Hot Sulphur Springs was founded as the first town in Grand County around 1870. By 1903 it gained incorporation. The hot springs in the area were considered a healing and sacred place by the Ute Indians long before the white man discovered them.
The town site was once owned by William N. Byers, founder of the Denver newspaper, the Rocky Mountain News. Planning to build a town to take advantage of the springs, he first had to construct an enclosure around the main pool to keep the Indian ponies out and the steam in. The white settlers and travellers were drawn to the springs for their therapeutic value.
During the Christmas season of 1911, Hot Sulphur Springs hosted the first Winter Carnival west of the Mississippi.
Except for a brief period in the early 1880’s, the town has been the county seat. The Grand County Historical Museum there draws many visitors to its unique displays.
R.C. Black, Island in the Rockies. Pruett Publishing Company, 1969
William Bright, Colorado Place Names. Johnson Printing Company, 1993
Conversation with Duane Dailey, Hot Sulphur Springs resident, 2004