March is the month we’re revealing our devilish side. The
latest in our rotating historic display cases as part of French Lick Springs
Hotel’s 175th anniversary centers on Pluto, with plenty of info and
relics relating the hotel’s old devilish mascot on display all month in the
corridor between the lobby and retail shops.
If you’re not able to stop by and learn about Pluto in
person, here’s a brief history on how the devilish Pluto figure came to be the
face of the hotel:
It all started with what’s in the water. When local doctor
William A. Bowles built the first hotel on this property in 1845 — this initial
version was a modest, three-story guesthouse — Bowles touted the health
benefits of the naturally occurring mineral water on property. Then in 1869,
Dr. Joseph Rogers made the first analysis of the mineral springs during a visit
to French Lick. Rogers named the largest spring “Pluto’s Well,” since the water
originated underground and Pluto was the Roman god of the underworld.
Maybe such an ominous figure wouldn’t be the first choice
today for the face of a brand. But during this era, the Pluto name stuck and
became an iconic trademark.
Guests started flocking to French Lick to “take the waters”
with a pungent sulfur odor and powerful laxative effect. Guests would stroll
the gardens after ingesting the water and waiting for it to take effect.
Outhouses were set up in the gardens for when nature finally called, and guests
would carry canes to be placed on the outhouse door handles to indicate it was
occupied.
Thank goodness our idea of a good time has evolved, huh?
Today, you come here for a nice dinner; maybe hit the casino, spa or a concert.
But that was the big draw back then: the water. Crazy how times change.
Advertisements during that era trumpeted the curative powers
of the water:
“Pluto Spring contains three times more sulphureted hydrogen
than any other spring on the continent. Volumes could be written to prove that
the natural Pluto water at the springs has been the means of curing bowel,
kidney, stomach and liver afflictions and a score of ills that flesh is heir
to.
Pluto Water took off even further when Thomas Taggart and
three partners purchased French Lick Springs Hotel in 1901 with plans to build
a health resort. Though Taggart advertisements about Pluto Water backed off its
healing claims — ads still listed elements contained in the water for folks to
draw their own conclusions — he launched a national advertising campaign for
the Pluto Water, which included securing the likeness of Pluto for use in his
advertising.
The “red devil” figure became popular nationally after
Taggart convinced doctors and pharmacists to carry the bottled Pluto Water
product. By 1919, national sales of Pluto Water exceeded $1.2 million.
A bottling plant was built on hotel property (and later
rebuilt to expand) as sales boomed and more than 450 train carloads of the
water were shipped annually.
All the while, Pluto’s name and image were everywhere.
On matchbooks. On stamps. On dishes at the hotel restaurant.
On postcards. An especially cool relic is this one pictured at right, circa 1910: a
mug with a Pluto figure as a handle, and a picture of the Pluto Spring House.
Pluto was even on the hotel, as shiny Pluto statues were
situated atop the building known as the Hot Pluto Buffet, where guests could
get Pluto Water served hot or cold. These statues were moved to the hotel’s
front portico for a brief time before being removed.
Pluto had a sports presence, too. The hotel fielded a
semipro baseball team comprised of employees, and they were nicknamed the
Plutos. The old French Lick High School also sported the Pluto mascot.
Who knows if Pluto Water might stills around today if it
were allowed? Production of the water continued until 1971 when lithium — which
is found in the water in trace amounts — was classified as a controlled
substance. But we’re keeping Pluto’s memory flickering in our display cases at
the hotel, and you can also visit the original Pluto statues at the French Lick
West Baden Museum across the highway. It’s definitely worth the visit to see
Pluto up close.