Long before white men discovered these springs on September 9, 1812, Indians gathered here to use the free hot water. Except when they found hot springs, pre-historic Indians had a hard time getting hot water. They wove watertight baskets into which they put heated rocks. Here they had plenty of hot water for baths and for processing hides without going to all the work of heating baskets. This was one of their major campgrounds, especially in winter. After 1868, when they began to stay mostly on the Fort Hall Indian reservation, this spot lost its importance as a winter camp.