This Trail is a County of Santa Barbara Designated Landmark
Montecito’s hot springs had been used by Chumash peoples for their healing properties since time immemorial. After the arrival of the Spanish and the early settlement of Montecito, the springs were also used by thrifty washerwomen. Whole families used to camp near the springs while the women pounded out the dirt of that season’s laundry.
Early American explorations of the springs revealed some 20-plus springs of varying temperatures which were believed to have medicinal properties. From gout to Bright’s disease, from dyspepsia to syphilis and scrofulous complaints, the waters of the springs could effect a cure, or so they believed.
In 1855, Wilbur Curtiss, whose health was broken after years of mining, visited the springs, which worked a miracle on his ailments. He was inspired to file a preemption claim (homestead claim) of 462 acres and set about creating a resort with a hotel and bathhouses and a good road to replace the narrow, intricate path to the springs. His enterprise, however, was plagued by wild animals, fire, flood, and landslides, but each time he rebuilt. By 1877, he was broke, and the property was sold. Over the years, it was sold again and again as subsequent owners tried to make a go of it, ultimately unsuccessfully.
In 1910, a group of investors purchased the property and organized an exclusive club, the Hot Springs Club. When the old hotel burned, a new clubhouse was built on its foundations. In 1962, Kenneth Hunter Sr. and Larry McCaslin acquired the property. In 1964, the Coyote fire destroyed the clubhouse.
In 2012, the owners wanted to sell, and the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County stepped up to help secure the property and trail for the public, who had used the road and trail for over a hundred years despite it being on private property. The Trust initiated a capital campaign and then spent another 19 months working with government agencies, utility companies, and neighboring owners before it could transfer the deed to the United States Forest Service, thereby granting the public a legal right to traverse this property. (Hattie Beresford)
(Sources: The Way It Was: Santa Barbara Comes of Age by Hattie Beresford – complete bibliography on page 180 of the book.)