In 1728, a survey party led by William Byrd II visited these springs, where Byrd wrote in his diary that the water was “…what Adam drank in Paradise … by the help of which we perceived our appetites to mend, our slumber to sweeten, the stream of life to run cool and peaceably in veins, and if ever we dreamt of women, they were kind.” Byrd sighted a buffalo near the springs, giving Buffalo Springs its name. Beginning in 1817, a tavern and later a small resort operated there, but Buffalo Springs gained national prominence after Thomas F. Goode acquired the property in 1874. The spring water, believed to contain lithia effective in treating gout, rheumatism, and several other ailments, made the place famous, and “Buffalo Lithia Water” was widely promoted through nearly 20,000 outlets selling half-gallon jars worldwide. The fame of the water spurred expansion of the resort, which included hotels, cabins, a tennis court, bowling alley, and golf course, while visitors enjoyed horseback riding, nature walks, dancing to live music, and boat rides on a pond. In the early 20th century, improved medical knowledge and treatment led to the view that the amount of lithia in spring water was not medically effective, and although “Buffalo Lithia Water” continued to be marketed, a 1914 court ruling disallowed use of the word “lithia” to sell Buffalo Springs water and stated that a person would have to drink from 150,000 to 225,000 gallons per day to obtain any therapeutic dose of lithium from it. Even after the water fell out of favor, the resort remained popular with locals until 1949, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers purchased the land around Buffalo Springs for the John H. Kerr Reservoir, and the buildings and their contents were auctioned and hauled away, leaving little more than a gazebo and a tap where locals still fill bottles and jugs with the spring water.