08/01/2026
🐎♨️ 32 YEARS OF WILD HORSE HOT SPRINGS ♨️🐎
Today is a special one.
32 years ago today, Denny purchased what was then known as Camp Aqua and began the chapter that would become Wild Horse Hot Springs.
But the story of this land and these waters reaches much further back than 32 years.
Wild Horse sits within the exterior boundaries of the Flathead Indian Reservation, home of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT). As we celebrate our own milestone, we also want to respectfully acknowledge that the history of this land did not begin with Camp Aqua or Wild Horse, and that Native people have deep and enduring ties to this land and region.
Then came another remarkable chapter.
In 1912, homesteader Molly Bartlett was drilling in search of water when she unexpectedly struck a powerful source of hot artesian water. That discovery became known as the Mother Dragon Geyser — the geothermal source at the heart of Wild Horse today.
Decades later, the property became Camp Aqua, including a warm-water project associated with care for children affected by polio.
And in 1994, Denny D took the reins.
For 32 years, he has carried this unusual piece of Montana history through good years, difficult years, changes, rebuilding and growth — while the water has simply kept flowing.
Today, Wild Horse is growing again. New soaking spaces, improvements to the property and new ideas are taking shape, but we don't want growth to make us forget what makes this place special.
The water. The land. The history. The people. And the generations who came before us.
To our locals who have been soaking here for decades, our Native neighbors, our visitors from around the world, our past and present employees, and everyone who has supported Wild Horse along the way:
Thank you for being part of these 32 years.
Here's to honoring the past while building the next chapter.
Happy 32 years, Denny & Wild Horse Hot Springs. 🐎♨️
Natty ❤️