The historic Buckhorn Baths Motel property near Main Street and Recker Road in Mesa, Arizona, as seen from the air on Sept. 7, 2026. The once-famous mineral bath resort has deep ties to Major League Baseball and the early history of Arizona's Cactus League. Aerial photo: Ciara Perez / iSkyNews.com

Buckhorn Baths: The Mesa Landmark With a Surprisingly Big Place in Arizona History

By Ciara Perez, Senior Multimedia Correspondent

iSkyNews.com (ISN) – Published September 8th, 2026

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MESA, Ariz. — If you’ve driven down East Main Street near Recker Road in Mesa, you’ve probably seen it.

The giant old Buckhorn Baths Motel sign is hard to miss.

It’s weathered, a little rough around the edges, and looks like something frozen in time. But behind that sign is a pretty remarkable story involving hot mineral water, roadside tourism, Major League Baseball, and some of the biggest names to ever play the game.

News Brief Summary

• Buckhorn Baths began after Ted and Alice Sliger purchased property east of Mesa in the 1930s.
• In 1939, they drilled for water and unexpectedly found naturally hot mineral water.
• The property grew into a mineral bath resort, motel, and roadside attraction.
• Buckhorn later became closely tied to Major League Baseball spring training in Arizona.
• Players from the New York and later San Francisco Giants, along with other teams, used the baths.
• Baseball legends including Willie Mays and Ernie Banks are connected to the site’s history.
• Buckhorn Baths was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
• The property is closed today, but the sign and historic buildings remain.

It Started With a Well

The Buckhorn story really begins with Ted and Alice Sliger, who bought property east of Mesa in the 1930s.

At the time, this part of Mesa looked very different than it does today. The area was much more open, and the city had not yet expanded around the property.

The Sligers needed water, so in 1939 they drilled a well.

What came up was not exactly what they expected.

Instead of cool water, they hit naturally hot, mineral-rich water, reportedly around 112 degrees.

That unexpected discovery changed everything.

Rather than seeing it as a problem, the Sligers turned it into a business.

From Hot Water to a Roadside Destination

The property soon became known for its mineral baths.

Over time, Buckhorn grew into much more than a place to soak. It became a motel, a roadside stop, and a destination for travelers passing through the Valley.

The property also developed its own personality.

Ted Sliger was known for his large taxidermy collection, and Buckhorn became part motel, part mineral spa, part roadside attraction.

For people traveling across Arizona before the freeway system looked anything like it does today, Buckhorn was the kind of place that stood out.

And then baseball showed up.

Buckhorn and the Birth of Arizona Spring Training

One of the most interesting parts of Buckhorn’s history is its connection to Major League Baseball.

In the 1940s, Arizona was beginning to establish itself as a spring training destination.

The New York Giants began training in Arizona in 1947, and Buckhorn became closely associated with the team.

Players stayed there, relaxed there, and used the mineral baths during spring training.

After the Giants moved to San Francisco, the relationship continued.

Other teams and players also became connected to Buckhorn, including members of the Chicago Cubs.

Some of baseball’s biggest names passed through the property, including Willie Mays, Ernie Banks, and Billy Williams.

For a small roadside resort in Mesa, that is a pretty incredible guest list.

More Than Just a Motel

Buckhorn became part of the social side of spring training.

Players and families gathered there. The Sligers became well known around baseball circles, and the property developed a reputation as a place where players could unwind away from the field.

There is also an important piece of social history tied to the property.

During an era when segregation still affected accommodations across the country, Black players including Willie Mays stayed at Buckhorn alongside white teammates.

That gives Buckhorn a deeper place in Arizona history beyond just tourism and baseball.

Mesa Eventually Grew Around It

For years, Buckhorn sat outside the busier parts of Mesa.

Eventually, Mesa caught up.

Homes, businesses, wider roads, and modern development surrounded the property.

Ted Sliger died in 1984. Alice continued to be closely tied to Buckhorn for years afterward, and the baths eventually closed in the late 1990s.

Alice Sliger died in 2010 at the age of 103.

By then, Buckhorn’s busiest days were long gone.

But the property was not forgotten.

In 2005, Buckhorn Baths Motel was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

What Remains Today

Today, Buckhorn Baths is no longer operating as a motel or mineral spa.

The buildings are aging, and much of the property has clearly seen better days.

But that giant sign is still there.

And in a way, it still does its job.

It makes people look.

It makes people wonder.

And if you know the story, it becomes more than an old sign on Main Street.

It becomes a reminder of when Mesa was smaller, highways were different, baseball players came to soak in mineral baths, and one accidental well helped turn a desert property into a piece of Arizona history.

For a place that started because somebody drilled for water, Buckhorn Baths ended up making quite a splash.

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