Bromide Springs

In the spring of 1901, the town authorities of Sulphur Springs built a concrete catch basin over the Bromide Springs in order to catch the water. This structure caused the springs to become partially blocked off and they came out of the hill in a different place. One spring continued to flow into the basin but two others changed course.

In 1902, Supt. Swords built a small pavilion over the basin to help keep it sanitary. He was afraid to do any work on the springs as he had little experience in doing such things. Swords suggested that Professor Gould from the O. U. Geology Department be hired to examine the springs.

Charles Gould was an assistant to Joseph Taff of the U. S. G. S. in the original survey of the springs in 1901 before the Reservation was organized.

In the report made by Professor Gould in 1906, he noted that the seven Pavilion Springs were the most important group of springs in Platt National Park. This may have been true in respect to the shear volume of water produced by the Seven Sisters.

However, if one looks at the number of visitors and the volume of water carried away in bottles and jugs, the Bromide Springs were by far the most popular. Called the "Salt Springs" by cowboys and the early visitors, a 1906 analysis of the Bromide Spring water showed that the two most prevalent elements in the water was sodium and chlorine, or salt.

In his report of the Bromide Springs Group, Gould noted "The bromide group is located at the base of a conglomerate cliff south of Rock Creek, near the west end of the Park, a mile southwest of Pavilion Springs. The water from these springs is in good repute for its well known medicinal qualities and is eagerly sought after both by residents of the city and visitors."

The Bromide water was in great demand. It was claimed to cure everything known to mankind. There were many people who insisted that it cured stomach diseases.

The Bromide water was in such great demand that it was stolen at night and sold in area saloons. For this reason Supt. Swords hired a watchman to oversee the Bromide Springs. A house from the old town site was moved to the area and set up for the watchman.

The main bromide spring, known as Cliff Bromide Spring (#17), discharged at a height of 200 feet above the bed of Rock Creek. Its flow was only about 240 gallons per day. Supt. Swords had done some preliminary work to build a catchment basin for the springs. Supt Greene built a semicircular wall around the spring to increase its holding capacity and raise it above the flood stage of Rock Creek.

Cliff Bromide Spring was actually three springs piped together. Soon after the first basin was built, two of the springs stopped flowing.

The need for a substantial bridge across Rock Creek during high water was evident. At that time, Rock Creek could rise by twenty feet in a matter of minutes after a sudden downpour.

The only way to cross the creek at this time was a stepping-stone walk. A newspaper reported in May of 1907 that an elderly veteran had fallen and badly injured himself on the slippery stones. The dangerous crossing and the frequent flooding of Rock Creek, preventing visitors from accessing the springs, caused Supt. Greene, in 1908, to build the suspension bridge to the springs.

The visitors flocked to the springs to get their daily allotment of medicinal water. In December of 1907, the Watchman's monthly report indicated that there were 8,050 visitors and 4, 683 gallons of water taken away. In January of 1908, the Watchman recorded 7,017 visitors and 4,230 gallons of Bromide water carried away.

The stone and concrete basin that Supt. Swords built had several steps down to the water. The watchman filled each jug personally for sanitation reasons. With this volume of water being taken, the watchman had to make several hundred trips daily down the steps.

Supt. Greene had a larger galvanized steel container installed with spring spigots so the visitors could fill their own jugs. This greatly reduced the tiresome job on the elderly watchman making so many trips down the steps.

In addition to the larger basin at the springs and the new bridge, Greene had a new pavilion built. Some days the crowd was so large that they had to wait for hours to get their water. Often the crowd would be as large as 700 people waiting in the rain or hot sun to get water. A new pavilion was built on the south bank of Rock Creek between the cliff and the creek. The new pavilion measured forty feet long and twenty-three feet wide.

Several requests had been made to the Secretary for the installation of phones in the Park. The Secretary would only allow the Park office to have a phone. The final act that got the much desired phone service happened on July 27, 1907.

Four men in a drunken condition arrived at the springs in the late afternoon. They were cursing and belligerent towards the Watchman and the Park visitors. After an episode of "indecent exposure" one of the visitors ran to the nearest phone in town and called the U. S Marshal who in turn rode to the residences of Rangers Townsley and Earl. The trio rode their horses in hot pursuit of the quartet of troublemakers. By the time the Rangers arrived at Bromide Springs, the men had fled the Park.

The next day, Supt. Greene ordered that a pay phone be installed at the Bromide Pavilion so the watchman or visitors could report trouble immediately to his office or the residence of a Ranger.

Superintendent Greene wrote a letter to the Secretary stating that "a great many visitors have a crude sense of sanitation and a small percent are lawless". The Secretary refuses the expenditure of the money for an additional Ranger.

Greene persisted in his efforts to get another ranger hired and finally the Secretary of the Interior agreed. Ranger McDaniel was hired as the third ranger and a house was moved to the area of the Bromide Springs as a residence. McDaniel was to enforce the rules of the park and maintain order in the west end of the Park.

In 1908, the Oklahoma Legislature requested that a daily railroad shipment of water be sent to the state capitol when the legislature was in session. The amount requested was: 10 gallons of Antelope Spring water, 10 gallons of Sulphur water and 5 gallons of Bromide water.

During the early years of the Reservation and Park, several different pavilions were built over the springs to maintain sanitary conditions and protect the visitors.

Camping in the area known as Webster Park was allowed around Bromide Springs. The land where the Rock Creek Campground was located not purchased until the early 1940's.

Small comfort stations were built for the visitors and it was not until the coming of the CCC in 1933 that major work was done on the area. New roads and parking lots were constructed near the springs. Walks and trails up the Bromide Hill were laid out and retaining walls constructed.

A new pavilion was built on the north side of Rock Creek to eliminate the need to cross the creek during high water. A new circular fountain was built at the end of 12th street and new comfort stations constructed. The interesting thing about the 12th Street Fountain is that the water did not come from the Park.

The jet fountain in the pool was fed from an artesian well drilled at the old Caylor bathhouse on the corner of Lindsey and W. 11th Street. The excess flow from the well, called the "Jack Diamond Well", was piped to the jet fountain as well as the two drinking fountains situated on each side of the fountain. It was reported that when constructed, the fountain shot 30 feet into the air and could be seen eight blocks away.

In 1934-35, the CCC set out more than 3,000 red cedar seedlings on Bromide Hill and around the springs area. The Iron Bridge across Rock Creek was planned to be demolished also because the steel structure did not fit in with the Park's new landscape scheme. The bridge was removed at the beginning of WWII.

The CCC had constructed numerous hiking trails, roads, footbridges, the 12th Street entrance & Fountain, the Bromide Pavilion, comfort stations, parking lots and roads in the Bromide Springs area and made it one of the most beautiful areas of the Park. Additional acreage was acquired in 1941 and camping was no longer permitted in the Bromide area. The new Rock Creek Campground was later opened.

©  by Dennis Muncrief  -  2006