Fisher Springs at Muddy Creek, Oregon

A natural hot springs in the foothills above Muddy Creek gave fruit to a swimming pool.

Our thanks to Sallie Fisher for providing the information for this story, and Dora Gourley for putting it together!!

Photo of the source of the hot water which spawned the swimming pool idea in 1901. The area is no more than a four or five foot square.
 

W.H. and Mollie Shoemaker owned the land where the hot water came bubbling out of the ground. W.H., a furniture manufacturer, used the hot water to turn the wheel which powered his lathes. *photo of one of his chairs in the possession of Sallie Fisher. A 2001 article in Record-Courier advises one of Mr. Shoemaker’s captain chairs made at the springs resides in the Odd Fellow’s Hall in Baker City.

The springs also powered the first generator providing the electricity in the area. It was carried from the spring to the house on a wooden flume.

Benjamin and Cora Fisher purchased the Fisher Springs Ranch from Shoemakers Oct. 7, 1901. Perhaps it is Benjamin who installed the generator.

With the hot water already in place, Benjamin built the first swimming pool, made of logs, on the property. This pool was down the hill from the second pool and was 10 x 15 ft.
 

photo Post card advertising ‘Fisher’s Warm Springs” in 1928 states the pool was sharing its 26th season for paying guests. This would indicate the pool was built around 1902.

A second pool, lined with concrete was built up the hill from this first one in 1916.
 

photo of this pool before the concrete edge was complete. Frieda Zastrow report the boy standing on the right watching the men swim was H.K. Fisher. This pool continued to operate during the depression before the new swimming pool at Radium Hot springs, near Haines, took the business away. After Benjamin Fisher passed away, his wife Cora acting as life guard, sold sodas and hot dogs. She also sold cherries and apples from their orchard. Her children and grandchildren helped run the business and the farm. H.K. Fisher reported the men and women swam separately with Cora blowing a whistle to let them know when one genders time was up and the other one could enter the pool.

The Fishers property was divided at some point with Glenn Fisher, given the house site near the pool and the farm to the north of the current Fisher property. Bertha Romans, was given the main farm property including the spring, orchard and the swimming pool. It is assumed the pool closed to the public after this transaction and renters lived on the property.

Doris and Bill Leggett lived there for a time and Bill and Connie Fisher did also for several years.

H.K. and Iris Fisher purchased Fisher’s Springs Ranch from Bertha Romans in 1963. The pool was closed to the public at that time and was used for family get together’s. It was falling into disrepair, the flume was leaking and H.K. worrying about the sanitation in the water supply ran pvc pipe from the flume to the house as a source of water. When the pool crumbled to the point it lost water when the supply was shut off due to cracks in the floor it was determined the risk far out weighed the benefit and in 2001 the water was drained and the pool filled in.
 

Fisher Springs Property remains in the H.K. and Iris K. Fisher Trusts.
 

Lloyd Fisher 1965
	Other Buildings on Fisher Property

Clever Chairs and Fisher Springs

Web Masters Note:  I remember a young lady who was on her first date with a certain young man, when passing Fisher Springs, the hot water had ran across the road had caused a ditch in the frozen ground.  When the rear tires of the car hit this ditch, the back axel of the car was broken!!  But wouldn't you marry a guy who broke his axel trying to impress you???

Muddy Creek