Centuries ago the Bannock-Shoshone Indian tribes set aside these natural hot mineral springs as neutral ground for all tribes. Trapper Joseph Miller and his party camped here in 1812. By 1863, the springs were a favorite stop for Oregon Trail travelers. Most early colonists were pioneers from Utah who called their settlement Dempsey. Indians granted the springs to the U.S. government, which ceded them to Idaho state in 1902. In 1915, the thriving village was incorporated and its name changed to Lava Hot Springs.