Manby Hot Springs

Manby Hot Springs, also known as Stagecoach Hot Springs are thermal springs located near the town of Arroyo Hondo, New Mexico.[1] The three rock pools have sandy bottoms and are located near the ruins of an old bathhouse and a historical stagecoach stop.[2]

Manby Hot Springs
Stagecoach Hot Springs
Locationnear Arroyo Hondo, New Mexico
Coordinates36°30′48″N 105°43′32″W
Elevation6,500 feet
Typegeothermal
Temperature100°F/37°C
Manby Hot Spring, Rio Grande Gorge

Water profile

The hot mineral water emerges from the ground at 100° Fahrenheit.[3]

History
Manby hot spring bathhouse ruins
Rio Grande Gorge 2

The hot springs were used by the Puebloan cultures for hundreds of years prior to the arrival of the Spanish. The indigenous name for the site is Wa-pu-mee, which roughly translates to "water of long life".[4] In 1880, the Chili Line (Santa Fe Branch) of the narrow-gauge Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad began stopping at Taos Junction and the hot springs became a tourist attraction that was accessible by stagecoach. Shortly thereafter two local Taos merchants, Albert Miller and Gerson Gusdorf built a bridge to the springs and charged tourists as well as locals to cross the bridge.

In 1890, British-born traveler Arthur Rochford Manby coerced a claim to the 60,000+ acre Antonio Martínez land grant on which the springs were located.[1] In his biography of Manby, Frank Waters has written that Manby "lied, schemed and stole" to secure the land.[5] Manby was involved in numerous disputes with the locals, and by the early 1900s he went to live out near the springs.[5] In 1922, Manby envisioned a resort, which he planned to name Lost Springs of the Aztec; that would include a luxury hotel with the springs as the centerpiece. All that was built was a rock-walled bathouse.[5] He died in 1929 without realizing his plan for development.[1]

Location

The springs are within the Rio Grande del Norte National Historical Monument land, with a road easement of the Bureau of Land Management.[6] The springs are located at 36°30’48”N 105°43’32”W on the east bank of the Rio Grande river gorge.

References
  1. "Manby Hot Springs: Not quite what the man envisioned, but a legacy nonetheless". Taos News. September 22, 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  2. Gersh-Young, Marjorie (2010). Hot Springs and Hot Pools in the Southwest. Santa Cruz, California: Aqua Therma. p. 99. ISBN 978-1-890880-09-5.
  3. Berry, George W.; Grim, Paul J.; Ikelman, Joy A. (1980). Thermal Springs List for the United States. Boulder, Colorado: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
  4. Martin, Craig (1998). Enchanted Waters: A Guide to New Mexico’s Hot Springs. WestWinds Press. ISBN 978-0871088918.
  5. Waters, Frank (1993). To Possess the Land: A Biography of Arthur Rochford Manby. Swallow Press. ISBN 978-0804009805.
  6. Hooks, Cody (July 13, 2018). "Homeowners get soaked by hot springs traffic in Taos". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
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