Matilija Hot Springs was developed as a health spa and vacation resort by J.W.Wilcox in 1871. In 1873 cabins were added and a hotel built. The resort was destroyed by the floods of 1884, but rebuilt in 1885 with a bath house and other accommodations. It has been a favorite county mountain resort since the days the grizzly bear enticed the big game hunter, and native trout returning from the sea to spawn in the headwaters of the Ventura River lured fishermen from far and near.