Mineral Wells

Mineral Wells is about 45 minutes west of Ft. Worth and located off of highway's. 180 and 281.  Mineral Wells located in the far south-east corner of Palo Pinto County which borders:  Parker County, Earth County, Stephens County, Jack County and Young County.

The Baker Hotel  |  Crazy Water Hotel  |  Famous Mineral Water Company
Lake Mineral Wells State Park & Trailway  |  National Vietnam War Museum

The Baker Hotel
Mineral Wells has a rich history and many historic places as well as around Palo Pinto County.  The most notable feature in Mineral Wells, has to be the Baker Hotel.  When traveling to Mineral Wells from Hwy. 281 the view of the Baker Hotel can be seen at least 8 miles from town.  The Baker is the highest structure in the skyline and one can not but help notice it in the distance.  The hotel was owned by T.B. Baker, who owned The Baker in Dallas and Saint Anthony in San Antonio.  Wyatt C. Hendrick and Company Architects designed and built the Baker Hotel, which was to resemble the Arlington Hotel (now Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa) in Hot Springs, Arkansas, which is still open today.

The Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells was a grand hotel with 14 stories and 450 rooms and a rooftop solarium for rooms on the 11th floor.  Mr. Baker actually had his own suite on the 11th floor.  It opened its doors in 1929, but the owners filed for bankruptcy in 1932, but many people have managed to keep the hotel going until 1972.  For a brief period, 1941 to 1944, the hotel was used by the military to house military families.  Since the 1970's, the hotel has stood and the city of Mineral Wells as well as the new owner hope to restore the hotel in the next several years, according to reports as of January 2007. Many movie stars of the era graced their presence at the Baker, such as, the Three
Stooges, Helen Keller, Will Rogers and Jean Harlow and many entertainers performed there as well, such as, Lawrence Welk, Judy Garland and Pat Boone.

The Baker Hotel also played host to the Republican State Convention in 1952 and the Democratic State Convention many times.

The Crazy Water Hotel
People flocked to Mineral Wells prior to the opening of the Baker.  Another attraction was the Mineral Springs and mineral water that could cure anything!  My Grandfather, who lived in Central Texas, had heard of Mineral Wells because of the mineral water and the majestic Baker Hotel.  The Crazy Water Hotel was built in 1914 near well No. 3., which was dug in 1888. The history of the Crazy Water Hotel is that a well was dug by James A. Lynch because his family need fresh water as well as his farm, so he dug a well near his home.  When Lynch went to drink the water he found that is was "too foul smelling to be drinkable" (Hopkins).  After awhile they needed the water so badly that Lynch's wife drank the water.  Eventually, after drinking the water for little while, she said her arthritis was cured due to the mineral water.

The well water had enriched minerals which made it "prime medicinal value", of course this was way before the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) was created (Hopkins).  In a small town word gets around and of course, the claim was that the mineral water had "healing" powers.  So, The Crazy Water Hotel was built near well No. 3 upon the discovery of Lynch and the need of a hotel in the town.  According to Bob Hopkins' article, "Ghosts of the Crazy Water Hotel", he has researched that well No. 3 was actually called "the Crazy Water Well", but the children referred to the well as "the Crazy Well".  The word "Well" was dropped from the name and was thus, called "Crazy Water". Hopkins' also has found that the original name for Mineral Wells was actually "Endaville" which was established a short time after the changing of well No. 3's name (Hopkins). The Crazy Water Hotel was four stories tall but a fire destroyed the hotel in March 1925.

In 1927, the hotel was rebuilt by Carr and Hal Collins from Dallas.  The new Crazy Water Hotel was built on the original foundation of the first with seven stories and two bathhouses.  Electric elevators were even installed in the new hotel with 200 rooms. Many people visited the Crazy Water Hotel as well as Mineral Wells but things simmered down from the hype of miraculous mineral water and the hotel in the 1940's.  Today the Crazy Water Hotel is a retirement home and great place to visit for the nostalgic era.

