Wilbur Hot Springs
Encyclopedia
Wilbur Hot Springs is a naturally occurring historic hot spring
, health sanctuary, personal retreat and 1800 acres (7.3 km²) nature preserve in Williams, California
, in Colusa County, California
in northern California
, USA, about 2 hours northeast of the San Francisco Bay Area
, 1½ hours north of the Sacramento Airport
.
, Pomo
, Wintun
and Colusi
– Native American inhabitants of Northern California’s Coast Range mountains. That was soon to change. According to local lore, wealthy social activist and congressman General John Bidwell was searching for gold in 1863 when one of his men got deathly sick. Local Native Americans told him about powerful waters, later to be known as Wilbur Hot Springs. Bidwell brought his man to the waters where he was miraculously cured. General John Bidwell
went back to San Francisco and Chico
(where he owned the best known farm in California) and spread the word of these healing waters.
Throughout America in the late 19th century, hot springs became very popular among those who could afford to stay at fashionable hot springs resorts – and to get there in the first place. Often the journeys were long and arduous – and getting to the Colusa County hot springs, soon to be as renowned as Germany’s Baden-Baden spas, was no exception.
However, European settlers became attracted to the Wilbur Hot Springs area because of minerals – not in the water, but in the ground – first, copper and sulfur, then gold. In 1863, Ezekial Wilbur and Edwin Howell purchased a 640 acres (2.6 km²) ranch for $1,500. Formed to mine copper along Sulphur Creek, their partnership was soon disbanded when copper ore proved difficult to treat and decreased in value. Within eight months, Wilbur purchased Howell’s share of the property for $200, built a wood-frame hotel and announced the opening of ‘Wilbur Hot Sulphur Springs’ in 1865.
Later that year, Wilbur Hot Sulphur Springs was sold to Marcus Marcuse of Marysville. Meanwhile, the reputation of the “miraculous cures” of Sulphur Creek continued to grow. By the 1880s, the European-style health resort built beside the hot springs reached its heyday: Wilbur Springs was known for its scalding hot water springs – “unexcelled for certain diseases” – that boiled up over an area of 100 square feet (9.3 m²). To get there, guests would travel on the Southern Pacific Railroad
to Williams, then travel 22 miles (35.4 km) to the springs, a four-hour trip by stagecoach
.
By 1891, however, Wilbur’s fortunes were in decline due to an absentee owner and a better property at Sulphur Creek Village. A mile down the road, Sulphur Creek featured a resort and mining village – this time for gold. With its ramshackle bathhouses and neglected cabins, there was “no hotel worthy of the name” at Wilbur. In 1909, the place became a U.S. Post Office
(in service until 1945) and was used as a way station for the local stagecoach. In 1915, the decrepit cabins were razed and Wilbur’s then-owner, J.W. Cuthbert, built the existing concrete hotel, which was one of the first poured concrete buildings in California. Through the decades, the property continued to change hands, first to the Barker family (supposedly of Ma and Pa Barker fame) and then to the Sutcliff family.
, the founder of family therapy, and with Fritz Perls
, the originator of Gestalt Therapy
. Since the late 1960s, Miller had operated a clinic in San Francisco known as the Gestalt Institute for Multiple Psychotherapy. Wanting to relocate his practice to the country to develop a conscious-raising community, he believed intensive psychotherapy in a residential setting would be more effective than short, timed sessions.
In 1972, Miller came across Wilbur Hot Springs, which was in terrible shape, badly vandalized and littered with junk. Rusting vehicles and dilapidated buildings were scattered around the property, including the decrepit 20-room bathhouse; and literally tons of old wood, broken glass, burned mattresses and couches, old toilets and other junk littered the land.
Miller rented the “Red House” next door to the hotel and began to live at Wilbur on weekends, where he later rented the hotel for psychology seminars. To address the Herculean task of cleaning up the property, Miller led free Esalen workshops in exchange for two hours’ work per day. The barter system proved effective in cleaning the hotel area so that it could then be fully restored. In addition, the hotel was enlarged with a second floor bunkhouse and a new third floor. Later, an eight-suite passive solar lodge was built into the hill above the hotel.
Miller’s relationship with Wilbur was about to become more permanent: after the Sheriff nailed a foreclosure notice on the front door, Miller attended the foreclosure auction and won the bid for the property. Soon after, Miller and his wife moved to Wilbur full-time, where they lived for seven years. Their daughter Sarana, born at Wilbur in 1975, is now an occasional yoga instructor at the hotel.
Miller opened the historic Hot Springs to the public in 1974. Some years later, he implemented his desire of working with patients in the country. In 1981, he started Cokenders Alcohol and Drug program, closing the hotel for one week a month to hold this pioneering, non-institutional treatment program. There at Wilbur until 1990, Dr. Miller detoxified 1,500 seriously addicted, chemically dependent patients using the hot springs’ waters and natural ambiance as healing detoxifying agents – and not one patient required medication or hospitalization during their treatment.
