Saratoga Spa State Park, The Vail of Springs Trail.

Описание: By New York State Park.
The Saratoga area was originally known for its
prime hunting grounds, which attracted the
Mohawk tribes to the land. The Mohawks soon
discovered the mineral waters bubbling from
cracks in the earth. They believed the springs
had special healing powers and protected their
sacred waters.
Settlers began to
move into the area in
the 1700’s. One of the
more famous early
visitors was Sir William
Johnson, who later
became New York’s
Superintendent of
Indian Affairs.
By the mid 1800’s,
bathing in and drinking
the mineral waters had become a popular health
treatment. Several bathhouses were in operation
in Saratoga Springs. Saratoga had become the
seasonal “Watering Hole” for the rich and
famous, and was referred to as “The Queen of
Spas”.
Private industry had discovered a use for the
springs by 1880. Over 200 mineral wells were in
operation in the area, mostly for the extraction of
carbonic acid gas. The gas was used to
carbonate the popular fountain sodas of the
time. The extraction process inevitably ceased
the flow of many springs. By 1908, the state of
New York stepped in and passed anti-pumping
legislation. The state reservation was formed
soon after to protect the springs.
When Franklin Delano Roosevelt became
governor in 1929, he made an urgent plea
for the development of the Saratoga
Reservation. In 1931, construction of the
“New Spa” was initiated. By 1935, the
buildings and landscape malls, modeled
after the spas of Europe, were completed as
they are preserved today. This new facility,
the first major project finished under the New
Deal, brought in individuals seeking medical
treatment for heart and internal afflictions.
The formal opening of the New Spa took place on
Friday, July 26th, 1935.
Saratoga’s spas experienced their finest
times between 1936 and 1950, the peak of
which was 1946. In the 1960’s, recreational
uses of the park expanded to include a
second swimming pool, picnic sites and a
redesigned championship golf course.
Saratoga Performing Arts Center was added
in 1966. These amenities, including the
mineral baths, are still available for use
today.