Siloam Springs State Park land was originally part of the military tract of western Illinois set aside to be given to combat veterans. In 1852, George Meyers acquired the land for his service in the
Black Hawk War and
Mexican War. Local legend held that the spring water in the area had a medicinal effect. In the 1800s, visitors came to the five mineral springs. After Meyers' death, Quincy Burgesser, a local businessman and stock dealer, had the water analyzed and discovered it had a higher mineral content of
magnesium,
iron, and
sulfur than water from the famous healing springs of
Eureka Springs, Arkansas and
Waukesha, Wisconsin. Water from the Number Two spring was bottled and distributed by the
Wabash Railroad as far west as Kansas City, and bottling became a flourishing business for several decades. The Siloam Springs Company was founded in 1883 to operate the property. By 1884 he had erected two buildings, a bathing house and the Siloam Forest Home Hotel. The Siloam Forest Hotel, also known as the Siloam Forest Home Hotel, contained 40 rooms in its three-story structure. The L-shaped hotel had balconies, a ballroom, full kitchen facilities, tennis courts, and croquet grounds. In May 1887, a three-day grand opening attracted guests from as far as Colorado. Notable guests of the hotel included
Charles Edward Ringling,
P. T. Barnum, and
E. I. DuPont. The hotel closed from 1912 to 1915. In 1924, the hotel manager C. S. Johnson purchased the property from the Siloam Springs Company. However, the era of springs resorts was winding down. In 1934, J. S. Harwood purchased the property at a tax sale and renovated it. He operated it for two seasons before selling. In 1935, the Siloam Springs Recreation Club purchased the site in an effort to restore it and provide local recreation. Citizens of
Adams and
Brown counties raised money to match state funds. The hotel was renovated in 1937.
State Recreation Area By 1940, it was made into a state recreation area. The state decided not to maintain the old structures and they were torn down for lumber by 1943. The hewn stone foundation of the hotel is still visible in the present-day. The No. 2 spring house was rebuilt in 1995 and contains the most popular spring. Between October 1954 and August 1955, an earthen dam was constructed across a deep ravine and the 58-acre lake was created from the waters of Crabapple Creek, a branch of McKee Creek. The lake has a maximum depth of 45 feet. This lake was the second in Illinois built from the Dingle-Johnson Act funds. Siloam Springs was dedicated as a state park in 1956. == Geology ==