Early History
George Rogers Clark is credited with discovering the salt licks and mineral springs in 1778. The evidence of salt deposits enticed the government to plan on mining large quantities of salt for the demands of meat preservation to be used by the early pioneers. It was then determined the saline content was not sufficient to support the large scale extraction of salt and the property was offered for sale. Dr. William Bowles purchased the large tract of land where the French Lick Springs Resort now sits and built a small inn on the site. In 1832, the first French Lick Springs Hotel was constructed and the area became popular as a mineral springs resort. During the outbreak of the Mexican-American War, Dr. Bowles served as a commissioned officer in the US Army. Before leaving, Dr. Bowles signed a five year lease with Dr. John Lane, who agreed to enlarge and improve the facility. Through the deal Dr. Bowles would enjoy an improved facility with the potential for increased business at the lease's end. Dr. Lane would get back his initial investment as well as improved trade. However, the war lasted less than two years, and Dr. Bowles returned early.
The land Bowles bought from the government included the mineral springs one mile (1.6 km) north of French Lick, known as Mile Lick. Much of the property surrounding the springs at Mile Lick was marshy, subject to yearly flooding, and unsuitable to farming. Lane envisioned a business surpassing that of French Lick, and in 1851, he purchased 770 acres (3.1 km2) from Bowles. Lane assembled a sawmill, then erected a bridge to traverse Lick Creek. He then built a fine hotel, larger than the French Lick Springs Hotel, and the competition began.
Read more about this topic: West Baden Springs Hotel
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