In 1999 Dr. Miller bought the adjoining valley consisting of 1560 acres (6.3 km²), which had been used for hunting. He placed a conservation easement on the property, thereby limiting development in perpetuity. As a result, Wilbur Hot Springs now has its own nature preserve.
Many consider the hot springs a "place to slow down", but it integrates a series of different routines that allows you to create your own experience, no matter what it may be. Renowned for being a place that is about peace and quiet, it is the community of shared experiences that really bring it together. From a shared kitchen to the clothing optional Fluminariums, it is very much a shared experience in modesty and self-respect. From the historic turn of the 20th century hotel to campsites on the nature preserve, the hot springs are available to everyone from every walk of life for healing and rejuventation.
Hot spring
A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. There are geothermal hot springs in many locations all over the crust of the earth.-Definitions:...
, health sanctuary, personal retreat and 1800 acres (7.3 km²) nature preserve in Williams, California
Williams, California
Williams is a city in Colusa County, California, United States. The population was 5,123 at the 2010 census, up from 3,670 at the 2000 census. It is a traveler's city with many fast food restaurants, motels, and gas stations...
, in Colusa County, California
Colusa County, California
Colusa County is a county located in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California, northwest of state capital Sacramento. As of the 2010 census, its population was 21,419. The county seat is Colusa.-History:...
in northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA, about 2 hours northeast of the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, 1½ hours north of the Sacramento Airport
Sacramento International Airport
Sacramento International Airport is a public airport located 10 miles northwest of the central business district of Sacramento, in Sacramento County, California, USA. It is run by Sacramento County...
.
The Springs
Wilbur Hot Springs come from the ground near Bear Creek. The temperature of the springs ranges from 140 degrees to 152 °F (66.7 °C) , and has a flow rate of about 30 gallons per minute. It is part of the Western US, Baja, And British Columbia Hot Springs networks, with its elevation within Colusa County at 1400 feet (426.7 m)- Location: near Clear Lake
- Temperature: 152 °F (67 °C)
- Flow: 30 gpm (114 L/min)
- Capacity: 0.6×106 Btu/hr / 0.2 MWt
- Annual Energy: 4.7×109 Btu/yr / 1.4 GWh/yr
- Load Factor: 0.89
- Delta T: 40 °F (4.4 °C)
History
Wilbur Hot Springs’ history goes back centuries. Before European settlers came, the springs were used by the PatwinPatwin
The Patwin are a Wintun people native to the area of Northern California. The Patwin were a southern branch of the Wintun group and native inhabitants of California from 1,000 up to 4,000 years....
, Pomo
Pomo people
The Pomo people are an indigenous peoples of California. The historic Pomo territory in northern California was large, bordered by the Pacific Coast to the west, extending inland to Clear Lake, and mainly between Cleone and Duncans Point...
, Wintun
Wintun
Wintun is the name generally given to a group of related Native American tribes who live in Northern California, including the Wintu , Nomlaki , and Patwin tribes. Their range is from approximately present-day Lake Shasta to San Francisco Bay, along the western side of the Sacramento River to the...
and Colusi
Colusa Indian Community
The Cachil DeHe Band of Wintun Indians of the Colusa Indian Community of the Colusa Rancheria is a federally recognized ranchería of Wintun Indians from central California.-Reservation:...
– Native American inhabitants of Northern California’s Coast Range mountains. That was soon to change. According to local lore, wealthy social activist and congressman General John Bidwell was searching for gold in 1863 when one of his men got deathly sick. Local Native Americans told him about powerful waters, later to be known as Wilbur Hot Springs. Bidwell brought his man to the waters where he was miraculously cured. General John Bidwell
John Bidwell
John Bidwell was known throughout California and across the nation as an important pioneer, farmer, soldier, statesman, politician, prohibitionist and philanthropist...
went back to San Francisco and Chico
Chico, California
Chico is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 86,187 at the 2010 census, up from 59,954 at the time of the 2000 census...
(where he owned the best known farm in California) and spread the word of these healing waters.
Throughout America in the late 19th century, hot springs became very popular among those who could afford to stay at fashionable hot springs resorts – and to get there in the first place. Often the journeys were long and arduous – and getting to the Colusa County hot springs, soon to be as renowned as Germany’s Baden-Baden spas, was no exception.
However, European settlers became attracted to the Wilbur Hot Springs area because of minerals – not in the water, but in the ground – first, copper and sulfur, then gold. In 1863, Ezekial Wilbur and Edwin Howell purchased a 640 acres (2.6 km²) ranch for $1,500. Formed to mine copper along Sulphur Creek, their partnership was soon disbanded when copper ore proved difficult to treat and decreased in value. Within eight months, Wilbur purchased Howell’s share of the property for $200, built a wood-frame hotel and announced the opening of ‘Wilbur Hot Sulphur Springs’ in 1865.
