The Symes 'Time Machine'

Do you believe in time travel? You do not have to be H.G. Wells to transport yourself into the past. Montana has plenty of places that have the power to carry you back in time, such as well-preserved ghost towns and hotels like the Symes Hotel in Hot Springs.

Tucked away at the foot of the mountains between Kalispell and Missoula is a piece of unique Montana history, the Symes Hot Springs Hotel and Mineral Baths. The Symes is from a different era and its current owner of the last 25 years, Leslee Smith, has been careful to keep it that way. Chalk it up to me having an overactive, dark imagination, but I couldn't help but think of The Shining, when I first walked down some of the hotel's hallways. However, that's just me – unlike the Stanley from that Stephen King novel, the Symes is not really haunted (or is it?).

I am always interested in the history or beginnings of things. Leslee was gracious enough to take the time to show me around and relate many of stories of the early days of Hot Springs and the hotel, as well as some archival material that has not seen the light of day for decades, such as the original 1929 blueprints for the hotel. The hot springs that bubble up from the ground there, were well known to the local Salish, who used to partake of its healing waters from time immemorial. However, when the Treaty of Hellgate was signed in 1855, forming the Flathead Reservation, an 80-acre parcel containing these hot springs were excluded as a "government reserve." These later passed into private hands in 1910 with the homesteading acts that opened up the reservation to white settlement.

In 1929 Fred Symes purchased the property with one of the pre-existing hot springs with intent of building a destination resort. He contracted with Fred Brinkman, an architect in Kalispell to design a hotel in the "mission" style popular in California at the time. Brinkman did not disappoint and by late 1930, and $50,000 later, Fred's dream resort was a reality.

In the original drawings, the hotel had two identical wings, men's and a women's, each with 10 extra-long, claw-footed, cast iron enameled bathtubs. These allowed people to really stretch out and enjoy their mineral bath. Four of these original tubs are still there.

Even though the country had entered the Great Depression, the Symes hotel flourished. It was said to be "depression proof." In fact, its reputation spread so quickly that Fred had to build on a second floor over the west wing within the first few years.

In 1949, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes built their own bathhouse just down the road. In the beginning, it also gained quite a loyal following. However, through the 1950s, the popularity of hot springs in Montana waned, and with it, so did the population of Hot Springs – dropping from a high of over 2000 to only 411 by 1990. The dwindling clientele caused the Tribe to close its bathhouse in 1973, but somehow the Symes hung on.

Enter Leslee Smith. She and her husband were vacationing in Montana in 1996 and saw a "For Sale" sign in front of the hotel. Leslee fell in love with the mission-style building and its beautiful Montana setting. Maintaining the hotel has not been easy, but it has been a labor of love for the Smiths. They increased the number of rooms and put in the outdoor soaking pools with 4 different temperatures. They converted the east (women's) wing into a restaurant and made the remaining west wing "co-ed."

Smith said the medical aspect of the springs is still a draw for many people, but that many people today view it as a historic and romantic getaway destination. "People come here because we've got a lot to offer, and our water is really unique; it smells sulfurous, and there is a very high mineral content. A lot of these older springs resorts were turned into sanitariums because the water contains trace minerals like lithium and they were helpful for treating all sorts of disorders." That makes the Symes one of Montana's last surviving grand resort hotels. 

Furthermore, the resort has partnered with the Hot Springs Artists Community to become a social and cultural hub, with live music and events on a weekly basis, as well as a restaurant featuring "great homemade food." 

Visiting the Symes is like stepping back into the 1940's, providing guests with an escape from telephones and televisions and other nerve-jangling distractions of modern life, although reliable cell phone service has now come to the town of Hot Springs. What they specialize in is old-fashioned hospitality from folks who are genuinely happy to have you visit them – and maybe a few ghosts?