The village was named after nearby natural springs that is high in iron content that is located in the Glen Helen Nature Preserve. The iron content in the water is what gives the rocks the rusty coloring.
 
The spring had long been visited by the Shawnee Native Americans who occupied the area well before there was a European-American settlement here. In the nineteenth century many visitors came for the springs, as these were believed to have medicinal benefits
 
I took this photo on a recent hike through the Glen on my way to the pine forest. Fog was over most of the area when I started out on my hike, it created an ethereal, magical feel to the area.