Fairmont Hot Springs Resort

Fairmont Hot Springs Resort (previously known as Gregson Hot Springs) is a resort in Silver Bow County, Montana, United States.^[1][2][3][4]

Description

In addition the hot springs (with waterslide and four naturally heated pools, both indoor and outdoor), the resort includes an 18-hole golf course, and 153 guest rooms, as well as a spa and restaurant.^[5] It is located at 1500 Fairmont Road in Fairmont.^[6]

History

The resort was originally named after the Gregson brothers that purchased the area in 1869, but was given its current name after being acquired in the early 1970s by Lloyd Wilder. Wilder sold the resort in 1981, but later repurchased it.^[7][8][9]

In early 2020, the resort was severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due state mandated restrictions regarding the resort facilities, 148 employees were temporarily laid off.^[10]

Water mineral content

The mineral content of the water includes cesium, hydrogen sulfide, aluminum, rubidium, ammonia, manganese and zinc.^[11]

References

1. "Hot Springs Across Montana: A Comprehensive Guide". Montana Press. January 27, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2021. Located 15 miles west of Butte, Fairmont Hot Springs features a full-service lodging and conference center surrounding natural hot-spring indoor and outdoor pools...During winter, the pools are kept at about 91°F. Hot tubs are at 104°F...American Indian tribes such as the Flathead, Nez Perce and Shoshone once set up tepees in the trees surrounding the hot waters at Fairmont Hot Springs and are said to have called the original 12 hot pools "Medicine Waters."...In 1869, George and Eli Gregson acquired the hot springs from a squatter for $60. In the years to come, George and Eli built a well-furnished two-story hotel, a plunge bath and five large bathing rooms. A covered flume was used to conduct the hot and cold water to the bathhouses. In 1890, the Gregson Resort was leased to Miles French and a townsite was plotted in 1892. Soon after, the facility was sold again to new owners...Many organizations and clubs held their annual picnics and parties at the springs, including a 1912 Butte Miners event with over 14,000 attendees. In 1914 , the dance hall and adjoining buildings caught fire and a week later the hotel plunge caught fire and burned along with the remaining buildings...From the late 1910s to the early 1970s, the resort was rebuilt and continued its operations but was closed in 1971 after falling into disrepair. That same year, The Montana Standard reported that federal funds would help build a complex including an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, picnic area, outdoor pool and 190 guest rooms. In 1972 the remaining buildings were demolished to make way for the new complex...The new construction began in 1972 under the direction of new owner Lloyd Wilder of Fairmont Hot Springs British Columbia. It was designed with an indoor pool and an even larger outdoor pool. A cabaret was once located on the second level which connected via an enclosed "bubble" walkway.
2. Inbody, Kristen. "Montana hot springs are cool now, but they were awesome in 1910". Great Falls Tribune. Retrieved October 22, 2021. Gregson Hot Springs would have been a neat place to stay, too, especially at $2.50 a day. In 1869, George and Eli Gregson bought the springs 15 miles west of Butte for $60. The hotel there became one of the first commercial buildings heated by geothermal energy...Four trains a day brought guests to the hot springs in the early 1900s. The resort closed in the 1970s, of course, but Canadians bought it, built a new hotel and called it Fairmont Hot Springs, still in business.
3. "Gregson Hot Springs". Western Mining History.
4. "SURVEY OF SELECTED GEOTHERMAL SPRINGS AND WELLS IN SOUTHWESTERN MONTANA" (PDF).
5. "Fairmont Hot Springs Resort". discoveranaconda.com. Anaconda Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
6. "Fairmont Hot Springs Resort". visitmt.com. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
7. Aarstad, Rich; Arguimbau, Ellie; Baumler, Ellen; Porsild, Charlene; Shovers, Brian (2009). Montana Place Names from Alzada to Zortman. Helana, Montana: Montana Historical Society Press. p. 81. ISBN 978--0-9759196-1-3. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
8. "The History of Fairmont". fairmontmontana.com. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
9. CPAs, Montana Society of (May 18, 2016). "Fairmont – Over 100 years of hot water and good times".
10. Thornton, Tracy (March 24, 2020). "Fairmont Hot Springs lays off 148 in coronavirus fallout". The Montana Standard. Butte, Montana: Lee Enterprises. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
11. Mariner, R.H.; Presser, T.S.; Evans, W.C. (July 1976). Chemical Characteristics of the Major Thermal Springs of Montana (PDF). Menlo Park, California: United States Department of the Interior, Geological Survey. Retrieved 20 December 2022.

46°02′35″N 112°48′36″W

External links

• "Fairmont Hot Springs Resort". fairmontmontana.com.
• Fairmont Hot Springs