Hundreds of years ago, the American bison roamed the wilderness of Southern Indiana. Thousands of these animals cut, and forged their way through the Indiana forests from the Falls of the Ohio to the Wabash River and on westward. They passed between salt licks, springs and grassy meadowlands; pounding the ground into deep trails. These trails, called bullalo traces, were essential to the westward migration of animals, indians and early settlers.

The "licks" of French Lick and West Baden Springs were, without a doubt, first discovered by the wildlife which inhabited the area as well as these migrating buffalo. The affinity of the wild animals toward these waters is attested by the writings of the early English settlers and the "licks" were a rendevous for the deer, bear and buffalo until they were eventually wiped out by the westward expansion of the frontier.

The French Lick Springs were the undisputed happy hunting grounds of the American Indian for at least five hundred years up to time of the French settlement locating here in the late 1600s. Until the arrival of the French, the Indians considered the springs to be the gift of the Great Spirit. Here they held their councils and smoked the pipe of peace. Here the wild beasts were at peace with man. This was to the Indians a type of future state, THE HAPPY HUNTING GROUND where the GOOD INDIANS with their dogs were to enjoy the chase to all eternity.

On December 11, 1816, Indiana became the 19th State in the Union. One of the few roads in Southern Indiana was the original buffalo trace connecting Louisville with Vincennes. The road passed through French Lick. Towns were springing up along the trace as new settlers emigrated from North Carolina and Virginia. Orange County was also established in 1816; created by the Indiana Territorial Legislature. The name “Orange County” came from the North Carolina County of the same name.

By 1818, many homes in the area offered board and lodging to weary travelers, including the serving of salt-preserved meats. Salt became so important to the area that the government decided to limit the leasing of the saline land. The state attempted to manufacture salt by crudely boiling off the water in huge kettles over open fires. The method proved impractical for commercial production and was soon abandoned. The land was put up for sale in 1829 and was purchased by Thomas Bowles and his son, William.

William Bowles had a thriving business as a physician and surgeon, taking on the most difficult cases and ministering to the ill. Bowles also began a mercantile trade with partner John Hursgate and began selling the local mineral water, promising cleansing and soothing affects to those who “took the waters”. Bowles quickly turned his attention to the allure of the salt licks and the travelers who were passing through. He realized there was a great deal of money to be made by catering to these road weary travelers. It is believed that Bowles constructed the first health resort sometime between 1840 and 1845.

The early Bowles hotel was simple in construction, offering clean rooms and good meals. The location was excellent and the travelers frequented the hotel in great numbers. The good doctor was poised to become a famous and wealthy hotelier. The opportunity before him seemed limitless, as the popularity and fame of the resort grew at a feverish pace as more and more travelers came to take the waters.

In 1840 Bowles was elected to the state legislature. In 1845 he leased the hotel to Dr. John Lane, a traveling medicine salesman. Bowles used his political clout and became a Captain in the Second Indiana Regiment during the Mexican War of 1846. Bowles was quickly promoted to Colonel and he and his men joined a Mississippi regiment commanded by Jefferson Davis. Davis would later become the President of the Confederacy. Bowles returned to the hotel in 1850.

By the 1850s, mineral water was all the rage, allegedly curing all sorts of physical and mental maladies. Many improvements and amenities were added to the hotel including a facility for bottling the precious mineral water.

The downfall of Dr Bowles came about as a result of his fanatical views and staunch support of slavery. He shot and killed Jackson Ballard. Ballard was in the arealooking for Civil War deserters in and around Martin County. Jackson Ballard was the Uncle of Ed Ballard. Bowles was arrested and convicted of treason and sentenced to death. President Lincoln later commuted the sentence to life in prison. At the end of the Civil War, Bowles was pardoned and sent home to French Lick.

Dr. Bowles was weary of his escapades and broken by the indignities of incarceration. His second wife obtained a divorce and a $25,000 alimony settlement. Mysteriously, she was killed in a riverboat accident before she received her settlement. Bowles married again in 1873 and died later that same year; leaving a widow without a will. Heirs from the second wife obtained a revival of the $25,000 judgment, which had been granted prior to her death. In order to satisfy this judgment, the hotel was sold at a sheriff’s sale. It was purchased by Hiram Wells and James Andrews of Paoli.