On the 17th of August 1880, J.V. B. Flack and Anthony and Elizabeth Wyman, owners of the small valley, formed a partnership to create a town at the site of the mineral spring that became known as Siloam. Their town was to be Excelsior. The post office department was unable to approve their choice of town names, as an Excelsior, MO post office was already in use in south Missouri, so the new post office received the name Viginti. The influence of the water could not be denied and after 1882 it became Excelsior Springs, MO.

In less than one year 200 houses nestled in the little valley and clung to the rugged hillsides, while hundreds of visitors had to content themselves at camp fires, under tents and in the shelter of covered wagons. In less than 18 months the new community was incorporated as a city of the 4th Class. The improvements included numerous hotels, boarding houses, churches, school, opera house, livery stables and stores.

A second spring was found in 1881. First known as Empire it became the Regent Spring. In 1893, Regent Water received a medal at the Chicago World's Fair, for having the highest iron content of any known water. The 3rd spring was Relief Spring found almost in the basin of Dry Fork of Fishing River.