sodium being particularly prominent, contributing to its salty taste. Other minerals found in the water include magnesium bicarbonate and ferrous bicarbonate, which are also components of the town’s Ferro-Manganese wells.
Following the discovery of these wells, Excelsior Springs became a health destination. Visitors traveled from across the country to consume the liquid relief. One advertisement in the Colorado Daily Chieftain from June 22, 1893, promoted the water’s unique benefits, calling it “the only palatable laxative water.”
By the 1930s, the use of the Sulpho-Saline water expanded to include external applications. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) highlighted its therapeutic uses in the 1930 Global Jubilee: America’s Haven of Health, stating, “It has been fully recognized that bathing is one of the most valuable curative agents employed in the modern watering place. The action of the waters is exerted in all the emunctories of the body, external and internal. Here, the tub, vapor, showers and sprays, local hot packs, and electric light each play its part in hastening the elimination, allaying local inflammation and easing pain.”
The Chamber of Commerce promoted the power of the water’s ability to cure, stating in the Jubilee that Excelsior Springs was “devoted to the mineral water cure.”
The most known Sulpho-Saline wells were the Broadway Pavilion and Sulpho-Saline Pavilion No. 1. These wells were located on the north end of Main Street, with water transported via pipes to pavilions for sale. A notable sign above the pavilions featured the locally famous “Three Owls” logo with the slogan: “We’re out all night, till broad daylight, but we drink Sulpho-Saline in the morning.”
In 1908, the city purchased land around the spring, commissioning architects George Kessler and Henry Hoit to design gardens and spring houses for the Siloam and Sulpho-Saline sites. As the pavilions declined, Excelsior Springs passed bonds to complete new structures by 1923.
Eventually, these pavilion sites gave way to the Hall of Waters, constructed under Missouri’s Public Works Administration (PWA), a part of the New Deal program created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to provide work and relief during the Great Depression. This iconic building, which still stands as one of Excelsior Springs’ most iconic structures, piped in water from ten local wells and operated the world’s largest water bar. The original pavilion was located on what is now the front lawn of the Hall of Waters.
A collection of postcard images and newspaper clippings advertising the Sulpho-Saline waters.
Other locations of past Sulpho-Saline Wells and pavilions include:
- Harr’s Pavilion and Sale Sulphur Pagoda: 216 W. Broadway Ave.
- Salax Spring: Near Marietta Street Bridge and Caldwell Ave.
- Salax Spring Pavilion: 508 Caldwell Ave.
- Sulphur Salt Soda Spring: 528 Caldwell Ave.
- Sulfo Salt Spring: 200 E. Excelsior St.
- Peerless Lithia: 207 E. Excelsior St.
- White Sulphur Spring: Near Isely Blvd. and Regent St., on the west bank of Fishing River.
- Superior No. 1: Near Roosevelt and Superior St.
- Salt Sulphur Spring: Near Salem Road.
- Sulpho-Saline Spring Elms Pavilion and Pavilion No. 2: 415 St. Louis Ave.
For those interested in the history of bathhouses, well sites, and water composition, resources are available at the Hall of Waters and the Excelsior Springs Museum and Archives. Dennis Hartman’s upcoming book about the wells is scheduled to be available for purchase in time for the Holidays.
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