01Summary
Hundreds of naturally fizzy springs near the Bear River. Many emigrants stopped to taste the water, and fur traders had nicknamed the place Beer Springs.
02History
Soda Springs is a cluster of hundreds of naturally carbonated springs near the Bear River in present-day Caribou County, Idaho. Native people knew them long before the fur traders, who nicknamed the place Beer Springs after one spring whose water tasted a little like flat beer. The most famous, Steamboat Spring, huffed and whistled like a steamboat as gas and water burst from a low stone cone.
Many emigrants stopped to try the water. They mixed it with flavorings to make soda drinks or simply drank it like beer, and in 1838 missionary Sarah White Smith found the water 'excellent for baking bread, no preparation of water is necessary.'
In 1849 Benoni Hudspeth and John Myers led a company of gold seekers west from Sheep Rock, just past the springs, on a new shortcut to California. Hudspeth's Cutoff ran about 110 miles to the Raft River valley and soon drew much of the California traffic, even though it saved fewer than 25 miles and crossed four mountain ranges.
03Today
Beer Spring and Steamboat Spring now lie under Alexander Reservoir, but other springs can still be tasted, including Hooper Spring in a city park. The town's famous geyser is much newer: drillers looking for hot water struck it in 1937, and today a timer lets it erupt every hour.
05Stops nearby
The Oregon Trail ran about 2,170 miles from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon City. The stops just before and after this one are below. You can also find Soda Springs on the interactive map.