Hot Sulphur Springs
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- Hot Sulphur Springs 80451
- Town Hall - 725-3933
- Police, non-emergency - 725-3343
- Fire District Office - 725-3343
- Post Office - 725-3356
www.coloradodirectory.com/hotsulphurspg
Except for a brief period in the early 1880s, Hot Sulphur Springs has been the county seat of Grand County. In 1902 William Byers, a land speculator as well as the founder of the Rocky Mountain News, donated land for the courthouse.
Folklore
The hot springs are said to be heated by the magic fire of an ancient Ute chief who still waits for his band of young warriors to return from raiding the encampment of a neighboring tribe. The old chief’s campfire burns at the water’s edge, perpetually warming the spring. His warriors never returned.
Hot Sulphur Springs
Long before settlers came to the valley, the Ute and Arapaho used the area as a summer camping spot and a sacred setting. They came to the warm healing waters of the springs to ease the pain of rheumatism and arthritis. The Utes even treated their sick horses in the hot springs. Hot Sulphur Springs was the first town established in Grand County in 1870. That same year, William Byers placed a resort over and near the hot springs. He had to first build an enclosure around the main pool to keep the Ute ponies out and the steam in. In the early 1900s, it was one of the most popular hot spring resorts in the state. During the Christmas season of 1911, Hot Sulphur Springs hosted the first Winter Carnival west of the Mississippi. Today the hot springs are still popular. Grand County Museum on Hwy 40 includes displays which show the beginning of skiing in Colorado. The often overlooked but vital role of women in settling the land is also honored in the Pioneer Woman exhibit.
