By 1855 a rival establishment was built just a mile away, which would later be called West Baden Springs Hotel after the famous springs of Weisbaden, Germany. William Bowles was the first to cash in on the natural phenomenon by building the French Lick House in 1832. By the late 1800�s people began to recognize the potential of the natural mineral springs, and claimed the waters could cure anything from alcoholism to constipation.ĭr. En route from Vincennes to the Falls of the Ohio, buffalo were drawn to mineral springs and salt licks in this hilly area. The first to discover the region known as the Springs Valley, were probably the buffalo. French Lick and West Baden Springs History
