Ten miles south of Reno, on U.S. 395 near the junction of the road to historic Virginia City, is Steamboat Hot Springs, a popular stop for travelers since the mid-1800s. Legend has it that Mark Twain named the geothermal area because it looked and sounded like a chugging Mississippi River paddle-wheeler. It is said when he first saw the stream rising from the ground he exclaimed, "Behold! A steamboat in the desert." Over the years, the area has been used for its relaxing and curative , qualities by Indians, settlers, college students and geothermal experts