In 1975, a man named R. J. Rudd, a self-proclaimed doctor of philosophy as well as an economist and Baptist minister, leased the hot springs. Rudd and his associates set up a clinic, promising to cure cancer patients through a diet of lemon juice and water. Desperate patients from all across the United States came for treatment. Three undercover investigative reporters were sent by 60 Minutes to Rudd under the guise of “seeking treatment” for one of them. Sheriff’s deputies raided the clinic in September of 1977, and Rudd was indicted for selling bogus shares in his scheme. The 60 Minutes expose, which featured Mike Wallace grilling Rudd, aired twice during 1978. The cancer clinic failed, and the springs were abandoned for several years apart from a chiropractic office and Shakespeare’s Bar and Grill.
In loving memory of Malcolm Barnett, a dedicated member of Murrieta’s Historical Society.
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