Name: Thermopolis Hot Springs
County: Hot Springs
Authority Name:
GNIS Entry
Longitude: 1081140W
Latitude: 433914N
Legal Description:
Elevation: 4357/1328
(ft/m)
Feature Type: Spring
Origin of Name:
Thermopolis was named in 1895 by Dr. Julius A. Schuelke. Doctor Schuelke was a pioneer German physician who was one of the first to recognize the value of medicinal qualities of the mineral waters. When we speak of Thermopolis we naturally think of Thermos as meaning heat. The city was named after the Pass of Thermopylae, famed in Greek history as the Spartan battle ground. The word is combined from the Greek derivative which is literally translated “City of Hot Mineral Baths.”
Source: WPA
Named by Dr. Julious Shulke and Joe McGill, the later a student of languages, for its proximity to the hot springs and taken from the Greek words therme and polis meaning "heat and city."
Source: Annals 15(1)
Other Names: Big Horn Hot Springs
Alternative Spellings:
History:
The Big Horn Hot Springs are about one mile from Thermopolis. The square mile of land on which the springs are situated belongs to the state, and is know as the Wyoming Hot Springs Reserve. The state has recently erected a bathhouse for the free use of the public. One this reserve are many hot springs, the principal one of which is an eighth of a mile east of the Big Horn River and 100 feet above it. This spring measures about 35 feet across and discharges daily 18,500,000 gallons of water at 135 degress Fahrenheit.
Source: Wyoming State Business Directory, 1910-11
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Maps:
1:24000 Quadrangle: Thermopolis
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