Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1906-11-26
"A BREEZY LETTER FROM HUNT.
ER's HOT SPRINGS,
MONTANA. IT. r.

couleeS between Bismarck and the
river couple of dozen frame build
ings Of all sorts and description and
condition of paint, huddled together
without any particular reference to
order and convenience, and extend
ing down the slope Of hill on both
sides of a rutty and very rough road,
you would have the outward and
visible part of Hunters Hot Springs.
Sometimes, maybe, you have driven
into little eastern or western town,
where there was a postoffice in the
store, a hotel across the street, a
barn for your horse, and few other
nondescript buildings thrown in for
good measure. That is another like
ness that applies to the place. There
are few scrub trees along, a little
water course that winds down to the
Yellowstone, and the hills slope
back, sere and brown and driven
here and there with patches of snow.
From the hotel window you may
look out and see narrow little gullies
extending over few acres and
clouds Of vapor arising all along their
length. These are the courses of the
hot springs from their sources down
to and through the hotel, bath
| houses. and other buildings. Board
walks lead from spring to spring and
dippers hang everywhere inviting
you to drink The dippers are much
more hospitable than the water, for
it's anything but inviting. It is be-
tween warm and hot, smells like eggs
laid by an unladylike hen in times of
great distress and forgotten for a
season, and it leaves taste in your
mouth like remorse. They say it is
good for you and have no doubt it
is because it is so unpleasant to take
Most everything that tastes bad is
good for you, I've discovered.
| When the train stops at Spring
dale, which is the railroad station, a
man in heavy coat comes up with:
out a word, takes your baggage and
starts off toward a covered rig that
takes you two miles to the springs
He knows you would not come tc
Springdale for any other purpose
He loads you into the rig and starts
off at a lively rate particularly sc
for the frozen roads. In a word, you
get well shaken after taken. It's
only a short drive to- the valley where
the springs are, and that is re.
Election full of comfort. The hotel is
| by no means modern establish
! ment, but it's clean, warm, hos
pitable and the food Is wholesome
is ample room for out door exercise
is angle room for out door exercise
but it has been unusually cold for a
week or two and outdoor jaunts not
pleasant. So we look forward from
breakfast to the time of our baths,
and from our baths to dinner, and
from dinner to doing in rooms or
finding out each others ailments in
the hotel office. Judge Knauf has
been Ghere-just left-from James
town, F. B. Feetham from Grand
Forks, the McGinleys of Dickinson :,
a young fellow from way up in Ward
county with bad case of inflamma-
tory rheumatism, and about sixty or
seventy other persons from various
Montana and other places, taking
treatment for sundry ailments. After
you've been here few days you get
in touch with everybody's rheuma-
tism and that always give you some
thing to talk about. If one case is a
particularly bad one, he gets what
sympathy is left over from ali the
rest and you watch him walk into
the dining room to see if he is as
stiff as he was yesterday. Then if
you advertise your own troubles
we'll You have lots to do answering
questions about your state of health
and that helps pass the time. &-
The Hot Springs are confined to a
| small tract Of several acres and num-
Der a score or so, with natural tenn
perature ranging from 140 to 1863
| degrees. rs pretty well established
that they have d special medicinal
value for the water is full Of things
| that smell fully as bad as they
sound pr. Andrew J. Hunter of
Missouri was the original show
| me- artist Of the region. He hap
lpened out this way and sauatted-
probably selecting one Of the cooler
springs when he did so, as squatting
on Hot Springs at 1853 degrees would
be no Joke. The doctor used to tell
that ne had seen at least 900 In
dian lodges about the springs, while
the Indians were getting rid Of
rheumatism and other tenants they
could Just ais we'll spare as not. 4 ii
of which goes to show that the Indian
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