La Vida Hot Springs were a historically significant natural spring and nearby hot-water well in Carbon Canyon, Chino Hills, Orange County, California, United States.
| La Vida Mineral Springs | |
|---|---|
| La Vida (or LaVida) Hot Springs La Vida Mineral Springs Well La Vida Hot Soda Springs | |
 La Vida c. 1920 (Edward W. Cochems, UC Irvine Libraries) | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 33°56′06″N 117°47′33″W / 33.935°N 117.7926°W |
| Elevation | 790 ft (240 m)[1] |
| Type | Thermal |
| Discharge | 76 L/min (20 US gal/min)[2] |
| Temperature | 43 °C (109 °F)[2] |
| Depth | 2,035 ft (620 m)[1] |
Geography
editThe La Vida springs were located about halfway between Pomona and Anaheim.[2] They are very close to the point where the borders of Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties meet, specifically about 1.35 mi (2.17 km) southwest of the Orange County line.[1] The water well was about 150 ft (46 m) north of Carbon Canyon Road, and the bottling plant that existed for a time was adjacent to the well.[1] The closest human settlement is historic Olinda.[1] The La Vida subdivision of the geologic Puente Formation is named for rock layers found in the vicinity of La Vida Mineral Springs.[3]
History
editLa Vida is the site of two separate water sources, a natural spring or seep known to indigenous people, and a water well drilled in 1893 as part of the exploration of the Brea-Olinda Oil Field.[4][5][6]
La Vida Mineral Springs, sometimes called LaVida Hot Springs, was operated as a resort and spa from the 1910s to the 1980s.[7] The resort had swimming pools, a café, and cabins and a motel for visitors. The springs were also the site of LaVida Beverage bottling plant.[8] (La Vida Beverage later moved many operations to Fullerton.)[9]
Major development of the site began with a $150,000 investment in 1924,[10] and with the paving of the Carbon Canyon Road in 1925, which was touted as a "benefit to ranchers".[11] This development might have also been beneficial to bootleggers that were based at La Vida during the Prohibition era.[5][12] At least one of the buildings on the site had a "Thirties Deco look," and the owners of the beverage company were based in downtown Los Angeles in the early 1930s.[6][13][14] Former boxer Archie Rosenbaum had a stake in the place at one time, and La Vida eventually became a popular resort for Southern California's Jewish community in the mid-20th century.[5]
The site was bought and operated by a Japanese-American family in the 1970s and 1980s but was closed following a 1988 fire.[5] Only a restaurant survived, which became a popular biker bar.[12] The 2008 Freeway Complex Fire destroyed most of the remaining infrastructure on the site except the concrete water tank.[15]
Water profile
editThe well produced 25,000 to 30,000 gallons a day.[6] Despite the common name "hot springs," La Vida is classified by geothermal energy researchers as a warm spring; the water temperature was 43 °C (109 °F).[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e South Coastal Basin Irrigation Report (1933), p. 44.
- ^ a b c d Higgins, Therberge & Ikelman (1980).
- ^ Durham & Yerkes (1964), p. B12.
- ^ Berkstresser (1968), p. A-9.
- ^ a b c d Schrader, Esther (July 22, 1997). "Hoping Hot Springs Are Hot Spot Again". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ a b c Sammon (1986), p. 144.
- ^ Spitzzeri, Paul (October 17, 2020). "In Hot Water in Carbon Canyon". Champion Newspapers. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ Falk, Tracy Smith (February 9, 2024). "La Vida Mineral Springs of Carbon Canyon – Orange County Historical Society". Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ "The Historical volume and reference works v.2". HathiTrust. hdl:2027/uc1.31210011866041. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ "Business". Rio Vista Banner. January 25, 1924. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ "Paving Canyon Road is Indorsed". The Bulletin. June 6, 1925. p. 8. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ a b Orange County. Arcadia Publishing. 2005. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-7385-3054-3.
- ^ "Bulletin no.107 1932". HathiTrust. hdl:2027/uc1.31210017404276. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ "California mineral production and directory of mineral producers for 1932 / by Henry H. Symons no.109 1933". HathiTrust. hdl:2027/osu.32435026407494. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ Prs (December 31, 2014). "Carbon Canyon Chronicle: La Vida Mineral Springs Tank: Vandalism or Deterioration?". Carbon Canyon Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
Sources
edit- "Table 11: Wells in Lower Santa Ana River Area". South Coastal Basin Investigation: Detailed Analyses Showing Quality of Irrigation Waters, Supplemental to Bulletin No. 40 (Report). Bulletin of the California State Department of Water Resources. Sacramento: California Department of Public Works. 1933.
- Berkstresser, C. F. Jr. (1968). "Data for springs in the southern coast, Transverse, and Peninsular Ranges, of California". Data for Springs in the Southern Coast, Transverse, and Peninsular Ranges of California (Report). USGS Numbered Series Open-File Report No. 68-10. California Department of Water Resources. Menlo Park, Calif.: U.S. Department of the Interior, Geological Survey, Water Resources Division. doi:10.3133/ofr6810.
- Durham, D.L.; Yerkes, R.F. (1964). Geology and Oil Resources of the Eastern Puente Hills Area, Southern California. USGS Professional Papers. U.S. Geological Survey. doi:10.3133/pp420b. 420-B.
- Higgins, Chris T.; Therberge, Albert E. Jr.; Ikelman, Joy A. (1980). Geothermal Resources of California (PDF) (Map). NOAA National Geophysical Center. Sacramento: California Department of Mines and Geology. County code number: OR-1.
- Sammon, John W. (January 1986). "Wellsprings of Health". Orange Coast. Emmis Communications. pp. 142–144. ISSN 0279-0483.
External links
edit- homesteadmuseum (March 16, 2024). "Sharing Some History of La Vida Mineral Springs With the Orange County Historical Society". The Homestead Blog.
- Orange County Historical Society (OCHS) (March 29, 2024). La Vida Mineral Springs of Carbon Canyon. California – via YouTube.
- Prs (December 22, 2013). "Carbon Canyon Chronicle: Personal Recollections of La Vida Mineral Springs". Carbon Canyon Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-06-14.