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Nestled two hours outside of Las Vegas in the heart of the Mojave Desert, an amazing and peculiar road named Zzyzx veers off Interstate 15. Its name alone is intriguing, but the story behind the abandoned settlement at its dead-end is even stranger. Once known as “Soda Springs,” this eerie site was transformed into Zzyzx Mineral Springs by a notorious con artist in the 1940s — a tale as bizarre as the name itself.
A Healing Oasis Turned Hoax
For centuries, Soda Springs was a natural oasis, providing respite to Native Americans, Spanish explorers, miners, and railroad workers. Its reputation for healing waters eventually caught the attention of Curtis Howe Springer, a self-proclaimed doctor with a knack for scams. Springer envisioned the springs as the cornerstone of his latest scheme: a wellness spa offering miraculous cures.
In 1944, Springer laid claim to 12,800 acres of federal land in the Mojave, despite having no legal ownership. He dubbed the area Zzyzx — a name designed to be “the last word in health” — and began marketing his spa as a utopia for rejuvenation. Beneath his grand promises, however, lay a network of false claims and fabricated credentials.
Curtis Howe Springer: The King of Quacks
Springer’s life was a patchwork of tall tales and dubious achievements. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1896, he claimed to hold various advanced degrees from institutions that didn’t exist. Among his many fabrications was “The Springer School of Humanism,” a so-called university he created himself.
By the 1930s, Springer had made a name for himself in Chicago by selling bogus health remedies on the radio. His unscientific claims were so outrageous that the American Medical Association branded him the “King of Quacks.” Despite this, his radio broadcasts found success in Pittsburgh, where he promoted cures promising internal and eternal cleanliness.
Springer’s ultimate grift was Zzyzx, a desert retreat where he offered visitors everything from miracle cures to warm “natural” spring baths — secretly heated with pumps.
The Rise and Fall of Zzyzx
Springer’s wellness retreat flourished through the 1950s and 1960s. Visitors flocked to Zzyzx, drawn in by his relentless advertising and promises of health rejuvenation. The site boasted a cheap motel, a faux hot spring, and 27 concocted remedies touted as life-changing.
But Springer’s empire came crashing down in 1974. Authorities discovered he had no legal right to develop the land, as his mining claims didn’t permit occupation. After squatting for 30 years, Springer was evicted by the Bureau of Land Management. Given just 36 hours to vacate, he left behind the remnants of his fraudulent oasis.
Despite his removal, Springer never stopped fighting for Zzyzx, even penning an editorial titled “The Legal Rape of Zzyzx” in 1984. But his efforts were futile. Zzyzx remained abandoned as officials debated its future.
Zzyzx Today: A Ghost Town with a New Purpose
Today, the Zzyzx Mineral Springs site has found a second life as the Desert Studies Center, operated by California State University. Students and researchers use the area to study desert ecology and geology.
Though Zzyzx has been repurposed, remnants of its bizarre history linger. Visitors can still spot abandoned buildings, faded signs, and relics of Springer’s so-called miracle cures, offering a haunting glimpse into its peculiar past.
A Strange Legacy in the Desert
From its shady beginnings as a con artist’s health retreat to its current role as an academic hub, Zzyzx is a testament to the strange and colorful history of the Mojave Desert. While Springer’s name has faded into obscurity, the eerie ghost town he built continues to captivate those curious enough to venture down its dead-end road.
