The hot springs hotel is located in the least populated incorporated city in Nevada.
I have to mention the FLDS Cult when talking about the history in days not long past.
Caliente Station
The former Caliente station was built in 1923 and closed in 1993.
It served the division point of the Union Pacific Railroad on the mainline between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City.
As a result of rail dieselization and motorization, Caliente’s population declined to around one fifth of the peak period.
The historic Mission Revival style build is now used for the city hall, library, and art gallery.
FLDS Controversy
The town was originally given the name of “Calientes”, due to the hot springs present in the area.
There remains a hot springs hotel close to the former station.
This is the entrance of the hideaway.
It looks like that once there was a railroad siding in the premises.
The historic hotel had been owned and operated by FLDS Church.
FLDS means the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which is one of the largest organizations in the United States having members who practice polygamy.
The fundamentalist Mormon movement emerged in the early 20th century when its founding members were excommunicated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
In 1904, LDS Church issued a public declaration (Second Manifesto) announcing that the LDS Church was no longer sanctioning plural marriages.
In reality, polygamy persists today in Utah and neighboring states.
The FLDS Cult exploit that historical background.
According to testimony given in the criminal case, Warren Jeffs, the president of FLDS Church had used the hotel as a site of several forced marriages between under-aged girls and older men.
He was drawn to the motel for its privacy.
In 2011, he was convicted of two felony counts of child sexual assault, for which he is currently serving a life sentence.
The motel was sold to a Las Vegas company in 2004.


Massive Water Input
The motel has 18 rooms.
The bath house is located in the center.
There are four bathrooms for the private soak.
Walk-ins are available, but normally you will need the reservation.
Close the iron door and lock it from inside.
There are no windows in the bathroom.
A steam vent is for some reason covered with cloth.
Turning the lever, massive amount of mineral water starts to flow out.
The water temperature was 106 degrees F.
It is not so hot, but probably due to the rapid flow and the structure of the bath house, the room became hotter like a steam bath.
I did not foresee that the historic hideaway had such powerful water inside.
Summary
Caliente Hot Springs Motel and Spa, Caliente, Nevada, U.S.
Rating
- StyleLodging / Walk-in
- RulePrivate /Tub in room
- ChlorinationNone
- TemperatureUp to 106 degrees F