THERMOPOLIS — Since the late 1960s, the Fountain of Youth RV Park in this central Wyoming town has been an idyllic place for visitors to swim outdoors all year-round for going on six decades.
But its large, outdoor pool has seen better days. It’s heated by 1.3 million gallons of hot mineral water a day that flows through the Sacajawea fountain.
It’s a nostalgic memory for grandparents who remember the all-American road trips they took when they were kids.
“When I was a kid, we stopped here to camp on our way to Yellowstone National Park,” said the RV park’s new owner Terry Bane. “It was just enchanting to me. Back then, there was a mermaid statue, and it was a cool thing to go get in the hot pool.
“There was always the steam that rose off of it, it was pretty magical.”
Bane never imagined that she would one day own this mystical place, and now she wants to revive the park and make similar memories for new generations of road-trippers.
“My husband has a construction company and had a job in Lysite,” she said. “He started a search for houses for sale close to the job site and found this house on Red Lane. Since I'd always loved hot springs, he bought it as our retirement home.”
As Bane began moving into her new home, she started dreaming of owning her own hot springs to recapture some of her childhood magic.
“I had my son, Tristan, call over and ask if they were going to sell it,” she said. “Somebody got a hold of me, and we purchased it.”
Tristan Painter is now the manager and is as enthusiastic about the RV Park and pool as his mom.
“It's an awesome job,” Painter said. “The place is definitely a magical place. It's been super fun and so many interesting people come through here. They are all passionate and love the place.
“We have so many return customers. We also get people who think they're coming for one day and end up spending four days, which is really awesome to see.”
An Accidental Destination
The hot mineral pools at the Fountain of Youth RV Park were actually an accident.
In 1918, W.B. Garret had hired C.F. Cross to drill for oil on his property.
Instead of the black gold he was hoping for, Cross struck hot mineral water, pouring out of the ground at nearly 1.4 million gallons every 24 hours at 130 degrees.
Garret kept the well and named it in honor of Sacajawea, the Shoshone woman who guided Lewis and Clark on their expedition into the Northwest.
Five years later, he had sold the hot water well to Hot Springs County so that it would have a place for widows, orphans and others in need.
On March 2, 1923, the local newspaper wrote, “The Hot Springs County Poor Farm at the hot water wells north of town is ready for occupancy. The county will have an ideal place to take care of its poor that will save the county many hundreds of dollars.”
However, the poor farm was only opened for just over a decade. By 1938, the pool was advertised as the “Scotch Plunge” located only 2 miles north of Thermopolis.
It was Oscar and Etta Payne who opened the RV park and renamed the area the Payne’s Fountain of Youth Trailer Park.
Enthusiastic Airstream owners themselves, they had bought the Scotch Plunge mineral pool in 1967 and developed the RV park, advertising it as a “health pool.”
The pools at the Fountain of Youth RV Park are open year-round. In fact, most people prefer to swim in the hot mineral water during the colder months. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily) 
The hot mineral water at the Fountain of Youth RV Park is air cooled and generally comes out of the ground between 130 and 125 degrees. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily) 
The Sacajawea Well was accidently drilled in 1918 when the owner was searching for black oil. Although disappointed, he made the best of the situation and eventually sold his hot water well to Hot Springs County for a poor farm. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily) 
Camping spots are available year-round at the Fountain of Youth RV Park (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily) 
There are three different pools at the Fountain of Youth RV Park. The first is a cooling pool, the second is a hot tub for soaking and the third is a toasty 100 degrees that is best for swimming. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily) 
Newspaper clipping from the 1970s about the Air Stream “invasion” at the Fountain of Youth RV Park. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily) 
The pools at the Fountain of Youth RV Park are open to all campers and for day use. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily) 
1970s postcard featuring the Fountain of Youth RV Park. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily)
Back To Its Former Glory
Over the ensuing decades, the RV park has gone through several managers and the facilities had been in decline.
Using their construction background and passion to bring back the magic, Bane and her husband, David, have been busy renovating since they bought the business.
“Hopefully, we get it back to its original beauty,” Bane said. “From what I had heard, when this park was brand new, it was the most beautiful RV park in the world.”
Shade trees, picnic areas and laughter were a constant at the Fountain of Youth RV Park and the family is excited to help make memories for a new generation of children.
“There’s a lot of deferred maintenance,” Bane said. “It just needs a lot of catch up, and my husband's good at fixing things. Over the years, it has become very rundown, and we're working really hard to restore it.”
It’s a methodical process.
“We just redid all of the middle B row,” Painter said, indicating the RV spaces. “We completely redid all the electric and water and put in sprinklers so we can keep the grass green and watered.”
“We also have our concrete contractor here, and he is going to work to put the new edging and sidewalks around the pool,” Bane added. “So, we're pretty excited about all the progress.”
The pools have been scrubbed of all the green algae and are now beautifully clean.
The bathrooms and showers were also updated and are available to anyone who uses the park.
Day Use
Although camping has slowed down as the days are getting shorter, the air cooler and schools are back in session, visitors are still flocking to the hot springs pool.
“It's just $10 and you have access to the pool for the entire day. You can even leave and come back,” Painter said. “I don't know if that's due to the fall weather as it gets cooler, or if it's because we don't have that road construction going on anymore. We are just getting a lot more people coming in for day use for the pool now that I didn't see as much in the summer.”
The hot water is air cooled and typically comes into the pools at 125 degrees. By the time it reaches the farthest pool, it is still at a toasty 100 degrees.
As colder weather settles in, Painter said that’s the best time to soak and swim all day.
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
