Minnehaha Springs, West Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Minnehaha Springs
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 Minnehaha Springs
Location in West Virginia
Minnehaha Springs
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Pocahontas |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes |
24960
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| GNIS feature ID | 1552164 |
Minnehaha Springs is a small, unincorporated community in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, United States. It got its name from a fictional Native American "princess" named Minnehaha. The name also comes from the mineral springs found on the Lockridge family farm. Minnehaha Springs is special because it's the only place in the entire United States with this name! Today, you can still find warm mineral springs at the site of what is now Camp Twin Creeks.
Contents
History of Minnehaha Springs
Early Days and Mineral Springs
People living near the mineral springs found old Native American items. This is why the area was named Minnehaha, after a Native American maiden. For Native Americans, warm springs were often sacred places. They believed the water had special healing powers. Many major warm springs in the United States were used by local Native American tribes. Springs were also seen as neutral places where different tribes could rest, even after battles.
The Lockridge family discovered the Minnehaha springs on their farm. They tested the water in 1891 and again in 1910. The tests showed the water was similar to the famous Hot Springs in Bath County, Virginia. It was also like Bethesda Spring in Waukesha, Wisconsin. The Lockridge family then started the Pocahontas Mineral Water Development Company. They began selling bottled mineral water. They advertised the water as "pure" with "medicinal virtue." They promised it was gentle enough for "the most delicate stomach." People used the spring water to help with skin problems like eczema, and conditions like diabetes. The water had a lot of silica and calcium carbonate.
The Railroad Arrives
In 1900, a new railroad station opened in Marlinton. This happened because the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway finished its Greenbrier Division. This made Minnehaha Springs much easier for travelers and tourists to reach. To attract visitors, spring resorts needed to be easy to get to. In the 1800s, people who owned spring resorts worked hard to improve transportation. They pushed for more railroads, better roads, and river routes. Sometimes, resort owners even worked directly with railroad companies. They helped set up train stations close to their resorts. These transportation networks were very important for their businesses. More visitors came to the springs in the late 1870s and 1880s as train travel became easier.
Tourism at the Turn of the Century
Minnehaha Springs Hotel
By 1914, the Lockridge family built a hotel overlooking the spring. They also added a bathhouse and an indoor pool. The Lockridge family hired Casa Ybel, who ran a winter resort in Florida, to manage their new resort. The spring was said to flow a million gallons a day. The water stayed at a temperature of seventy-two degrees Fahrenheit. The spring's water was held in a concrete pool. From there, it flowed to a modern bathhouse. Before, the spring was hard for the public to reach. But with the new railway and roads, visitors could get to the hotel quickly. An automobile service from Marlinton could take guests from the train station to the hotel. Minnehaha Springs was now ready to become a famous summer resort.
A doctor was at the hotel every day. There was also a separate building for guests who needed the water's healing powers. Guests were told that combining "drinking the cure" and "bathing in the cure" would help their illnesses.
The Minnehaha Springs hotel likely attracted middle-class visitors. It was not huge, but it had modern features. It had its own electric water plant, modern plumbing, and hot and cold running water. Each room had call bells. The hotel was two stories tall and had twenty-four bedrooms. The resort grounds offered a tennis court, a golf course, a pool table, and places for cards, music, dancing, and picnics. The swimming pool and bathhouse used water from the Minnehaha spring. Guests could also use horses for riding or automobiles. Telephones connected the hotel to Marlinton. Guests could also receive telegrams and packages, staying connected to the outside world.
The Minnehaha Springs hotel was not very successful for long. In 1944, it became a summer camp for boys. The hotel building burned down in 1945. In 2001, Gordon Josey and his wife bought the summer camp. It became co-ed and is now called Twin Creeks. Before that, the summer camp was named Camp Minnehaha. It had been running since the 1930s. The Minnehaha Springs hotel was the very first building in Pocahontas County built just for tourists.
The Allegheny Sportsmen's Association
The Allegheny Sportsmen's Association started in Minnehaha Springs in 1912. J. A. Viquesnay, the State Warden, and H. M. Lockridge organized it. Their goal was not to hunt all the wild animals in West Virginia. Instead, they wanted to help increase all kinds of birds, game animals, and fish. They also helped protect forests from fires. This way, they hoped to bring back the beautiful wildlife and forests of West Virginia.
In an advertisement, the Association explained their purpose. They said many members were not "sportsmen from the standpoint of killing game." Instead, they were "sportsmen from the standpoint of helping to perpetuate some of the wild life of West Virginia for future generations." This shows the club wanted to bring together people who cared about nature.
Elk from Yellowstone
On January 9 and February 6, 1913, elk from Yellowstone National Park arrived in Minnehaha Springs. They were brought to the Allegheny Sportsmen's Association by train. A total of 67 elk were safely kept in Minnehaha Springs. The elk stayed in a fenced area until they got used to their new home. Then, they were set free on the Association's land. West Virginia's State Warden J. A. Viquesnay, who helped start the Association, arranged this transfer.
These elk from Yellowstone were not the first ones brought here. Before them, 15 elk (14 females and 1 male) were shipped from Iowa. This was to see if they could live well in the environment. When they seemed to be doing well and had eight calves, the Association was allowed to receive the Yellowstone elk. However, by 1932, the elk brought from Yellowstone had disappeared.
The Club House
The Allegheny Sportsmen's Association built a fancy club house in 1913. It opened on July 1, 1914, for members and their families. The club house was four stories tall, measuring fifty by sixty feet. It had many modern comforts. The basement had a kitchen, dining room, and pool rooms. It also had two wood-burning fireplaces. The first floor had a large club room with four fireplaces to keep it warm. The second and third floors had bedrooms that were "nicely finished and furnished." On the fourth floor was a big room for extra visitors. Both the first and second floors had large porches. These porches had comfy chairs, swings, and hammocks. On the roof, there was a small garden used as a lookout point. It offered amazing views of the area.
The club house was lit by an acetylene plant. Showers and bathtubs had hot and cold water. The water came from a mineral spring in Minnehaha Springs, near the Minnehaha Springs hotel. Because the spring was higher up, there was good water pressure on all floors. The one-hundred-acre park around the club house was home to the elk, deer, and other animals. Behind the club house was a grove of white pine trees. Guests could relax there in chairs, swings, and hammocks. Members also built small cabins further in the woods. This saved them long trips back to the hotel at night. The grounds also had two tennis courts, a golf course, a shooting trap, and a small garage for cars. Dog kennels were also on the property for hunting dogs.
The club house cost about $15,000. It was run like a "first-class hotel" and could hold 150 people. After building its club house, the Allegheny Club became more well-known. Visitors came from different parts of the state. These included Marlinton, Cass, Wheeling, Philippi, Charleston, and Lewisburg. Guests also traveled from Richmond, New York, Baltimore, Columbus, Cleveland, and Philadelphia.
The club often held dinners and dances, attracting large crowds. One article said their fried chicken and waffle suppers were becoming famous. Dances often lasted past midnight. Punch, ice cream, and cake were served in the dining room late into the night. Many people came to the Allegheny Club by car. Membership grew quickly in its early years. Some weekends, the club was full. Visitors then had to stay at the nearby hotel.
Interest in the Allegheny Club decreased by the 1920s. The National Forest received a large part of their land. In 1926, Harry R. Wyllie bought the lodge to use as his private home. In 1946, Wyllie sold the property. In 1964, the lodge closed down. On October 17, 1983, the Allegheny Club burned to the ground.
