Historic Benton Hot Springs
Nonprofit

"More Than Water—A Legacy Worth Protecting"

Historic Benton Hot Springs (HBHS) is a 501(3c) nonprofit corporation whose mission is to preserve and restore this towns cultural and natural properties. Our key goals include keeping the town accessible to visitors and educating our guests about the ongoing conservation of this unique environment and sharing the area's rich and fascinating history.

Our History

BUR 21--Packer in front of Wai Wera Hotel, Benton Hot Springs.jpeg

Benton Hot Springs has been home to Native Americans for millennia; a silver boom town starting in the 1860s; and a tourist destination since at least the 1920s. Its history is woven from the lives and tales of men and women who dared to be different!

Traditional Life

People have lived here for thousands of years, including the ancestors of the Utu Utu Gwaitu tribe. Here they had abundant pure water along with everything else they needed, and the highly refined traditional skill and knowledge to live well. They made tools and projectile points from nearby high quality obsidian, and traded it for goods outside the area. They gathered plant foods including pinyon pine nuts and Indian rice grass seeds, they irrigated crops of taboose root. Other local plants provided fibers to be woven into everything from clothing items to huge nets for rabbit drives. Paiute basketry was famously beautiful.

Silver Boom

The California Gold Rush of 1849 passed right over this part of California. But with the Comstock Lode silver boom of 1859, prospectors turned to the east side of the Sierra Nevada. They soon found silver in the Blind Spring Hill just east of the hot springs, and a town of nearly a thousand grew up around the springs.

Booming businesses served the miners' needs: a Wells Fargo station and stagecoach stop, butchers and general stores, hotels and boarding houses, ore processing mill, newspapers, saloons and breweries. There was a school and a cemetery, but no church.

Welcoming Vistors

Many boom towns vanish when mining becomes less profitable, but not Benton Hot Springs. After the silver declined, a series of entrepreneurs capitalized on the tourist dreams of their ear: hotel, health spa, dude ranch, motel, right up to today's hot tubs and a bed-and-breakfast Inn. The Bramlette family bought the entire town site in the late 1920s; the fourth generation still keeps the town alive and founded the Historic Benton Hot Springs nonprofit to preserve and share its history.

Stories and Characters

The story of Benton Hot Springs is full of men and women who were courageous, resourceful, innovative, mysterious, eccentric, or all of these!

Upcoming Events

Local Legends

William Wetherill

William Wetherill was born in 1820 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, into an established colonial family. In May 1849, he departed Philadelphia for California, traveling by sea around Cape Horn and arriving in San Francisco in November of that year. By 1861 he had relocated to Aurora, Nevada. In 1864 Weatherill served as representative of Aurora and Esmeralda County at the Nevada's second constitutional convention, convened to frame the state constitution in preparation for sta

The Archives

1864

In the fall of 1864 silver was discovered on Blind Springs Hill. Several miners set up camp around the hot springs. Benton Hot Springs was born.

1870s

As Benton prospered, businesses sprang up to serve the growing mining community. A Wells Fargo station and stagecoach stop, general stores, hotels, newspapers, saloons, and breweries made the town a lively regional hub.

1900

During the heyday of Benton, the population was 900 but plummeted to less than 50 at the turn of 20th century. This was a result of lower silver prices and lack of financing.

1920s

A new era dawned on Benton as it shifted away from mining to tourism. Warren Davis ushered in the this new era by renovating the Wai Wera Hotel and enticing tourists to enjoy "the waters".

NOW

W.W. Bramlette bought the town in 1928. For almost a century, the Bramlette family has operated Benton Hot Springs with a strong commitment to keeping the town alive.

Ongoing Projects

Heritage

Cultural Revitalization

We are actively engaging in restoration projects that highlight the vibrancy of Benton Springs' unique history, promoting awareness of its significance during the California Gold Rush.

Education

Educating the Community

Our educational programs aim to inform visitors about the importance of cultural preservation and the stories tied to our town’s heritage.

Volunteering

Community Involvement

Engage with us through volunteer opportunities, where you can help preserve and celebrate the historical legacy of Benton Springs while making a meaningful impact.