Scenic Sunday - Welch Spring

Welch Hospital - Homesteaded by Thomas Welch in 1855.

An Illinois doctor, C.H. Diehl, purchased the property in 1913 for $800.

Dr. Diehl believed that the spring water had healing properties

and that cool, pollen free air coming from the adjacent cave

would be beneficial for people with asthma, emphysema and tuberculosis,

also known as "consumption."

Sign in front of the ruins says:

Do Not Enter This Cave

To do so when gray bats are present is a violation of the Federal Endangered Species Act, 

punishable by fines of up to $20,000 for each violation.

The gray bat, a highly beneficial endangered species that spends the summer here, 

is intolerant of disturbance, esp when flightless newborn young are present.  

Baby bats may be dropped to their deaths by panicked parents if disturbance occurs during this period, 

or may simply be abandoned.

Located about 2 miles north of Akers, Missouri
on Hwy K and a mile down a gravel road,
then about half a mile hike down a beautiful well beaten path
that runs alongside Current River.
All images taken October 16th 2011

Scenic Sunday