In my recent articles about “Pagosa being the best it can be,” I covered some of the events in the 1980s and early 1990s that vastly improved the downtown area. I listed the River Restoration Project, the River Walk and other town projects that inspired private enterprise to follow suit with improvements.

The greatest of these was the purchase and development of the riverside hot spring property by partners Bill Dawson and Matt Mees. Their development of this facility, along with the relocation and expansion of the Chamber of Commerce, overhauled the south side of the river’s shore. Before this change, the area was an eyesore at best.

Recent transplants to Pagosa do not realize the pond isn’t natural. Matt built the pond, which collects spring water from a spring vent below the mineral mound and from the mound’s artificial flow. Before the pond was installed, this wide and shallow place in the river trapped all sorts of trash from upstream. Sometimes it was cleaned up—and sometimes not. It was rare to see a person anywhere on the south river bank.

When Matt and Bill purchased the property, the motel was closed, as was the restaurant located in the building where Juan’s Mountain Sports is now. The hot spring facility was a gray wood open-topped octagon with walls above head level and four fiberglass hot tubs. The tubs were cracked and crusted over with deposits. Their first move was to cut the tall walls down to waist level, after which they constructed a small building housing two showers. (Continued below...)

The following years saw construction of the pond and additional hot bath pools. The new baths were made of stone and concrete, covered inside with a nonporous material required by sanitary standards. Each year Matt was seen breaking ground and building another one or two bathing pools.

I had a “special relationship” with this construction as I was publishing The San Juan Adventure Guide magazine at the same time. I promoted all things hot springs related, and began to print two page hand-drawn illustrations of the facility in the Guide. Each year I had to start all over again to best showcase the changes made the previous year. Once I thought I would get ahead of the curve and asked Matt what the next additions would look like. His blank look back made me realize the new pools and changes were as much artistic inspiration as exact engineering, and when I asked he simply didn’t know!

Over the years, pool after pool was added, along with stone paths, steps and landscaping, including wildly colorful flowers and trees. (Continued below...)

Photo: Norm Vance

This onetime eyesore soon became a magically beautiful focal point in downtown Pagosa Springs. During this time a major event was held here, the $10,000 Yukon Jack Sled Dog Race, drawing television coverage from ABC’s Wide World of Sports and CBS. For their final broadcast of the day they set up in the parking area and used The Springs as a backdrop for their reporter. The sky was dark, and the illuminated and glowing mineral mound and pools became the first and only satellite television image to ever be broadcast from Pagosa Springs.

After the slow development of The Springs pools, the new bathhouse built a couple of years ago was a dramatic addition. The building drew many comments, including one observation that the architectural style used was "Greco-Anasazi!" The 1881 spring bathhouse had a strong (and likely controversial) design with a steeply pitched roof and many cupolas with flagpoles, so it is fitting this building makes as strong a statement as its predecessor.

Now that Matt and Bill have sold the hot spring facility, they plan to continue developing the adjoining property west and south. No matter what they do or what people’s attitude about it is, no one can deny it will likely be a class act. Just like The Springs Resort, it will be a plus for Pagosa.

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