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Vintage Postcards of Indiana Health FacilitiesIn the early 1900s, the Dillsboro Oil and Gas Company sank a well 1,387 feet deep. While there wasn%u2019t enough oil or gas to be profitable, they did tap into an abundant source of mineral water. Eventually, it was decided that this unexpected find could have medicinal value for those with rheumatism, kidney dysfunction, and other afflictions, and a Kentucky business was formed to develop the water%u2019s entrepreneurial potential%u2014but it was soon replaced by the Dillsboro Sanitarium Company on August 14, 1911. Quickly, the new owners constructed a 56-room building designed to comfortably house and care for 60-75 guests. It boasted a broad veranda with outdoor rest rooms. The structure%u2019s impressive front porch and second floor balcony ran down its entire length. Rates ran from as low as $3.50 per day for one person in a single room without running water, up to as much as $10.50 per day for a corner room with running water, a toilet, and two beds for two guests. The newly-opened spa was equipped to do electrotherapy procedures such as infra-red radiation and diathermia (using heat from high-frequency electric current to stimulate circulation, relieve pain, etc.). They also offered the standard amenities for such establishments, such as massage and a variety of mineral-water treatments. An early pamphlet confidently announced, %u201cthe salts of the alkaline earths play a very important part in the physiological economy of the mammalian body. Calcium chloride in conjunction with sodium chloride found in the given proportion by analysis in the water form a solution of untold importance in the circulation of the blood.%u201d While the sanitarium welcomed those with arthritis, diabetes, alcoholism, urinary diseases, and acne%u2014it did not accept individuals suffering from tuberculosis, venereal disease, mental disorders, or drug addiction. The grand facility in Dillsboro thrived in the 1930s and %u201840s, then faltered. Finally, in 1964, it became a retirement community%u2014the Dillsboro Manor.Dillsboro Sanitarium%u2014%u2014Dillsboro, Indiana%u2014%u2014Established 1911Specialized in curing a wide variety of ailments with both electrotherapy and hydrotherapy using its WhiteCrane Mineral Water which was brought up from an %u201cinexhaustible%u201d aquifer 1,387 feet deep.Sanitariums and Spas