History

History of Healing Waters

Indigenous people enjoyed the healing waters
In early 1900s the town became known as a healing destination
In 1930s Carrie Tingley Hospital used mineral water to treat polio

Courtesy of Sherry Fletcher and Cindy Carpenter: Images of America - Truth or Consequences
Legend has it that the Apaches and warring tribes declared truce among themselves so they could soak peacefully in the healing waters here. Based on archeological and anthropological findings it appears that generations of indigenous people enjoyed the natural hot springs gracing this land. Military records indicate that soldiers began coming to soak as early as 1863.  In the following decades, cowboys, miners and other settlers began arriving to use the waters.  Bathhouses sprouted up throughout the area.  By the early 1900s, the town of Hot Springs New Mexico (currently Truth or Consequences) was becoming known as a healing destination.

People traveled here with ailments and illnesses seeking the medicinal properties of the mineral water.

Courtesy of Sherry Fletcher and Cindy Carpenter: Images of America - Truth or Consequences
Courtesy of Sherry Fletcher and Cindy Carpenter: Images of America - Truth or Consequences
In the 1930s, then New Mexico Governor Clyde Tingley and his wife Carrie built the Carrie Tingley Hospital for Crippled Children, to promote use of the healing waters for treatment of polio.  In the 1940s and 50s Magnolia Ellis and Dr. Edna White were amongst the legendary healing practitioners in Hot Springs.
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PO Box 1047
Truth or Consequences
New Mexico, 87901