SARATOGA SPRINGS

SARATOGA SPRINGS is a city in east central New York State with more than one hundred natural mineralsprings. Discovered by whites in the late eighteenth century, the town offered few accommodations before 1802, when Gideon Putnam began construction of the Grand Union Hotel. Other hotels followed, and the springs rapidly increased in popularity. Incorporated as a village in 1826, Saratoga was known as a "resort of wealth, intelligence and fashion—a political observatory." Madam Eliza Bowen Jumel, Martin Van Buren, Stephen Douglas, De Witt Clinton, Daniel Webster, and Joseph Bonaparte were frequent visitors. Lavish display became the order of the day, replacing the medicinal properties of the springs in significance. During the 1860s profiteers discovered Saratoga Springs and started drilling six new springs, opened several new hotels, and ran the first horse races at the Travers track. After 1863 the annual races of the Saratoga Association for the Improvement of the Breed of Horses began to draw large crowds.

Throughout the last quarter of the nineteenth century, Saratoga Springs was the most fashionable spa in the United States. Commercial bottling of the waters nearly depleted the springs, but New York State acquired the property in 1909 and placed the springs in the charge of a conservation commission in 1916. Saratoga Springs continues as a popular tourist resort, mainly for its summer horse races and its historical sites.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Amory, Cleveland. The Last Resorts. New York: Harper, 1952.

Spiegel, Ted. Saratoga, The Place and Its People: Essays by Peter Andrews, Jennifer Dunning, and Whitney Tower. New York: Abrams, 1988.

A. C.Flick/c. w.

See alsoHorse Racing and Showing ; Resorts and Spas ; Tourism .

Saratoga Springs resort and residential city (1990 pop. 25,001), Saratoga co., E N.Y.; inc. as a village 1826, as a city 1915. Skidmore College is the largest source of employment, but the city also has light manufacturing. The last battle of the Saratoga campaign was fought near the city in 1777. The nearby Saratoga National Historical Park embraces the battlefield. After the American Revolution, as the fame of its carbonated mineral waters spread, the village became a health resort. In the 19th cent., Saratoga Springs was one of the most popular social and sporting centers in America. Horse racing, which continues to be one of its major attractions, was begun after 1863.

Of interest are the racetrack, racing museum and hall of fame, and many old buildings and homes, including the Casino (1867), a former gambling establishment that now houses two museums; Yaddo, the renowned artists' colony, is also there. An elaborate state-owned spa (1935) preserves and utilizes the waters and offers curative baths. Saratoga Spa state park, summer home of the Philadelphia Orchestra and, formerly, the New York City Ballet, is south of the city; the dance hall of fame and museum are also there. The State Univ. of New York's Empire State College is in the city.

Saratoga Springs, New York/USA Originally the site of a Native American village with several similar names. The best known one is Sa‐ragh‐to‐ga ‘place of swift water’ or possibly ‘place of water from a rock’. It was well known for its springs.