Health, History, Horses
King of Resorts, Queen of Spas and...
Saratoga Springs' Chamber of Commerce has produced maps for visitors that highlight area activities and attractions, often with colorful pictorial additions to draw the eye.
In the 1950s, this Chamber of Commerce map informed and entertained visitors, inviting them in with a variety of phrases. In addition to the familiar "king of resorts, queen of spas," some rebranding was in order. This map trumpets: "for fun and rest, be Saratoga's guest," "the 'vacation' convention city," and Saratoga Springs as a "wonderful" winter and summer "playground."
Health, History, Horses
In 1956, The Saratogian published this image of Chamber members observing the hanging of a sign advertising Saratoga Springs as a place for Health, History, and Horses to arriving motorists. At this moment, the sign led with the slogan on the map, which was familiar to mid-century visitors: Saratoga, King of Resorts, Queen of Spas.
Within a decade, however, the new phrase carried the day and Health, History, Horses, became the city's favored slogan, as it remains to this day.
As early as the 1960s, it even seemed insufficient as the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (1963) brought summer visitors interested in the arts as much as the waters, and Skidmore College moved to its new home at the former Woodlawn Park. Some already hoped to add "culture" or "the arts' to the mix...but the slogan has retained its "h"emphasis to this day.