Dead Indian Soda Springs facts for kids
The Dead Indian Soda Springs are a group of small mineral springs found near Eagle Point, Oregon, in the United States. These springs flow into Dead Indian Creek. The water from these springs is special because it has many minerals like sodium carbonate (which can make it fizzy, like soda!), iron, magnesium, and sodium hydroxide.
The springs are located about 35 miles (56 kilometers) east of Medford.
History of the Soda Springs
People from Europe who settled in America discovered the Dead Indian Soda Springs around 1871. A man named John Tyrell found them while he was chasing an elk and stopped to drink. Within 20 years, the springs became a popular camping spot for people living in the Rogue Valley.
After 1900, a man named Charles Wiltkinson built a home and some cabins for rent near the creek. These buildings are now part of Camp Latgawa.
During the Great Depression in the 1930s, workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps (a program that helped people find jobs) built a fountain and a rock path around one of the springs. This was done in 1935–1936. However, floods in 1955, 1964, and 1997 slowly washed them away. Today, you can still see small parts of these old structures and a few stone steps leading down to the creek.
We don't know if the Takelma Native American people used these springs for medicine. But in the 1920s, a man named Lou Bean bottled some of the spring water and sold it to a place called Brown's Tavern in Medford.
Historic Shelter at the Springs
Quick facts for kids |
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Dead Indian Soda Springs Shelter
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| Location | Eagle Point, Oregon vicinity |
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| Built | 1936 |
| Architectural style | Rustic |
| MPS | US Forest Service Historic Structures on the Rogue River National Forest |
| NRHP reference No. | 00000462 |
| Added to NRHP | December 29, 2000 |
On December 29, 2000, a small building called the Dead Indian Soda Springs Shelter was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical site. The shelter is located next to Little Butte Creek. It has four ovens, four picnic tables, and an old wash basin.
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Four cooking ovens, some with grills.
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An old wash-basin.
