Keith, husband and wife, were founders of Cascade who remained there decades after everyone else had given up and left town. “The age of the stage passed, the railroad went in to Hot Springs and Cascade withered and died,” wrote journalist Jerry Wilson after a visit to the valley. Evans was determined that Hot Springs would have the only mineral spa in the Hills, and he even went to the expense of paying a stage coach driver to not stop at Cascade. Fred Evans, an ambitious businessman who owned much of the land around Hot Springs, put a quick end to Cascade’s growth, along with the economic crash which eliminated a lot of the town’s financial support. By the turn of the century, Cascade had 50 businesses, a post office and 400 residents. Town fathers hoped it would become a thriving spa destination due to the confluence of the warm mineral water and a railroad through the Hills. Photo by Stephen Gassman.Ĭascade was founded in the 1880s between Cascade Springs and the falls. It has the added nuance of being a historical public swimming hole for well over one hundred years.”Įarly settlers at Cascade hoped their village would become a popular destination for warm mineral baths and spas, but leaders of nearby Hot Springs plotted Cascade’s demise by directing traffic away from the town. “People feel safe about their kids being there. “The water isn’t too fast and you can find different depths of water,” explains Cindy Reed, who lives with her husband Marc Lamphere in an old building that was the Allen Bank in the town of Cascade. Rare plants are found there, including a fern, prairie gentian and orchid that are nonexistent in the rest of South Dakota.Ĭascade Falls is the only place along the creek recommended for swimming. ![]() ![]() The water’s temperature creates thick vegetation around the springs, creek and falls. The clean, clear water of the falls originates about two miles upstream at Cascade Springs, where a series of six artesian springs feed ever-warm, 67-degree water into Cascade Creek. But South Dakota still has some natural places and one of the best is 8 miles south of Hot Springs at Cascade Falls, where murmuring falls, lush foliage and warm turquoise-colored pools create a movie-like atmosphere in the middle of Fall River County. ![]() Today most swimming holes are concrete squares with colorful umbrellas and rows of plastic chairs. The Old Swimming Hole Warm water and rare plants make Cascade Falls a unique place to take a dip.Īrtesian springs fill Cascade Creek with constantly warm and clear water.
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