Democrat Hot Springs
| Democrat Hot Springs | |
|---|---|
| Democrat Spring[1] | |
 "Kern River No. 1 – View of Democrat Hot Springs" c. 1912 (G. Haven Bishop, SoCal Ed collection, Huntington Library) | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 35°30′24″N 118°40′44″W / 35.5068°N 118.679°W[1] |
| Elevation | 964 m (3,163 ft)[1] |
| Type | Thermal |
| Discharge | 95 L/min (25 US gal/min)[2] |
| Temperature | 46 °C (115 °F) |
Democrat Hot Springs, named for the Democratic political party, is a geothermally heated spring located 17 miles (27 km) northeast of Bakersfield, California, United States, on the south bank of the Kern River and on the north side of California State Route 178.
History[edit]
The Democrat Hot Springs were named for the Democratic Party of the United States[3] when they were developed beginning in 1903 by Delbert Hill.[4] Hill and his father constructed a 15-room hotel surrounding by cottages for 100 additional guests.[4] In the early days access was had by the "Breckenridge Road to Rock Springs Station after an overnight stop continued down the Cow Flat Road"; this route was known as the Nightmare Trail.[5] Later a four-horse stage coach picked people up in Bakersfield and reduced the travel time to the resort to a "mere five hours".[6] The property has had many owners since the Hills sold out.[6][3] A three-story clapboard hotel stood at Democrat Hot Springs in 1930.[7] Charles W. West was the owner in 1967.[3]
As of 2018, Democrat Hot Springs are still located on private property.[8] They can be rented for private events.[9]
Ecology[edit]
Democrat Hot Springs is part of the habitat range for the rare and endangered Kern Canyon slender salamander.[10] The Kern River near Democrat Hot Springs is a good spot for fishing rainbow trout.[11]
Water profile[edit]
The main group of springs is located about 100 yd (91 m) from the river.[12] According to a U.S. government geologist in 1915, "At Democrat Springs, which are 5 miles below Delonegha Springs, hot water issues on the southwest side of Kern River, within 150 feet of its edge, but 50 or 75 feet above its surface. In 1908 there was a substantial hotel, having accommodations for 100 people...The waters of these springs are sulphureted, but they do not seem to carry notable amounts of other mineral matter...With reference to the fault origin of these springs, it was learned that although the earthquake of April 18, 1906, was not severely felt here, the main spring ceased flowing at that time. It was reopened a few months later by making a cut into the slope about 8 feet below the former point of issuance of the spring".[13] The spring waters do contain "iron, sodium and other salts".[14]
According to Kern River Country (1979), the resort had five springs. One that produced 115 °F (46 °C) at 20 US gallons per minute (0.0013 m3/s) was used for bathing while the other four were piped to a reservoir near the hotel that was used as a swimming pool. [4] According to an earlier source, "At a third place another small spring forms a drinking pool."[15]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Democrat Hot Springs
- ^ Higgins, Therberge & Ikelman (1980).
- ^ a b c Bailey (1967), p. 6.
- ^ a b c Powers (1979), p. 82.
- ^ Powers (1979), p. 82–83.
- ^ a b Powers (1979), p. 83.
- ^ "Circle Tour in Kern Canyon Area Most Delightful". The Fresno Morning Republican. May 25, 1930. p. 39. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
- ^ Bischoff (2018), loc. 4382.
- ^ Bischoff (2018), loc. 1819.
- ^ AT THE CROSSROADS: A Report on CALIFORNIA'S ENDANGERED AND RARE FISH AND WILDLIFE. Sacramento, California: California Fish and Game Commission. January 1972 – via HathiTrust.
- ^ n.a. (2007). California's Best Fishing Waters: 182 Detailed Maps of 31 of the Best Rivers and Streams. Wilderness Adventures Press. p. 53. ISBN 978-1-932098-49-5.
- ^ "Democrat Hot Springs". Los Angeles Evening Express. September 10, 1926. p. 20. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
- ^ Waring (1915), pp. 51–52.
- ^ Bradley & Brown (1915), p. 95.
- ^ Waring (1915), p. 52.
Sources[edit]
- Bailey, Richard C. (1967). Kern County Place Names. Annual Publications of the Kern County Historical Society and Kern County Museum (No. 29). Introduction by Ralph F. Kreiser (1st ed.). Bakersfield, California: Merchants Printing and Lithographing Co. LCCN 74018077. OCLC 158106.
- Berry, G. W.; Grim, P. J.; Ikelman, Joy A. (June 1980). Thermal Springs List for the United States (PDF) (Report). Key to Geophysical Records Documentation No. 12. Environmental Data and Information Service National Geophysical and Solar-Terrestrial Data Center. Boulder, Colo.: U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). doi:10.2172/6737326.
- Bischoff, Matt C. (2018). "Lake Isabella and the Kern River". Touring California and Nevada Hot Springs. Touring Hot Springs (4th ed.). FalconGuides. ISBN 978-1-4930-2912-9. OCLC 1024286436.
- Bradley, Walter W.; Brown, G. Chester (1915). "Mineral Springs in Kern County". Mines and mineral resources of the counties of Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus. State Mineralogist's Reports. Ferry Building, San Francisco: California State Mining Bureau. pp. 94–95 – via HathiTrust.
- Higgins, Chris T.; Therberge, Albert E. Jr.; Ikelman, Joy A. (1980). Geothermal Resources of California (PDF) (Map). NOAA National Geophysical Center. Sacramento: California Department of Mines and Geology.
- Powers, Bob (1979). Kern River Country. Pasadena: Westernlore Publications. ISBN 978-0-87026-052-0. LCCN 79064054. OCLC 5877346.
- Waring, Gerald Ashley (January 1915). Springs of California. U.S. Department of the Interior, Geological Survey Water-Supply Papers. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. doi:10.3133/wsp338. Water Supply Paper No. 338 – via HathiTrust.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
