The mineral hot springs about 8 miles north of Durango on La Plata County Road 203 has experienced several reincarnations as a therapeutic hot springs and resort since the late 19th century, but none as dramatic as the reconstruction by owners Bryan Yearout and Dan Carter. See what changes they’ve added to create what they hope will become a world-class destination.
Transcript
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I’m Eric Eicher, president
of Alpine Bank Durango.
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As we all live with the new
reality of the pandemic,
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innovative businesses
throughout Southwest Colorado
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are finding new ways to work
and serve our community.
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We invite you to learn
more about your neighbors
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in this edition of Business Matters.
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The former Trimble Hot Springs Resort,
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just north of Trimble Lane
on La Plata County Road 203,
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has undergone a number of reincarnations
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since Frank Trimble built the first
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swimming pool and hotel in 1882.
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But the most recent transformation
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may be the most dramatic.
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Durango businessmen Bryan
Yearout, Dan Carter,
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and his son Ken Carter,
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purchased the old Trimble
Hot Springs in 2019
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and began a $10 million transformation
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that when finished will include
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16 mineral hot springs soaking pools,
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eight Japanese-inspired
cedar soaking tubs,
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and an 83,000 gallon heated
saltwater swimming pool.
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The old hot soaking pool
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on the north end of the property
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has been turned into a mini amphitheater
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and includes a reflexology walking path,
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dining area, and bar.
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The group also will renovate
and upgrade the spa building,
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add a new private clubhouse
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on the far north end of the property,
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a sauna on the south end,
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and a clock tower featuring
a hot water outdoor shower.
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Yearout said he and his partners
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visited hot springs resorts
throughout the United States
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to come up with the design
for this newest incarnation.
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The old facility that they had here
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was the large pool,
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and being able to take advantage of that,
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but we’ve went to a few different places
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and the intimacy that we
can get with smaller pools
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and the ability to spread out
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and utilize the property better
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is really what made us drive to that.
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It works out great.
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I think that the customers love it.
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And yeah, just has kind of
giving us a new identity.
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The first businessmen who
turned the hot springs
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into a resort was pioneer Frank Trimble,
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who moved to the area in 1874
and claimed after soaking
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in the hot geothermal waters,
that his rheumatism was cured.
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Trimble built the first hotel in 1882
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and it later burned to the ground.
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Trimble lost the property to TD Burns,
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when he couldn’t repay an $8,000 loan.
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Burns then built the iconic
Hermosa House in 1896.
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Fire destroyed that building in 1931.
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New owners built a third hotel,
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which became a center
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for entertainment, gambling, and clubbing.
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Most famously attracting
actors Marilyn Monroe
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and Clark Gable who visited while filming
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“Across the Wide Missouri” in the 1950s.
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That building burned in
1957 and the hot springs
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remained close for more than 30 years
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until the Ruedi Bear family
resurrected the resort
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with geothermal soaking pools
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and an Olympic sized swimming pool.
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The hot springs changed hands
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one more time before
the Carters and Yearout
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purchased the property in 2019.
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Yearout said the
renovations take advantage
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of the same historical
geothermal water source
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to fill it’s soaking tubs.
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The geothermal waters
come out of the ground
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at 120 degrees and are
infused with 21 minerals.
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The most common of which
are sulfate, calcium,
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sodium, and silica.
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Hot tub temperatures range
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from about 90 degrees to 110 degrees.
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The swimming pool has been converted
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to a heated saltwater pool
and all the waters are infused
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with nano bubbles of pure oxygen.
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So the oxygen is nano bubbles of oxygen.
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We’re taking advantage of a company
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out of Phoenix that developed the process.
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It’s exceptional water,
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and they have a device
called an aqua gin that takes
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and it explodes oxygen,
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medical grade oxygen, into nano bubbles.
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And those nano bubbles
go into all of the water.
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And the nano bubbles are absorbed
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through the skin to help
increase blood oxygen content.
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It helps to restore healing.
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It helps create new skin cells.
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And it actually is probably one
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of the most beneficial things that we have
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in our water, just pure oxygen.
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And it’s, we’re the only hot springs
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in the world to have
it in our hot springs.
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Now we also have it in our swimming pool.
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And there’s many places that use it
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in swimming pools and spas, and you know,
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residential hot tubs and things like that.
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Works somewhat like a barametric chamber.
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The owners say they hope the improvements
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they’ve made will become
as big an attraction
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for visitors as Durango’s
other tourism amenities.
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In the meantime, Southwest
Colorado locals can enjoy
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the hot springs from 9:00
AM to 10:00 PM daily.
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Day passes are $30 for adults,
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$15 for children.
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Short term, seasonal, and annual
passes also are available.
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To control the number of
visitors during the pandemic,
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the resort requires
reservations in advance.
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For more information
about the hot springs,
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visit durangohotspringsresortandspa.com.
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Thanks for watching this edition
of the Local News Network.
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Be sure to stay up to date with
the latest news in your area
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through Twitter and Instagram.
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I’m Wendy Graham Settle.
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Whereever you are, we’re there with you.