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 "Tecopa"
comes from a Paiute word meaning wildcat, like this local resident. The Tecopa Hot Springs have been a source of healing since time
immemorial, used by Shoshone, Paiute, and intertribal travelers and
traders.
In
the last 150 years of immigration, mines and whole towns have come and
gone, along with numerous jobs and businesses. But the hot springs
remain.  A
large
Native community called Yaga was located just east of the springs,
at least through the 1930's. For thousands of years,
the area was traversed by a major trading route. With the arrival of the Spanish, this route later
became known as the Old Spanish Trail between Santa Fe and Los Angeles.
When mining communities expanded, a treaty agreement was reached
with
Paiute Pawinavi Tecopa, a renowned negotiator, (also
recorded as Tecopet and Tecopur) about shared use of the hot springs, so that everyone could continue to benefit from their healing powers. This agreement specified separate gender bathing, open hours,
no pollutants and no charge for use. The
agreement has been honored by everyone from the mid-1800s until November
1, 2004, when Inyo County administration sub-leased the springs to a
private corporation.
During the local mining boom, The Tonapah and Tidewater (T&T) Railroad later also used the springs
to refill the trains. In
the late 1920’s, Harry Rosenberg and Jim Francis paid $10.00 to the
T&T President, J.B. Johnson, for the right to “open up [the]
spring ˝ mile east of the Squaw spring in order that the people of this
community can build a pool for the use of the public.” they built a
tin shelter around the springs. In 1930, the
springs were permanently reserved for public use by a Presidential
decree. Unfortunately, the BLM
now holds that a private corporation charging a fee is still
"public use", and most local residents boycott the current
regime. However, Tecopa's powerful healing waters continue to provide relief
from a long list of ailments to local residents and visitors from all over the world,
at private
spas, at the hot creek in the local marsh and at the "public"
facility. |
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