These natural hot springs were notable for their curative qualities and were nationally acclaimed by President Ulysses S. Grant when he visited in 1879. Early emigrants named them for their puffing and blowing. Located in 1860 by Felix Monet, they soon gained a hospital and adjacent bathhouses added by Doctor Ellis in 1861-1862. Comstock mining activity and the arrival of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad in 1871 made Steamboat a terminal where materials for the silver mines were transferred to freight wagons for the steep haul to Virginia City. When the tracks were completed, the junction was no longer needed, but the resort reached its height in the Bonanza Days, drawing silver kings, politicos, gamblers, news chroniclers, and ladies of the stage and opera house to its fine hotel, commodious dance hall, and elegant bar. With borasca, attendance declined, and fires destroyed the luxurious buildings, but the therapeutic waters endured for health seekers, athletes in conditioning, and users of the mineral muds prized by cosmeticians and race horse owners.