About three miles down the valley from Boulder are the Boulder Hot Springs, a group of boiling fountains of mineral water. These springs are located on the homestead of James C. Riley, Peter C. Riley had the adjoining homestead.
The Rileys built a country tavern and a rude bath house, and miners came from the placer diggings and quartz camps to cure their rheumatic pains by bathing in the mineral waters. The tavern did not attempt to furnish much comfort other than food and drink, and many guests slept on the floor, providing their own blankets.
It was at these springs that the Holt family spent their first winter in Montana in 1864. A romance soon bloomed between Sarah Holt and James Riley and they were married the next year. It would appear that James was more interested in mining than in operating a hotel, as a few mining claims were registered in his name, including on Cataract Creek at Basin.
