A special exhibit under way at the Gilroy History Museum
highlights an underappreciated and underutilized South Valley
asset: the Gilroy Hot Springs.
The hot springs, which became part of Henry W. Coe State Park in
July 2003, have a long and storied history, which the exhibit
details.
A special exhibit under way at the Gilroy History Museum highlights an underappreciated and underutilized South Valley asset: the Gilroy Hot Springs.
The hot springs, which became part of Henry W. Coe State Park in July 2003, have a long and storied history, which the exhibit details.
Discovered in 1865 by a sheepherder, the springs are heated naturally to about 107 degrees. In the springs heyday in the 1890s, the Gilroy Hot Springs were the place to be seen soaking for fashionable San Francisco elite, who were not put off by the springs sulfurous odor.
The Great Depression began the Gilroy Hot Springs’ long decline as a tourist hot spot, and now the only way for the public to access the springs is through a guided tour led by a park ranger.
That’s too bad. While we don’t believe the hot springs could – or should – return to its 1890s heyday, we do believe they shouldn’t sit inaccessible behind locked gates.
Instead, the hot springs could serve as a complement to the tourism efforts of South Valley agencies and businesses, which often take advantage of our region’s natural beauty.
Longtime South Valley resident Jack Sturla, who shared fond memories of visiting the hot springs in his youth with reporter Martin Cheek, hopes that the hot springs will have a future that includes a way for visitors to once again soak in the springs mineral waters. Though the springs are not in San Benito County, and they bear the name of the city just to the north, they, like Coe Park, are a natural asset which can be enjoyed by all.
We urge stakeholders from environmentalists to tourism advocates, from government to residents to work together to come up with a plan that will permit access to the Gilroy Hot Springs while protecting the environmentally sensitive site.
We have several models – from the operation of Coe Park to the county park’s reservation system – that we can use for inspiration.
Let’s not let one of South Valley’s most unique environmental assets lie fallow any longer.
Let’s work to promote and preserve the hot springs.
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