Later that year, Wilbur Hot Sulphur Springs was sold to Marcus Marcuse of Marysville. Meanwhile, the reputation of the “miraculous cures” of Sulphur Creek continued to grow. By the 1880s, the European-style health resort built beside the hot springs reached its heyday: Wilbur Springs was known for its scalding hot water springs – “unexcelled for certain diseases” – that boiled up over an area of 100 square feet (9.3 m²). To get there, guests would travel on the Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
to Williams, then travel 22 miles (35.4 km) to the springs, a four-hour trip by stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
.
By 1891, however, Wilbur’s fortunes were in decline due to an absentee owner and a better property at Sulphur Creek Village. A mile down the road, Sulphur Creek featured a resort and mining village – this time for gold. With its ramshackle bathhouses and neglected cabins, there was “no hotel worthy of the name” at Wilbur. In 1909, the place became a U.S. Post Office
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
(in service until 1945) and was used as a way station for the local stagecoach. In 1915, the decrepit cabins were razed and Wilbur’s then-owner, J.W. Cuthbert, built the existing concrete hotel, which was one of the first poured concrete buildings in California. Through the decades, the property continued to change hands, first to the Barker family (supposedly of Ma and Pa Barker fame) and then to the Sutcliff family.
Modern establishment
In the 1970s, Dr. Richard Louis Miller became associated with Wilbur. Dr. Miller was a San Francisco psychologist who had left teaching at the University of Michigan in order to study in California with Virginia SatirVirginia Satir
Virginia Satir was an American author and psychotherapist, known especially for her approach to family therapy and her work with Systemic Constellations...
, the founder of family therapy, and with Fritz Perls
Fritz Perls
Friedrich Salomon Perls , better known as Fritz Perls, was a noted German-born psychiatrist and psychotherapist of Jewish descent....
, the originator of Gestalt Therapy
Gestalt therapy
Gestalt therapy is an existential/experiential form of psychotherapy that emphasizes personal responsibility, and that focuses upon the individual's experience in the present moment, the therapist-client relationship, the environmental and social contexts of a person's life, and the self-regulating...
. Since the late 1960s, Miller had operated a clinic in San Francisco known as the Gestalt Institute for Multiple Psychotherapy. Wanting to relocate his practice to the country to develop a conscious-raising community, he believed intensive psychotherapy in a residential setting would be more effective than short, timed sessions.
In 1972, Miller came across Wilbur Hot Springs, which was in terrible shape, badly vandalized and littered with junk. Rusting vehicles and dilapidated buildings were scattered around the property, including the decrepit 20-room bathhouse; and literally tons of old wood, broken glass, burned mattresses and couches, old toilets and other junk littered the land.
Miller rented the “Red House” next door to the hotel and began to live at Wilbur on weekends, where he later rented the hotel for psychology seminars. To address the Herculean task of cleaning up the property, Miller led free Esalen workshops in exchange for two hours’ work per day. The barter system proved effective in cleaning the hotel area so that it could then be fully restored. In addition, the hotel was enlarged with a second floor bunkhouse and a new third floor. Later, an eight-suite passive solar lodge was built into the hill above the hotel.
Miller’s relationship with Wilbur was about to become more permanent: after the Sheriff nailed a foreclosure notice on the front door, Miller attended the foreclosure auction and won the bid for the property. Soon after, Miller and his wife moved to Wilbur full-time, where they lived for seven years. Their daughter Sarana, born at Wilbur in 1975, is now an occasional yoga instructor at the hotel.
Miller opened the historic Hot Springs to the public in 1974. Some years later, he implemented his desire of working with patients in the country. In 1981, he started Cokenders Alcohol and Drug program, closing the hotel for one week a month to hold this pioneering, non-institutional treatment program. There at Wilbur until 1990, Dr. Miller detoxified 1,500 seriously addicted, chemically dependent patients using the hot springs’ waters and natural ambiance as healing detoxifying agents – and not one patient required medication or hospitalization during their treatment.
In 1999 Dr. Miller bought the adjoining valley consisting of 1560 acres (6.3 km²), which had been used for hunting. He placed a conservation easement on the property, thereby limiting development in perpetuity. As a result, Wilbur Hot Springs now has its own nature preserve.
Many consider the hot springs a "place to slow down", but it integrates a series of different routines that allows you to create your own experience, no matter what it may be. Renowned for being a place that is about peace and quiet, it is the community of shared experiences that really bring it together. From a shared kitchen to the clothing optional Fluminariums, it is very much a shared experience in modesty and self-respect. From the historic turn of the 20th century hotel to campsites on the nature preserve, the hot springs are available to everyone from every walk of life for healing and rejuventation.