How Hot Springs, South Dakota Got Its Name (It Started Out as Minnekahta)

Hot Springs, South Dakota, is named for the warm springs that bubble up in town, and its first name, Minnekahta, came from the Lakota name for the same water. The town just swapped a Native name for an English one that says about the same thing.

Where the name comes from

The springs were here long before the town. A 1908 railroad guide to place names says the Sioux “used these springs for their medicinal virtues” and called the place “minne-ka-tah, ‘the water that boils.’” It calls the town’s English name a “transliteration of the Indian name,” though it’s really a translation: same meaning, different language. The U.S. Geological Survey’s place-name record cites the same book.

Encyclopaedia Britannica translates Minnekahta a little differently, as “Hot Waters,” and a state historical marker called “Battle Mountain” gives it as “water, hot.” Either way, it’s about the warm water. We haven’t checked the word against a Lakota dictionary, so take those as the translations the old sources give, not the final word.

From Minnekahta to Hot Springs

The first settlers kept the Native name. Britannica says the town was settled in 1879 as Minnekahta and later renamed Hot Springs.

When the name changed is less clear than you’d think. Britannica and the U.S. Geological Survey’s record say 1882, but South Dakota Public Broadcasting gives 1886 and calls it a marketing move: the town’s leaders reportedly wanted to compete with the better-known resort of Hot Springs, Arkansas. What everyone agrees on is the order: Minnekahta first, Hot Springs after.

A town built on warm water

The new name was good for business. Britannica says Hot Springs grew up as a health resort, and its big attraction, Evans Plunge, an indoor pool built over the springs in 1890, still draws swimmers today.

Sources & further reading

• W. H. Stennett, A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways (1908). A public-domain railroad guide. Gives “minne-ka-tah, ‘the water that boils’” and says the town’s name translates it.
• GNIS feature 1265256 (U.S. Geological Survey). The federal record for Hot Springs. Cites the 1908 guide and gives 1882 for the current name and 1890 for incorporation.
• Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Hot Springs.” Settled in 1879 as Minnekahta, “Hot Waters,” renamed in 1882, and Evans Plunge.
• “Battle Mountain” historical marker. Gives Minnekahta as “water, hot.” Read through the Historical Marker Database listing.
• South Dakota Public Broadcasting, “The Palace Plunge & Evans Plunge, Hot Springs.” The 1886 date and the Hot Springs, Arkansas, explanation.