Note: Indian Hot Springs is now privately owned. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

The natural hot springs in this area have been used for centuries by people seeking curative waters. Known as Indian Hot Springs, they were used by generations of nomadic Indian tribes. Following the Civil War, the U.S. army established several regiments of black soldiers, including the 10th Cavalry. Called "buffalo soldiers", by their Indian adversaries, the soldiers conducted numerous scouting and mapping expeditions in this region. Pursuing raiding bands of Mescalero Apache Indians, members of the 10th Cavalry were sent to guard water holes and river crossings known to be frequented by the Indians. At dawn on October 28, 1880, soldiers of companies B and K were attacked on a ridge near this site by Apaches. Although official and contemporary accounts of the battle vary, at least five buffalo soldiers were reported slain in the attack and were buried where they fell. They were: Carter Burns, George Mills, William Backus, Jeremiah Griffin, and James Stanley. Two soldiers, Scott Graves and Thomas Rach, were reported missing. Their bodies were said to have been found and buried with their comrades weeks later. The seven graves were relocated in this vicinity in the 1960s. Source.

Indian Hot Springs health resort, established here in the late 1920s and early 1930s, features several buildings, including a former clinic/hotel, however these properties are now privately owned.

There are seven springs in the vicinity of Indian Hot Springs spread across an area measuring 700 meters by 300 meters. In a 1979 test, Stump Spring was identified as the hottest spring in Texas, with water temperatures recorded at 117°F. At present, there are rock and wood structures resembling bathhouses around Chief and Squaw springs. In addition, evidence such as a carved trough at Chief Spring suggests interaction with the springs by ancient inhabitants, indicating the significance of these waters to the region's native populations. Source.