The Famous Mineral Water Company
This business is still going strong in downtown Mineral Wells where you can taste free samples of the famous mineral water as well as buy it.  Ed Dismuke, pharmacist from Waco, started the company in 1904.  Dismuke came to Mineral Wells for the healing power of the mineral water since he had a stomach ailment and eventually moved permanently to Mineral Wells.  Dismuke's diagnoses was not good since doctors told him that he didn't have long to live, (he was in his 40's) and he lived a long life to his late '90s!

Dismuke started a business where he would sell mineral water to visitors in town by the cup.  He partnered with Cicero Smith, a banker, and they bought property on West Mountain where they had a recreational area around Lake Pinto (called at the time).
They dug a well around the lake and found mineral water, so they pumped it to the now infamous, Famous Water Company.

According to literature from the Mineral Wells Chamber of Commerce, in the '60s, A.D. Stone and his wife dug a deeper well and "the deep well produces portable water with a mineral content about one-third as high as the original 'Crazy Water'" (MW Chamber of Commerce).

The mineral water is safe to drink and comes in three varieties:  Premium (no minerals), Natural Deep Well Mineral Water (medium mineral content) and Natural Crazy Mineral Water (high mineral content).  The mineral water goes through a process where it is "ozonated and treated with ultra-violet light to kill" bacteria and it is filtered in reverse osmosis.

Live entertainment on Friday nights are at the Famous Mineral Water Company located at the Famous Pavilion.  Current owners are the Elder & Arnesons families.  To learn more about the Famous Mineral Water Company please visit their website.

Lake Mineral Wells State Park & Trailway
Nature at its best.  There are so many activities at the Lake Mineral Wells State Park & Trailway...from fishing to nature trails to biking on the nature trail.  The park even hosts many activities from Night Sounds, where people can take in the sounds of nature and survival classes for children in the wilderness.  Located off US-180 on the East side of town, over 3,200 acres of  Lake Mineral Wells and nature trails.

The park has the new "Lone Star Amphitheater" where events take place.  Permitted in the park are:  horses for horseback riding, hiking, bicycling as well as available campsites for over night stays.  The fees are:  $5 a day per person age 13 or older; Free for children 12 and under.  Group sponsored trips are permitted, but contact the park for fee's and rules.  The park is open year round and the hours are 6 AM to 10 PM.

This is one place to visit in Mineral Wells if you are looking for a great place to take family or to camp.  To learn more please visit the Lake Mineral Wells State Park & Trailway link located on the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department website.

The National Vietnam War Museum
This attraction will be the first in the United States dedicated to the veterans of the Vietnam War.  When this site is complete it will have 11 exhibits that will go chronological through the war.  The ground work has already been broken with a foundation for the Service Center as well as the Mediation, Contemplation and Vietnam Memorial Garden.  The museum site is located off Highway 180 (Mineral Wells Hwy.) on the East side of Mineral Wells, for directions, please click here.

The project was started in 1998 and the following year the 12-acre site was purchased. This museum will be based on an "unbiased story of the more than 5 million servicemen and women who served" in this war.  The culture of the Vietnamese as well as their history will also be told  and how the United States viewed this war.  To learn more about this historic museum or to become a supporter, please visit their website here.

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Sources:  Hopkins, Bob. "Ghosts of the Crazy Water Hotel". Texas Escapes. Jul. 2002. 09 Mar. 2007 <http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasPanhandleTowns/MineralWellsTexas/
GhostsofCrazyWaterHotel.htm>; Mineral Wells Chamber of Commerce. Pamphlet. <http://www.mineralwellstx.com>; Stucco, Johnny. "Baker Hotel:  Rooms with a Past". Texas Escapes. Aug. 2002. 09 Mar. 2007 <http://www.texasescapes.com/Texas
PanhandleTowns/MineralWellsTexas/BakerHotelMineralWellsRWP.htm>; The National Vietnam War Museum, Inc. 09 Mar. 2007 <http://www.nationalvnwarmuseum.org./
index.htm>