Radium Springs

Source: karstdvr96@divingforme.com

Radium-no longer has the outflow it once had due to droughts etc,so it is divable only rarely. Also there is a fairly unstable spot about the 2/3 point.

Source: ExploreSouthernhHistory.com

Pouring out 70,000 gallons of clear, fresh water per minute, Radium Springs is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia. A popular swimming hole and fishing spot for generations, the spring was initially known as Blue Spring. Blue hole springs, so named because they appear deep and marvelously blue in color, are major sources of the Flint River. Despite its long history as a local spot for fishing and swimming, it was an unexpected discovery in the early 20th century that made it a prominent resort. Testing revealed that
the water flowing from the spring contained traces of radium.

A chemical element discovered in 1898 in France by Marie and Pierre Curie, radium is 1,000 more times radioactive than uranium. It occurs naturally in certain types of earth and is extremely rare. Uniquely, it is luminescent and glows in a faint blue color.

Bathing in mineral waters was believed in the 19th and early 20th centuries to be a way of improving the health of people suffering a variety of illnesses. Blue Springs was renamed Radium Springs as the first step in its development as a major resort.

The discovery of radium traces in the water was made by analysts working for Barron G. Collier, a noted developer and national figure of the early 20th century. Collier County in Florida is named in his honor. In 1925 he purchased the springs and began work on a major development there.

Collier’s plans for Radium Springs were magnificent and it is was reported at the time that he spent nearly $1,000,000 on the project there. It was an amazing sum for the time.

The development included a casino and bathhouses overlooking the spring, a hotel named the Skywater (after the supposed Creek Indian name for the spring), cottages, riding and walking trails and one of the finest golf courses in the South. The resort opened to the public in 1927 and was an instant success. Guests came by train to Albany from across the country to soak in the waters and enjoy the other amenities.  The Great Depression led to the closure of Radium Springs in 1939. The golf course reopened under lease in 1941 and the entire complex was acquired by a group of local investors in 1944. Over the years it opened and closed several times.

The spring was still a popular swimming place for Albany area residents until 1994 when the casino and other historic structures suffered heavy damage in the Tropical Storm Alberto flooding. A second flood inflicted even more damage in 1998. Sadly, the casino was too severely damaged to save. The property and remains of the spring area of the resort, however, were acquired by state and local governments.

Source: UndoneBird.com

I remember one guy who came up with enough coins to fill both hands. He stood on the concrete area that overlooked the springs. Creedence Clear Water Revival’s “Around the Bend” was playing over the loud loudspeakers. A group of younger kids huddled around, listening. What he had done, diving down into that dark water, holding his breath while he sifted around in the sand, seemed so brave, so daring.

He had discovered air pockets, he told us, where he could go up and take his breath, then return to look for more coins.

Through the years, a number of people drowned down there. Eventually, the entry to the underground cave was sealed with bars.