The land area of Warm Springs and the warm bubbling waters for which it was named slope from just below Mission Peak to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay. Native Americans established early settlements near the springs. Rancho Agua Caliente defined the borders of the hamlet of Harrisburg, later named Warm Springs. The Warm Springs Health Resort on this land was known worldwide in the 1850s. In 1869, Gov. Leland Stanford purchased the resort area as a private estate that his brother Josiah developed into a famous winery. Henry Curtner farmed large tracts of land planted in wheat, barley, and grapes. Products were shipped from Dixon and Warm Springs Landings to the large markets in San Francisco.

The town of Drawbridge was established off its shores as a sportsman's haven and is now a ghost town. A Portuguese festival drew 10,000 people in 1935. The popular Weibel Winery and Hidden Valley Dude Ranch were established just after World War II.