Pioneers traveling west on the Oregon Trail discovered this spring after Plains Indians had frequented it for centuries. It provided an oasis for people and animals alike in the “Great American Desert.” In 1867, Union Pacific railroad workers named it “Big Spring,” and the area was officially designated “Big Springs” in 1884. During that era, a pipe was laid from the spring to the tracks, and the water was used for steam locomotives until 1907. Homesteaders also used the spring for drinking, baptisms, and ice skating on the pond it created. Despite truckloads of rock dumped into the spring to curb its flow, it continues to run. In 1962, the Big Spring Garden Club beautified the spring and park area, and in 1997 the community and South Platte Schools carried out a renovation that included walkways, a new bridge, and tree plantings.