Are all Missouri springs fresh water?
No. Missouri has quite a number of salt and mineral springs, which would be brackish to the taste. Several of these in Jefferson and Ste. Genevieve counties were used by early settlers to make salt. Others, like those at Excelsior Springs, Mo., were very popular as medicinal baths during the 19th and early 20th centuries. One freshwater spring, Welch, was used as a health resort for lung ailments early in this century, by a Dr. Thomas Diehl. He encouraged his patients to come take advantage of the good water and cool cave air–but the venture was never successful.
