- Saratoga Spa Complex - Saratoga Springs NYSaratoga Springs has been famous for its mineral waters, for bathing and drinking, for four centuries, and was known to native people long before that. The town has a rich history of tourism, horse-racing and gambling, and its many springs have been developed commercially and heavily exploited by bottling companies. In order to protect the springs from over-pumping, the area was declared a New York State Reservation in 1909. Dr. Simon Baruch, a leading exponent of hydrotherapy, guided the Spa's development in its early years. In 1928, New York Governor Franklin Roosevelt established a commission to rehabilitate the springs, chaired by Bernard Baruch,...