| La Vida Mineral Springs | |
|---|---|
| La Vida (or LaVida) Hot Springs La Vida Mineral Springs Well La Vida Hot Soda Springs | |
 La Vida Mineral Springs and Carbon Canyon Mineral Springs in Carbon Canyon in Orange and San Bernardino counties, California c. 1949 (USGS Yorba Linda quandrangle map) | |
 | |
| 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] |
La Vida Hot Springs are a historically significant natural spring and nearby hot-water well in Carbon Canyon in Orange County, California, United States.
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,[3] 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 major settlement is 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.[4]
History
editLa Vida is the site of two separate water sources, a natural spring known to indigenous people and a water well drilled in 1893 as part of the exploration of the Brea-Olinda Oil Field.[5][6][7]
La Vida Mineral Springs, sometimes called LaVida Hot Springs, was operated as a resort and spa from the 1910s to the 1980s.[8] 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.[9] (La Vida Beverage later moved many operations to Fullerton.)[10]
Major development of the site began with a $150,000 investment in 1924,[11] and with the paving of the Carbon Canyon Road in 1925 touted as a "benefit to ranchers".[12] This development might have also been beneficial to bootleggers that were based at La Vida during the Prohibition era.[6] 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.[7][13][14] Former boxer Archie Rosenbaum had a stake in the place, which eventually became a popular resort for Southern California's Jewish community in the mid-20th century.[6]
The site was bought and operated by a Japanese-American family in the 1970s and 1980s but was closed following a 1988 fire.[6] Only a restaurant survived, which became a popular biker bar.[15] The 2008 Freeway Complex Fire destroyed the most of the remaining infrastructure on the site.[16]
Water profile
editThe well was said to produce 25,000 to 30,000 gallons a day.[7] The water temperature was reported to be 43 °C (109 °F).[2]
Additional images
edit
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).
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Jengod/Springsdraft
- ^ Durham & Yerkes (1964), p. B12.
- ^ Berkstresser (1968), p. A-9.
- ^ a b c d e 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. 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.
- ^ "Bulletin no.107 1932". HathiTrust. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ "California mineral production and directory of mineral producers for 1932 / by Henry H. Symons no.109 1933". HathiTrust. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- ^ Orange County. Arcadia Publishing. 2005. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-7385-3054-3.
- ^ Spitzzeri, Paul (October 17, 2020). "In Hot Water in Carbon Canyon". Champion Newspapers. 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 (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.
- Bliss, James D. (1983). California, Basic Data for Thermal Springs and Wells as Recorded in GEOTHERM: Part A. U.S. Geological Survey.
- 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.
- Durham, D.L.; Yerkes, R.F. (1964). Geology and oil resources of the eastern Puente Hills area, Southern California (Report). USGS Professional Papers. doi:10.3133/pp420b. 420-B.
External links
edit- Orange County Historical Society [CA] (March 29, 2024). La Vida Mineral Springs of Carbon Canyon - Mar 2024 - OCHS. Retrieved 2024-06-14 – via YouTube.
- homesteadmuseum (March 16, 2024). "Sharing Some History of La Vida Mineral Springs With the Orange County Historical Society". The Homestead Blog. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- Prs (December 22, 2013). "Carbon Canyon Chronicle: Personal Recollections of La Vida Mineral Springs". Carbon Canyon Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-06-14.