In 1913 an Illinois doctor, C. H. Diehl, bought Welch Spring for $800 and built a hospital over the mouth of its cave, believing the spring water and the cool, pollen-free cave air could help patients with asthma, emphysema, and tuberculosis. He dammed the spring to push more cave air into the building and added cabins, a campground, and a show cave, but the rough roads kept visitors away, and the resort fell into ruin after he died in 1940. The stone walls still stand over the spring.
- Where
- Near Akers on the Current River, MO
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