Incorporated as a town in 1885, Calistoga was founded by Samuel Brannan, California's first millionaire, who was fascinated by Calistoga's natural hot springs and purchased 2000 acres to develop a spa reminiscent of Saratoga, New York. His resort (originally located where Indian Springs Resort is today) opened to California's rich and famous in 1862. With the completion of the railroad in 1868, Calistoga became not only a destination but the transportation hub for the upper Napa Valley. The town's name comes from Brannan's tipsy malapropism that he would make this the Saratoga of California, which came out as the "Calistoga of Sarafornia."