Rick Just
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A Geyser on Demand

9/10/2023

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Soda Springs is famous for its geyser as well as the several mineral springs in the area. Perhaps only Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park comes close to matching the regularity of the Soda Springs Geyser. Old Faithful blows into the air every 44 to 125 minutes. The Soda Springs geyser erupts every hour on the hour, but it gets a little help from a mechanical valve with a timer.
 
In 1937 local businessmen had in mind using the geothermal water that bubbled up in Pyramid Spring as the featured draw for a commercial bathhouse. They figured they could drill down to the source and pipe the water to the attraction they planned to build.
 
On November 28, they might have yelled “Eureka!” That was the day they hit the pressurized hot water at 315 feet. Once they removed the bit the water shot 70 feet into the air. But the water began to cool after a few days, and they discovered it had a high mineral content that made it impractical for commercial development. They capped the hole.
 
The National Park Service took notice, and the secretary of the interior cautioned the people of Soda Springs that they should turn off their geyser for good because "...it is throwing the world famous 'Old Faithful Geyser' off schedule."
 
That there was some direct connection between the Soda Springs geyser and Old Faithful, 134 miles to the northeast, was pure fantasy. But the town leaders saw the value of having a captured geyser, so they installed a valve and timer on the old drill hole. You can see the geyser today blow 70 feet into the air, and hear it roar “like a mad dragon,” as one of the developers described the geyser in 1937.

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    Author, Speaker

    Rick Just has been writing about Idaho history since 1989 when he wrote and recorded scripts for the Idaho Centennial Commission’s daily radio program, Idaho Snapshots. One of his Idaho books explores the history of Idaho's state parks: Images of America, Idaho State Parks. Rick also writes a regular column for Boise Weekly.

    Rick does public presentations on Idaho's state park history and the history of the Morrisite war for the Idaho Humanities Council's Speakers Bureau.idahohumanities.org/programs/inquiring-idaho/
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    Check out Rick's history of Idaho State Parks.

    The audio link below is to Rick's Story Story Night set called "Someplace Not Firth"

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