The Suwannee River was once the boundary between the Timucuan peoples to the east and the Apalachee people to the west. When Spanish explorers visited the area in the 1530s, the spring was visited by natives from both sides of the river, who believed the water possessed healing powers. The Indians considered the spring a sacred healing ground, and used it even in times of war; any tribe member could bathe and drink the mineral waters without fear of being attacked. The spring water has a "rotten egg" sulfur smell that comes from dissolved hydrogen sulfide gas.