More Weird Water: The Iowa Spring That Shouldn't Have Existed

In June of 1879, a man named George Satterlee struck something unexpected while searching for coal on land owned by N.T. Burroughs - an artesian well that would quickly gain a reputation as anything but ordinary. He stumbled onto something far stranger than black rock beneath the earth. What he found instead was water.

But not the kind you drink without thinking about it first.

This water did something. It had... powers.

At first, it was probably a curiosity. Someone dips a knife blade into the spring, pulls it back out… and suddenly it clings to metal. Nails. Needles. Small objects that should fall away instead stick, drawn in as if the water had given the blade a charge it shouldn’t possess.

Magnetized water. Even writing it feels wrong.

But the reports didn’t stop there.

Word spread that the water held “magnetic” properties. Locals claimed that leaving metal objects like nails or knives submerged for just ten minutes would magnetize them. Whether science or speculation, the phenomenon drew curiosity seekers and hopeful patients alike. 

Soon, the area transformed into a bustling health destination known as the Fountain House Sanitarium.

People started drinking the water, bathing, and immersing themselves in it. People who were experiencing chronic pain noticed that after sitting in the bath, pain seemed to withdraw from their joints and bones. It drew those with persistent aliments, including rheumatoid arthritis. Many believed it could treat conditions ranging from diabetes to addiction. And for those who came seeking relief, the water seemed to deliver.

Even when the water was bottled and carried away from its source, it didn’t lose whatever quality made it different. Whatever was in that spring wasn’t tied to the location alone. Even after being carried away from the spring, the water remained magnetized. 

For a brief window of time, it must have felt like they had found something rare. Maybe even something miraculous. And then, just as quietly as it appeared… it began to fade.

The resort never truly took hold. Interest waned. Whether it was skepticism, poor management, or something less tangible, the place didn’t prosper. The spring, once a source of fascination, slipped back into obscurity.

A city well was constructed nearby - practical, necessary, ordinary. But not long after, the spring dried up. Completely. As if whatever had been flowing beneath the surface had been disrupted… or diverted… or shut off entirely.

And that was it. No long-term studies. No preserved samples. No explanation. Just a strange pocket of time where water behaved in a way it shouldn’t, helped in ways it couldn’t, and then vanished without leaving anything behind but a story.

The original sanitarium is no longer present, but Magnetic Park continues to be a notable spot in Cherokee's local history, featuring a paved loop around a, perhaps, less-magnetic pond. The area is marked with historical information about the site's unique history.